Anna Murphy, LMHC

Iowa · 9 years in practice

Anna Murphy is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) based in Iowa who helps people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and trauma.

License and registration

LMHC, Iowa: 080832 · expires September 2026
NPI: 1063865954 · national provider identifier
Years in practice: 9
Languages: English

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.

About Anna

Anna Murphy is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) based in Iowa who helps people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and trauma. She offers straightforward support for mood concerns, addiction, relationship and intimacy-related issues, and career or life changes. Her tone is warm and practical, focused on helping people find usable tools for daily life.

Anna has worked in psychiatric hospitals, schools, community mental health centers, and personal agencies over the past nine years.

Background and approach

That variety gave her experience with persistent mental illness, mood and anxiety disorders, substance use, and emotion regulation challenges. She has also supported people dealing with grief, dissociation, domestic violence, caregiver stress, and other complex concerns. Her counseling style centers on the person rather than a label.

Sessions combine client-centered conversation with structured skill work. She helps people learn coping strategies from cognitive behavioral therapy and distress tolerance skills from dialectical behavior therapy when those approaches fit. Anna also incorporates trauma-focused methods and may use eye movement desensitization and reprocessing as part of trauma work when appropriate.

Expressive therapy tools are sometimes offered for people who prefer creative ways to process feelings. She adapts methods to what each person needs and wants. People can expect an interactive process that balances listening with practical exercises.

Anna aims to help people build skills, make clearer decisions, and feel steadier in everyday life.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Anna lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

Stress, Anxiety
Trauma and abuse
Grief
Self esteem
Depression
Addictions
LGBT
Relationship issues
Family conflicts
Intimacy-related issues
Anger management
Career difficulties
Bipolar disorder
Coping with life changes
Compassion fatigue
ADHD
Abandonment
Adoption and foster care
BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
Blended family issues
Body image
Cancer
Caregiver issues and stress
Co-morbidity
Codependency
Communication problems
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
Dissociation
Divorce and separation
Domestic violence
Drug and alcohol addiction
Emptiness
Family of origin issues
Family problems
First responder issues
Forgiveness
Guilt and shame
Hospice and end-of-life counseling
Isolation / loneliness
Jealousy
Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
Mood disorders
Panic disorder and panic attacks
Post-traumatic stress
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Self-harm
Self-love
Sexual assault and abuse
Sexuality
Social anxiety and phobia
Women's issues
Workplace issues
Young adult issues

Approaches Anna names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.

Online support

Approaches online that focus on skills and trauma care

Anna uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people identify unhelpful thinking patterns and try small behavior changes that can reduce anxiety and lift mood. CBT is practical and often focused on day-to-day skills like sleep, activity, and thinking habits.

She also draws from dialectical behavior therapy for emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills. DBT techniques help with intense emotions, impulsive reactions, and improving communication under stress. For trauma-related work, she may integrate EMDR methods alongside other trauma-informed practices to process distressing memories when that fits the persons goals.

Finding the right approach usually happens together. The therapist will talk about what feels useful, try techniques, and adjust methods based on the client's needs and preferences. That collaborative process helps decide whether to focus on skills training, trauma processing, or a mix of both.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make scheduling easier. Video is helpful for fuller conversation and skill teaching, phone can be a quicker check-in, and messaging supports shorter exchanges or ongoing check-ins between appointments. These formats make it simpler to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or busy schedules while maintaining continuity of care.

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Questions people ask

What concerns does Anna work with?

She supports people dealing with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, addictions, relationship and intimacy-related issues, and many other life challenges listed in her specialties.

What is her therapeutic style like?

Her approach is warm and interactive, blending client-centered conversation with practical skills from CBT and DBT and trauma-informed care.

How long has she been practicing?

She has about nine years of experience working across hospitals, schools, community mental health centers, and personal agencies.

Where is she licensed and located?

She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC, practicing in Iowa.

Can I work with her if I live outside the United States?

International clients are not currently accepted; sessions are offered in English to people in her permitted region.

What session formats are available?

Sessions can take place via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.

How is cost handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability.

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