About
- Stress and anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting support
About Ann
Ann Ghabel is an Iowa Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) with 11 years of experience as a therapist and a long background in psychiatric nursing. She helps people manage stress, anxiety, family tension, trauma and abuse, parenting challenges, depression, grief, sleep and eating issues, anger, self-esteem, and ADHD. Her work also covers longer-term concerns such as bipolar mood patterns, career stress, and coping with life changes.
Before becoming an LISW she spent four decades working on an inpatient child psychiatry unit and teaching psychiatric nursing. That nursing background informs how she listens and assesses practical needs. She uses a mix of talking therapies and tools to help people notice what keeps problems going and try different ways of responding.
Her approach is grounded in client-centered work, so sessions start with what the person brings. She draws on cognitive behavioral therapy to identify patterns of thought and action, dialectical behavior therapy skills for managing strong emotions, and mindfulness techniques to regulate attention. She also offers hypnotherapy and Brainspotting as additional tools for trauma-related distress.
Sessions emphasize clear, direct conversation and simple skills people can practice between meetings. She aims to help clients develop clearer ways to communicate within families, set boundaries, and reduce daily stressors that make parenting and caregiving harder.
People meet her for both short-term problem-solving and longer work on recurring issues. International clients can be seen in English. To begin, use the site matching steps to schedule a first session.
How sessions work
Therapeutic approaches and how they work online
Ann uses client-centered therapy to focus sessions on what matters most to the person. That means starting from the client’s concerns and adapting pacing and goals to their priorities. Client-centered work is useful for family tensions, parenting worries, and general life stress.She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to identify unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and to practice alternative ways of responding. CBT is practical for anxiety, depression, sleep and eating difficulties, and coping with big changes. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills are offered to help with emotion regulation, reducing impulsive reactions, and improving communication under stress.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss options and try methods that fit the client’s needs, goals, and preferences. That collaborative process helps decide whether to emphasize CBT, DBT skills, mindfulness exercises, hypnotherapy, or Brainspotting tools.
Session formats are not detailed in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit meetings into a busy household routine, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Many people find remote sessions help them keep continuity while juggling parenting, caregiving, and work commitments.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
11+ years
Listed in
Iowa
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with at home?
She helps with stress, anxiety, family conflict, parenting, trauma and abuse, depression, grief, sleep and eating issues, anger, self-esteem, and ADHD among other concerns.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She uses a client-centered approach combined with cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy skills, mindfulness, hypnotherapy, and Brainspotting as useful tools.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 11 years as an LISW and previously spent about 40 years working on an inpatient child psychiatry unit and teaching psychiatric nursing.
What credential and location are listed?
She is listed as an Iowa LISW and practices from Iowa.
Can she work with people who live outside the United States?
She accepts international clients and conducts sessions in English.
What session formats are offered?
Session formats are not specified in the biography; confirm current session options before booking.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies by location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.