Ann Ghabel

Ann Ghabel is a licensed independent social worker (LISW) in Iowa with 11 years of therapy experience. She combines a warm, straightforward style with practical tools to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and parenting concerns. She aims to make the first visit feel manageable and supportive for worried parents and caregivers.

Before focusing on therapy, she spent decades in inpatient child psychiatry as a nurse and taught psychiatric nursing. That background informs how she listens for what’s happening in daily life and in relationships. She draws on several approaches to match techniques to each person’s situation.

In sessions she emphasizes clear communication and a nonjudgmental space. She helps people name difficult thoughts and feelings, try small behavior changes, and build coping skills for sleep, eating, anger, and mood issues. She also addresses grief, career stress, and compassion fatigue in practical steps.

For people navigating adoption, caregiver stress, chronic illness, autism-related concerns, attachment questions, or transitions like divorce, she brings focused attention to immediate problems and realistic next steps. She may also use Brainspotting as a tool to help process emotional trauma and increase insight.

She works with people coping with ADHD, bipolar mood changes, and other complex patterns by combining talk-based strategies with skills practice. Her approach centers on collaboration: setting goals together and adjusting the plan as life changes.

How therapeutic approaches shape online care

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and understanding each person's experience. It helps people clarify what matters to them and set goals at their own pace. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thinking and behavior and teaches practical skills to reduce anxiety, manage mood, and improve daily routines.

Choosing the right approach is often a team effort. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't worked before. Together they will try methods that fit the person’s needs and adjust the plan as progress is made.

Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life. It often reduces travel time and can allow for shorter check-ins when needed or sessions that better match a parent’s schedule. Because session formats are not specified here, confirm the available options before booking to learn how appointments can best fit your routine. Licensed professionals commonly use a mix of talk-based work and skills practice that translate well to remote sessions, helping clients apply strategies between meetings.