Aileen Barnhouse, LMHC

Aileen Barnhouse is a licensed mental health counselor in Iowa with 17 years of experience helping people cope with stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, life changes, and ADHD. She focuses on supporting carers and other adults who are juggling demanding roles and everyday strain. Aileen emphasizes practical steps and steady support so clients can start feeling better in daily life.

She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect, and Client-Centered Therapy, which centers the conversation on each person's priorities. Sessions aim to build on existing strengths and teach clear skills for managing symptoms. Aileen works with each person to set realistic goals and small, manageable changes.

Typical work includes identifying unhelpful thinking patterns, trying different behavioral experiments, and strengthening coping tools. She also helps people who face abandonment issues, caregiver stress, isolation, impulsivity, communication problems, and the emotional effects of medical issues like cancer. Practical problem solving and steady encouragement are hallmarks of her approach.

Aileen believes the client is the expert on their life and focuses on collaborating to find workable solutions. She names and uses a person’s strengths so they can handle setbacks better and build confidence. Reaching out for help is difficult, and she aims to make that first step feel manageable and purposeful.

To begin, readers should follow the site’s Start Therapy flow to match and schedule based on Aileen’s availability.

How Aileen’s approaches translate to online therapy

Aileen uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice how their thoughts affect feelings and actions, then test small changes to improve mood and behavior. This approach is often used for anxiety, depression, and problems with focus and motivation.

She also uses Client-Centered Therapy, which puts the person’s priorities first and offers a supportive, nonjudgmental space. That approach helps people explore what matters most and build confidence at their own pace.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Aileen will collaborate with each client to choose techniques that fit their goals and comfort level, and she adjusts methods as progress is made. The client and therapist decide together which strategies to try and how to measure change.

Session formats are not detailed in the biography, so confirm available options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It can also make it simpler to continue care during transitions and for people balancing caregiving or work responsibilities.