Highly Sensitive Person Therapists in Des Moines, IA

From one highly sensitive person to another, it can be a crazy world out there. Two things that I've found helpful: 1st, resiliency training: Although our bodies can react to things that other people might brush off, Somatic Experiencing can help build up our ability to settle our stress and activation levels. That party might still be uncomfortably loud, but it's more tolerable when you have confidence that you can quickly find comfort again once you leave. 2nd: Boundary training and asking for what you want: As we get better at knowing what would help us feel more comfortable, and better at asking for it, we can start to re-shape our environment to feel better. Then as we feel better, and as our loved ones know how to help us, we are more resourceful, more able to connect with others, and more able to be the people we want to be in the world.

At San Francisco Counseling Collective ("SFCC"), we support highly sensitive individuals in understanding sensory and emotional depth as a strength, while building strategies for regulation, boundary-setting, and self-care in overstimulating contexts.

Hypnotherapy can be particularly beneficial for Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) by helping them manage overwhelming emotions and sensory experiences. Through deep relaxation and guided visualization, hypnotherapists can assist HSPs in developing coping strategies for stressful situations and reducing anxiety. This therapeutic approach empowers individuals to reframe negative thought patterns, enhance emotional resilience, and cultivate a greater sense of self-acceptance, making daily life more manageable for those who feel acutely affected by their environment.

Psychotherapy can give the HSP understanding, compassion, and help adjusting to an over-stimulating world.

Highly sensitive people often experience the world with great emotional depth and intensity. My work integrates psychoanalytic exploration and somatic awareness to help sensitive individuals develop emotional boundaries, nervous system regulation, and self-trust. This process supports sensitivity as a strength rather than a source of overwhelm.

Des Moines is Iowa's state capital and the center of America's insurance industry — home to Principal Financial Group, Wellmark, and dozens of other major insurers — creating a therapy demand shaped by the particular stresses of financial services careers alongside the concerns of a growing and increasingly diverse urban population. The city has experienced dramatic demographic change through refugee resettlement and immigration, with growing communities from Myanmar, Congo, and Latin America making it one of the most rapidly diversifying mid-size cities in the Midwest. UnityPoint Health — Iowa Methodist Medical Center and MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center provide institutional mental health resources, with a private practice community concentrated in the West Des Moines and Urbandale corridors. Iowa's relative shortage of mental health providers makes Des Moines an important access point for the broader state, and many therapists here serve clients from smaller surrounding communities.

Gender ID

	57%	Male
	43%	Female

Session Type

	67%	Online Only
	33%	In Person and Online

Top Treatment Approaches

67%	Somatic Therapy
67%	Person-Centered Therapy (Rogerian)
50%	Eclectic Therapy
50%	Psychodynamic Therapy
50%	Existential / Humanistic Therapy
50%	Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
50%	Relational Psychotherapy

Ages Served

100%	Adult
83%	Senior
50%	Young Adult
33%	Children
33%	Teen

Client Focus

50%	Buddhist
50%	Men
50%	Jewish
33%	Persons with Disabilities
33%	Christian

Highly Sensitive Person therapists in Des Moines, Iowa IA

Aaron Kapin

San Francisco Counseling Collective

MindOverHealing Therapies

Dr. George Lough

Dr. Stéphanie Gamache, PhD

Highly Sensitive Person therapists in Des Moines, Iowa Statistics

Average years in practice

Average cost per session

Accept insurance

Offer sliding scale