IMO paid college counselors are not worth it, and we were told that after the recent admissions scandal, many highly selective universities are taking a very jaundiced view of them. The most they seem to do is “craft” your personal statement (if you fear standardized tests, I would however recommend taking a test prep course). As for your “stats”, I would not worry too much about your ACT scores given the strength of the rest of your application. I just had a son accepted ED to Columbia with a composite ACT of 30. The indicative financial aid award was also fantastic and we found them very understanding and engaging.
As for Barnard, it is known for its holistic admissions and while they require test scores, they put less emphasis on them than many other highly selective colleges. It is known for having a very eclectic student body. While my son obviously cannot go there, when we visited many Columbia College students were taking BC courses and they said BC faculty were very supportive.
One other comment. We were told by my son’s college counselor and others that Columbia was a “very far reach” for my son given his test scores. They actively discouraged him from applying. He ignored their advice and got it.