Specialty Areas:
- Grief/Loss
- Therapy for Professionals, Managers, and Executives
- Cultural Identity
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Mood Disorders
- Trauma
- Life Transitions
- Work/Life Balance
- Adolescents
- EMDR Therapy
Debby is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) with a collaborative and client-oriented approach to therapy. She uses various therapeutic modalities and interventions, including psychodynamic, grief, motivational interviewing, mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and EMDR, to create individualized treatment plans. She has a multicultural background and has experience working with various populations across race and age.
Prior to becoming a psychotherapist, she worked in various consulting and marketing positions. She understands the demands placed on leaders and the challenges associated with maintaining a manageable professional and personal life. She looks to work with clients to identify root causes and hidden obstacles that impact each client’s ability to reach their personal and professional goals.
Debby aims to establish a warm and safe environment that allows clients to explore, grow, and change. She believes that clients are experts of their own lives. She has a Bachelors in Information Systems and Marketing from The Ohio State University, Masters of Business Administration from Duke University, and Master’s in Social Work from University of Illinois – Chicago.
When not working, Debby enjoys spending time with loved ones and her rescue dog, volunteering, and traveling.
I have always been drawn to helping people and understanding their minds and behavior. However, my path to being a psychotherapist was quite the journey, and I had to go through my own process to find it. I began my career in the business and consulting world helping others in an indirect manner, and through life experience and reflection, I discovered my biggest strength is helping others directly. I love learning about other people’s life stories and being able to help them in their own journey.
1. What attracted you to being a psychotherapist?
My approach is collaborative, client-centered, compassionate, and non-judgmental. Establishing a trusting relationship with clients is extremely important to me as it allows growth and change to occur. Every client has a unique journey and needs. To honor that, I aim to build a therapeutic relationship that is caring, authentic, validating, and non-directive.
2. How would you describe your approach with your clients?
"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen." — Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
“Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone.” — Lisa Olivera
3. What's your favorite quote about mental health?
I’m not necessarily surprised, but I find myself to be in awe of the resilience shown by clients. Regardless of the situation, the motivation and perseverance to keep moving forward is always inspiring and reminds me of the strength of the human spirit.
4. What has surprised you the most about being a psychotherapist?
