- CBT skills
- Mindfulness practice
- Motivational interviewing
About Deborah
Dr. Deborah Gioia-Hasick is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 37 years of experience. She holds LCSW and LCSW-C credentials and practices in California. She works with people managing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, eating and self-esteem concerns, and issues tied to relationships and family life.
Her early work focused on teens and young adults. She spent 18 years supporting young adults with schizophrenia and their family supports, running groups and multi-family meetings. That experience shaped her interest in symptom management, communication, and practical cognitive skills.
She completed a PhD in 2000 and has taught master’s and doctoral students since 2001. Her teaching includes clinical courses with hands-on practice in CBT, DBT, and mindfulness-based stress reduction. She uses motivational interviewing as a way to help people agree on what work to do next.
Dr. Gioia-Hasick also trained in sexual health and sex therapy interventions at UCLA and has provided couples counseling through that program. More recently she has added climate-focused trauma and resiliency to her areas of interest, and she is available to see people dealing with concerns related to climate events.
In sessions she combines practical, evidence-based methods with mindfulness practices. That can look like skills training, symptom-management strategies, and support for vocational and life goals. She pays attention to what each person can realistically try between sessions.
She speaks English and practices in California. The site’s matching process is used to start work together by completing a short questionnaire and scheduling a first session.
How her therapeutic approaches translate to online work
Client-Centered Therapy in her practice focuses on listening and responding to the person’s priorities. It helps bring clarity to what matters most and guides which skills to try next. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns with practical exercises and homework that can be tracked between sessions. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers specific skills for emotion regulation and distress tolerance, useful when shame or intense guilt leads to overwhelming feelings.Finding the right approach is part of the work. She collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and circumstances. That means starting with motivation and then moving into the focused skills or practices that make sense for the situation.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm available options before booking. Many people find online sessions make it easier to fit therapy into daily life, such as scheduling during a work break, avoiding travel time, or choosing shorter check-ins when needed. Online meetings can also make it simpler to practice mindfulness exercises or review CBT homework between visits without rearranging a commute.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
37+ years
Listed in
Maryland, California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address related to guilt and shame?
She works with a broad range of issues that often include guilt and shame, such as relationship strain, grief, stress, eating concerns, and family problems.
How does she approach difficult feelings like shame?
Her style uses client-centered methods alongside CBT and DBT skills, often combined with mindfulness exercises to notice and work with painful thoughts and feelings.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has practiced for 37 years, including long-term work with young adults with serious mental illness and many years teaching clinical methods to graduate students.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She holds LCSW and LCSW-C credentials and provides services based in California.
Does she work in languages other than English or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are used for meeting with her?
The original biography does not list specific session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are costs handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the See online therapy options button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.