Therapist profile
Debra Gionet, LCSW
California
LCSW - Relationships and Life Changes
Continue with DebraWhere Debra stands
- Credentials
- LCSW
- License
- LCSW, California / 21514
- NPI
- 1679767487
- Experience
- 25 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- California
About
- Codependency awareness
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- EMDR for trauma memories
About Debra
Debra Gionet is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California with 25 years of practice. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, parenting strain, self-esteem issues, career decisions, and major life changes. She also addresses attachment concerns, body image, codependency, and communication problems.
Debra uses straightforward talk and practical skills in sessions. She draws on approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and psychodynamic ideas to help people notice patterns and try small changes. EMDR may be used when trauma memories are part of the picture.
Sessions often focus on clear goals like setting boundaries, improving communication, or coping with a life transition. She helps people practice new behaviors between meetings and track what works. When faith matters to a client, she can bring a Christian-informed perspective if requested, while also working with people of other or no faith backgrounds.
Her work includes support for fertility and pregnancy issues, eating and food-related concerns, and problems rooted in family of origin dynamics. She also helps people navigate workplace stress and questions about life purpose during young adult transitions.
Debra’s style is direct and practical. She encourages skill-building, reflection on long-term patterns, and steady progress in small steps. Prospective clients in California who prefer English-language sessions should confirm current session options before booking.
How sessions work
How therapeutic approaches can work in online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on identifying what matters to a person and taking small actions toward those values while learning to live with difficult thoughts or feelings. It is helpful for anxiety, low motivation, and getting unstuck in relationships.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It teaches practical skills to test unhelpful beliefs and change behaviors that keep people feeling overwhelmed or stuck.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is used when past distressing memories still affect daily life. In an online setting it can help reduce the intensity of those memories so they interfere less with current relationships and functioning.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to choose which methods to try first based on current needs, goals, and comfort. That plan can be adjusted over time as progress is tracked.
Confirm the specific session formats before scheduling since the biography does not list them. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Discuss with the therapist how to structure sessions so they fit practical demands like work breaks, childcare, or bandwidth limits.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can she help with people-pleasing and boundary problems?
Yes. She works with people who struggle to say no and who put others first at their own expense.
What kind of therapy style does she use?
She blends Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, psychodynamic ideas, and client-centered methods to address patterns and habits.
How long has she been practicing?
Debra has 25 years of clinical experience working with adults on stress, anxiety, relationships, and life transitions.
Where is she licensed to practice?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California and conducts practice from that state.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are used?
Please confirm current session options before booking, as the biography does not list specific session formats.
How are sessions paid for and what do costs look like?
Cost varies with location. Sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin a first session?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session once matched.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe at home, use the crisis and helpline numbers.