- Stress and panic
- ADHD support
- Parenting help
About Debra
Debra Abbey is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with six years of clinical experience. She shifted into counseling after a first career in public safety and now focuses on stress, anxiety, family and parenting concerns, self-esteem, ADHD, and social anxiety and phobia.
She has worked in an intensive outpatient program and served as a mobile crisis response clinician during COVID. She also supervised services in a school-based health center and has experience supporting children and families in that setting.
In sessions she uses practical, evidence-based therapeutic techniques to help people manage panic, reduce avoidance, and address communication or control issues at home. She draws on her background in public safety when helping clients who face first responder stress or sudden, high-pressure events.
Debra has experience with blended family dynamics, caregiver stress, fatherhood issues, and problems with impulsivity or guilt. She pays attention to how family roles and everyday routines affect behavior and works on small changes that can make daily life more manageable.
She is based in Connecticut and practices as an LPC there. Sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time, and costs vary by location. To begin, prospective clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session through the site.
How evidence-based techniques translate to online sessions
Debra typically uses straightforward, evidence-based therapeutic techniques to address anxiety and behavior patterns. Cognitive-behavioral approaches focus on spotting unhelpful thoughts and testing them with real-life experiments to reduce avoidance and social fear. Exposure-based methods involve gradual, planned steps to face feared situations and build confidence in handling them.Finding the right approach is collaborative. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what has or has not helped in the past. Together they decide which techniques to try first and adjust the plan as needed based on progress and feedback.
If you want to use online sessions, confirm the specific session formats before booking since formats are not listed in the biography. Online work can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when that helps, and remove travel time so sessions are easier to attend. Licensed professionals often adapt exercises so they work in a virtual setting and recommend practical steps to practice between sessions.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Experience
6+ years
Listed in
Connecticut
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, social anxiety and phobia, family and parenting concerns, self-esteem, and ADHD along with related issues like panic attacks and caregiver stress.
How would she approach anxiety or panic?
She uses practical, evidence-based techniques aimed at reducing avoidance and managing panic symptoms. Sessions focus on skills people can use between appointments.
What is her background in mental health?
She came to counseling after a public safety career and has six years of clinical experience, including work in an intensive outpatient program and mobile crisis response during COVID.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She holds the LPC credential and practices in Connecticut as a Licensed Professional Counselor.
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the US work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are sessions paid for and what do they cost?
Sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time and costs vary with location.
What do I need to do to get started?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.