Debra has an extensive background in child, teen, and family therapy.  She specializes in finding the strengths within her clients and helping them to see it too.  Debra has dedicated her life to helping young people navigate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression.  Debra worked in New York City in a teen shelter located near Times Square, and then worked for 10 years in Boston as a social worker. Debra performed Crisis Psych Evaluations for 14 years in the emergency rooms for Lowell and Lawrence.

Debra also works with families and couples, helping them navigate alternatives and improve the ways that they are communicating at home. She has worked in adult day programs with patients with serious mental health issues, and in substance use programs with patients using and recovering from alcohol and drug addictions. Debra is certified in DBT, helping children and adults learn to self-soothe rather than self-harm. Debra also uses CBT therapy, working with clients to improve coping mechanisms, when trauma, loss, or life changes have made it more difficult to function.

Debra is a proud alumnus of the “Massachusetts state college system.”  Debra received her Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) from Fitchburg University in Family Therapy, her master’s degree from Salem Statute University, and her MEd in School Psychology. Debra received her undergraduate degree from UMASS Amherst in Community Services. Debra hails from a large family. Her father was a public-school teacher, and she is passionate about helping others attend college. She is an advocate for “At Risk Youth” in Lowell at YouthBuild, where she helps first-generation college attendees.