About Deanna
Deanna Bennet Ridgway helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, trauma, and low self-esteem. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with seven years of professional experience in California. Her focus includes depression, grief, intimacy-related issues, parenting challenges, and LGBTQ concerns.
Deanna also supports people dealing with career stress, bipolar-related worries, and compassion fatigue. She aims to make sessions feel calm and straightforward. Conversations are held in a nonjudgmental space where feelings and thoughts can be named.
Background and approach
The therapist encourages small, practical steps that fit into everyday life. Deanna draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques to address trauma, mood concerns, and stress management. She tailors work to each person’s situation, focusing on goals like improved self-esteem, clearer boundaries, or healthier communication.
Sessions can include problem-solving, coping strategies, and reflection on patterns that cause pain. Many people seek her help for parenting strain, caregiving stress, body image issues, divorce and separation, or questions about life purpose and self-love. She also supports those coping with grief, anger, and changes that come with major life transitions.
Therapy is offered in English and delivered through video, phone, live chat, or text messaging. Practical details like cost vary by location and follow a cancellable subscription model. To begin, a short matching questionnaire is completed and scheduling follows therapist availability.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Deanna uses evidence-based techniques to help people manage symptoms and build skills. One common approach focuses on stress and anxiety reduction through practical coping strategies - learning simple breathing, grounding, and activity plans to reduce overwhelm and improve daily functioning. Another approach addresses trauma and abuse by helping people name patterns, process upsetting memories at a pace that feels safe, and develop healthier ways to relate to themselves and others.Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will listen to the client's goals and preferences, then suggest tactics to try. That plan is adjusted over time so it fits what actually helps the person in their life.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule. Video helps preserve face-to-face interaction, phone can be a quicker check-in or useful when bandwidth is low, and messaging allows brief reflections between sessions. These options give flexibility for different needs and rhythms while keeping the focus on clear, practical steps toward change.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also works with
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Experience
- 7 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English