About Deborah
Deborah Richardson introduces herself simply and directly. She is Deborah Richardson, LCSW, and she has spent more than four decades helping people untangle hard problems. She keeps conversations down-to-earth and practical so worried parents can understand what happens in a session.
Her work focuses on stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, grief, and coping with life changes. She also supports people dealing with ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, parenting strain, compassion fatigue, and self-esteem struggles.
Background and approach
She pays attention to relationship and family tensions and other areas that often come up in everyday life. Deborah trained at The University of Tennessee and brings 45 years of professional experience. Her background includes in-patient and out-patient care, nursing home and group-home work, prison-based services, forensic psychiatry, and long-standing independent practice.
That variety shaped a flexible, common-sense way of working with people. In sessions she uses creative, hands-on methods as needed. Conversations may include writing, music, art, simple exercises, or books and movies as tools to talk about feelings.
She selects practical tools that fit each person, rather than relying on one fixed method. She aims to be warm and straightforward. Her approach is collaborative - she and the client decide what to try next.
The goal is that people leave feeling more capable of handling their road ahead.
Approach-based care delivered online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice what matters most and take small, values-based steps even when emotions are hard. It is useful for stress, anxiety, and coping with life changes. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current ways of relating and helps people build safer, more trusting connections with others. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people spot unhelpful thoughts and test them with small, practical experiments to ease symptoms like depression and anxiety.Finding the right fit is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has helped before. Together they choose approaches and try tools, adjusting the plan as progress and challenges arise.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make care more flexible. Video lets people use visual cues for deeper conversations. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or for shorter check-ins. Live chat and text messaging work well for quick reflections, journaling prompts, or ongoing support between longer sessions. These options help people fit therapy into busy lives and keep consistent momentum toward their goals.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
What is her therapeutic style like?
How much clinical experience does she have?
What are her credentials and where is she based?
Which languages are supported for sessions?
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How does payment and cost work?
How do I begin working with her?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Grief
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Men's issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 45 years
- Licensed
- Tennessee
- Languages
- English