About Deborah
Deborah Petry is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people facing addictions, relationship struggles, intimacy concerns, and parenting stress. She works with individuals and couples to clarify goals and build practical ways to reach them. Deborah writes plainly and meets people where they are in their life journey.
Her style is person-centered and collaborative. Sessions focus on the client’s priorities and move at a pace that feels manageable. She blends approaches like cognitive behavioral techniques and the Gottman Method tools to create clear steps clients can try between sessions.
Background and approach
Deborah has sixteen years of experience in clinical practice. That time includes work on alcohol and drug problems, codependency, and helping people navigate separation and divorce. She also addresses mood and personality challenges and family of origin concerns that affect current relationships.
In couples work she uses structured exercises and communication tools drawn from the Gottman Method to improve connection and reduce destructive patterns. With individuals she often uses motivational interviewing to build readiness for change and solution-focused strategies to set short-term goals. Clients can expect conversations that are direct but supportive, with an emphasis on skills and small experiments.
Deborah supports parents who are managing relationship strain and the stresses of caregiving. She offers sessions in English and practices from Connecticut as a New York and Connecticut LCSW.
Approaches that translate well to online therapy
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and working at the client’s pace. It helps when someone needs a compassionate space to sort through feelings and decide on next steps. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) provides a clear way to identify unhelpful thoughts and practice different behaviors; it is useful for mood concerns, anxiety, and patterns that keep repeating. The Gottman Method offers structured communication exercises and tasks couples can practice between sessions to improve connection and reduce conflict. Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each person to choose methods that match their goals and preferences. That means trying techniques, checking what helps, and adjusting the plan together rather than sticking to one fixed method. Online formats make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives. Video calls allow face-to-face conversations and shared exercises. Phone sessions can be a lower-bandwidth option when video is difficult. Live chat and text-based messaging offer quick check-ins, progress notes, and a way to get support between longer sessions. These options let people use the style and pace that work best for them while still accessing licensed professionals.Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also works with
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Mood disorders
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 16 years
- Licensed
- New York, Connecticut
- Languages
- English