- Emotionally-Focused Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- CBT and DBT skills
About Debra
Debra Thurman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Montana with 25 years of experience. She works primarily with adults and helps people facing stress, anxiety, anger, depression, and the practical strains of life. She also supports people dealing with trauma and abuse, sleep problems, parenting concerns, career stress, and bipolar disorder.
Debra uses conversations that focus on how feelings and relationships affect everyday life. She adapts the session pace and topics to each person. Sessions look at what causes distress now and what helps reduce it in daily life.
Her approach draws on Emotionally-Focused Therapy to name and track emotions that are hard to describe. She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Client-Centered techniques to clarify values and build practical coping steps. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills are used when concrete strategies are helpful.
Debra has worked across a wide age range, though she prefers adults. She has experience with aging and geriatric issues, autism and Asperger syndrome, caregiver stress, chronic pain and illness, codependency, commitment and control issues, and family-of-origin problems.
In sessions she focuses on clear, practical conversation and skills people can try between meetings. She asks about current struggles, what has helped before, and what small changes a person wants to try next. The intent is steady progress through focused work rather than quick fixes.
How her approaches translate to online work
Debra works with Emotionally-Focused Therapy to help people name and track feelings that drive relationship and personal patterns. EFT focuses on recognizing emotional responses and how they shape interactions and decisions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is used to clarify values and encourage committed action even when uncomfortable feelings appear. ACT helps with motivation and coping when life changes are difficult.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. She will review your goals and preferences and discuss which methods fit best. That collaborative decision guides whether sessions emphasize emotion-focused exploration, values-based exercises, or concrete CBT or DBT skills practice.
Confirm the available session formats before booking because formats are not specified on the profile. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy around school, work, caregiving, or health needs. It can allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, reduce travel time, and make it simpler to keep regular appointments while managing a busy life. Licensed professionals and therapists commonly adapt exercises and homework to online sessions so progress continues between meetings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
Montana
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, anger, depression, trauma and abuse, sleep problems, parenting and career strain, bipolar disorder, and related issues.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style centers on naming emotions and practical skills. She combines Emotionally-Focused Therapy with ACT, CBT, Client-Centered methods and DBT techniques.
How much experience does she have?
She has 25 years of professional experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Where is she licensed and based?
She is an MT LCSW and practices in Montana.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are offered?
Please confirm current session options before booking since formats are not specified in the profile.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.