Deborah Richardson

Deborah Richardson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with 38 years of experience. She focuses on helping people navigate life changes, cope with grief, and manage stress and anxiety. Deborah speaks plainly and treats asking for help as a brave step toward feeling better. She centers sessions on the person in front of her, listening first to what feels most urgent. Deborah believes therapy is a clear, honest relationship where asking and answering direct questions can reveal new ways of responding to hard situations. She aims to help people notice their strengths while working through difficult emotions. Deborah uses practical strategies drawn from evidence-informed approaches. She often draws on client-centered methods to follow each person’s lead and DBT tools to teach skills for managing strong feelings. For people with trauma, she incorporates approaches that address body sensations and memory processing when appropriate. Common topics in her work include depression, grief, trauma and abuse, compassion fatigue, addiction concerns, and life transitions. She also helps people with relationship stress, parenting strain, career questions, and issues tied to family of origin. Deborah pays attention to mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and to challenges like ADHD and postpartum depression. Sessions are offered in English and Deborah practices in Virginia. She views therapy as a collaborative process and asks questions to help people find what fits best for their goals and day-to-day life.

How Deborah’s approaches translate to online work

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and following what matters most to each person. It helps people feel heard, clarify goals, and shape sessions around their needs. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, teaches concrete skills for managing intense emotions, improving distress tolerance, and strengthening relationships. It is useful when stress and strong feelings get in the way of daily life. EMDR addresses distress tied to traumatic memories by combining focused attention with guided processing to reduce the emotional charge of painful memories. Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Deborah will talk with each person about their history, goals, and what feels most comfortable. She aims to make choices collaboratively so the approach fits the client’s needs and life rhythm rather than imposing a single method. Confirm current session options before booking so you know what formats are offered. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, reduce time spent traveling, and allow for shorter check-ins when days are tight. They also let people use approaches like DBT skill coaching or client-centered conversations from wherever they are, which can help maintain consistency during life changes.