Therapist profile
Dr. Deborah Gioia-Hasick, LCSW, LCSW-C
LCSW clinician - family and parenting concerns
Continue with DeborahAbout
- CBT techniques
- Mindfulness practices
- Motivational interviewing
About Deborah
Dr. Deborah Gioia-Hasick is a licensed clinical social worker with 37 years of experience. She holds LCSW and LCSW-C credentials and practices in California. Her work centers on stress, anxiety, mood disorders, relationship and family concerns, parenting, trauma and grief.
She began her career focused on teens and young adults and spent 18 years working with young adults with schizophrenia and their family supports. That work involved symptom management, psychosocial education, group facilitation, and restoring communication and cognitive skills within family systems.
Dr. Gioia-Hasick completed training in sexual health and sex therapy interventions at UCLA and has provided couples counseling through that program. She has also taught mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) to students and in group settings, and she integrates mindfulness practices into her sessions.
After earning a PhD in 2000 she moved into teaching and supervision, instructing Master’s and PhD students in clinical and research methods. Her clinical teaching has emphasized hands-on evidence-based methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and MBSR.
She uses motivational interviewing as a first step to help people consider change before moving into more targeted techniques. Recently she has trained in climate-focused trauma and resiliency and is interested in helping people affected by climate-related stressors.
In session she focuses on practical skills for symptom management, clearer communication, and working toward vocational or personal goals. She combines talk-based work with exercises drawn from CBT, DBT, and mindfulness to help people manage everyday life and relationship strains.
How sessions work
How her approaches are used in online sessions
Dr. Gioia-Hasick integrates client-centered work and cognitive behavioral therapy in straightforward ways. Client-centered work focuses on listening and shaping goals the client cares about, which helps with relationship strains and parenting stress. CBT looks at patterns of thought and behavior and uses practical exercises to reduce anxiety, depression, and sleep or eating problems.She also draws from dialectical behavior therapy techniques to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. These skills are useful for intense mood swings, panic attacks, and repairing communication breakdowns at home.
Finding the right approach is part of the first few sessions. She starts with motivational interviewing to learn what matters to the client and to build agreement on the work ahead. From there she and the client decide together which methods to use and when to practice specific skills.
Confirm the available session formats before booking, as they are not listed here. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight, and let people use tools like homework exercises or mindfulness recordings between meetings. Licensed professionals can adapt CBT, DBT, and mindfulness exercises to the online setting so sessions focus on problem solving and skill building that fit into everyday life.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
37+ years
Listed in
Maryland, California
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, mood concerns including depression and bipolar, eating and sleeping problems, grief, parenting and family issues, trauma and intimacy-related concerns.
How would she approach conflict at home?
She uses communication skills training and practical exercises from CBT and DBT to help people manage arguments and rebuild clearer exchanges within family relationships.
What is her professional background?
She has 37 years of clinical experience, including 18 years working with young adults with serious mental illness and long experience teaching clinicians and researchers.
Which credentials and location apply to her practice?
She holds LCSW and LCSW-C credentials, with the LCSW-C in Maryland and the LCSW in California, and her practice is based in California.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
Please confirm current session options before booking as formats are not specified here.
How does payment work and what does it cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.