Hello! I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in California. I received my Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California in 2010, and have over 10 years' experience in the mental health field. I have a strong and diverse background working both with veterans at the VA, and entertainment industry clients at the Actors Fund. I have been in private practice for a few years. I especially enjoy helping adults in their twenties and thirties to "launch" and overcome problems, allowing them to live their best lives.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session, we will get to know each other a little bit. I will ask you about what brought you to seek therapy. I will also start to ask you what you hope to gain from therapy, and to set expectations about how therapy can help. We will start to work collaboratively to set goals for treatment, with the understanding that this is driven by and up to you.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I have a strong ability to create a safe and non-judgmental therapy environment, and trusting relationship, to help you work towards your therapy goals. I help you feel accepted through the emotional warmth and empathy I convey, allowing you to comfortably explore feelings and get to know yourself. I am also able to flexibly and sensitively tailor my style and approaches depending on your individual needs.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I especially love working with clients who are trying to step onto the stage of their adult self, both in their career and personal lives. I support them to make healthier choices, and to shed baggage that is holding them back so they can achieve their full potential. This 'baggage' can be due to family history, or to their internal struggles such as anxiety, depression and trauma. I enjoy clients who are creative, motivated and open to the work of personal growth.
About Deborah Bauman
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I have significant training and experience using CBT in my practice, and incorporate it on an individualized basis to help clients who struggle with recurring negative thinking, and to manage and reduce the daily battle with anxiety and depression. Using evidence-based methods, I will help you identify the loop of thoughts, feelings and behaviors that keep you in a negative cycle, and then provide tools to effectively break this cycle, leading to improved mood, and healthier thinking and behavior.
EMDR
I have had extensive training and consultation in EMDR, and use it for clients (including those with PTSD) who want help to process and overcome trauma, whether from childhood or more recent events. EMDR is a powerful tool to allow clients to explore the roots of trauma in a safe and supportive environment. This method loosens clients from the grip of past trauma, in which it feels as though the "past is present" as it intrudes on their daily lives. I help clients develop skills to learn self-regulation and a sense of safety to carefully and sensitively prepare them before they are ready to explore traumatic memories and experiences. EMDR enables the difficult memories to be processed in a more adaptive and rational way, allowing the client to lead freer and fuller lives.
Psychodynamic
My style of therapy is grounded in a psychodynamic approach, which is to say I help clients gain insight into how their personal history influences their present-day behaviors and struggles. I help clients understand themes and patterns in their lives, and to bring unconscious thoughts and feelings into conscious awareness, allowing them to make healthier life choices.