Debra Ainbinder (She/her)

My specialty is relationships, couples, marriage and family counseling. This comes not only from my education in my doctoral program but from years of working with clients on relationship issues, partnerships and family conflicts. When working with families, the relationship is the focus. I have implemented many of the Gottman method techniques and principles with the couples that I see. These are evidence-based methods designed to improve communication.

Most of us deal with some level of anxiety especially in the current world situations. Throughout my training and counseling work, I have helped individuals identify, realize and cope with their anxiety. This has included cognitive-behavioral work on anxiety, out-of-session activities, and reinforcing alternative behaviors to manage the uncomfortable responses to anxiety. My methods are individually-based so that you are provided with skills that work specifically for you!

Transitions, life-changes, stressors, and loss all contribute to your need to adjust to a new normal for your life. Most of my professional work these 30 years has been helping clients to design their new normal and at times accept their current life experiences. Much of this includes understanding the changes, accepting them, and building a newer system of attitudes, beliefs and skills. Finding your inner strengths, past solutions, and current resilient behaviors will ease the adjustment.

Through education, training and continuing education, I became expert and comfortable in working with clients from a CBT model. My belief that our initial beliefs about a situation frames our emotional and behavioral responses. If that thought--emotion--behavior cycle can be rewired to preferred thoughts--acceptable emotions--adjusted behavior, you start to take control of your environment and your reactions. Ultimately, this leads to an enhanced life experience!

Through education, training and continuing education, I became expert and comfortable in working with clients from a CBT model. My belief that our initial beliefs about a situation frames our emotional and behavioral responses. If that thought--emotion--behavior cycle can be rewired to preferred thoughts--acceptable emotions--adjusted behavior, you start to take control of your environment and your reactions. Ultimately, this leads to an enhanced life experience!

My expertise in couples counseling includes years of working with couples and training on evidence-based practices in couples and family counseling. With a focus on the couple as the client, I work collaboratively to enhance the relationship and make transparent patterns of communication which may be dysfunctional for the couple and work to design the antidotes to these patterns. In addition, I focus on the strengths of the couple and their communication styles to bring about desired change.

My work includes mindfulness-based therapy which helps you to slow down, live in the present, use an open and accepting attitude towards situations, focus on yourself, and increase the use of intentional breathing to conquer anxiety, stress, and those uncomfortable times. Using mindfulness-based techniques provides you with a toolbox of techniques which become your new skill-set to face challenging situations.