Robin DeBates (she/her/hers)

LCSW, LICSW, BSN-RN
Accepting Clients

A geeky therapist providing therapy for geeks, nerds, dweebs, hackers, makers, burners, Browncoats, Bronies (yes, even the Bronies), etc.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Fanwood, NJ

Free Initial Consultation
Book consultation

Free 15-minute call, no obligation.

Services
  • Individual
  • Child
  • Adolescent/Teen
  • Group

About My Clients

Geeks, nerds, hackers, burners, and makers are my specialty! Tired of having a therapist roll their eyes when you talk about gaming? Over it trying to explain that Discord is a chat server and not a state of disharmony? Feeling finished with people who don't understand online friendships are valid social support? You deserve a therapist who gets you in all of your delightful nerdiness and awkwardness. Therapy for geeks from a geek therapist might just be the support you're looking for.

My Background and Approach

Smart people try to solve problems. Sometimes when we try to solve problems they get better. And sometimes even in spite of our best intentions, those problems just stay stuck. What I've found over years of helping people getting out of the Swamp of Sadness or the Pit of Despair is not that we lack desire. It's that we, like TARDIS pilots, sometimes need a helping hand to get where in time and space we're trying to go. Helping people understand themselves and how to get out of our own ways is easier than containing a warp core breach or taking that darn ring to Mordor already. Whether you're having a hard time implementing habit routines that serve your best self, or struggling with the loneliness of being Data in a world full of human emotions, we will figure out concrete ways to help you feel and function better. My goal is to make myself obsolete in your life by helping you uncover, acquire, and successfully deploy the skills that help you get where you want to be.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

I'm an interactionist. From things as small as genes to as large as explicit and implicit social structures, our wellbeing derives from the interaction of our personal biology and chemistry, our awareness of ourselves (psychology, or headology if you are a Pratchett fan), family and social interactions, interface and influence with social systems and their institutional biases (education, law enforcement, health care, etc.), and the culture(s) and times in history in which we live. You'll hear this zooming in and out in most conversations we have. After growing up in Minnesota, I lived for 17 years in the Pacific Northwest before moving to Philadelphia, which I say has "grown on me like a benign tumor." I'm an inveterate learner of just about anything, and strong supporter of self-determination, anti-racism, radical inclusion, social and restorative justice, sustainability, and joy.

Techniques I Use

Specialties
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Harm Reduction Therapy Narrative Therapy

Issues I Treat

Specialties
Burnout LGBTQ-Friendly Therapists
Other Issues
  • Bipolar
  • Burnout
  • Chronic Pain or Illness
  • Gender Identity Therapy
  • Insomnia
  • LGBTQ-Friendly Therapists
  • Physical Disability
  • Polyamorous and Open Relationships
  • Self-Harm

Client Focus

Languages
English

Qualifications

License
LCSW, LICSW, BSN-RN, State of Pennsylvania · #CW019157
Supervision
Provides supervision to apprentice therapists · currently accepting supervisees
Years in practice
22 years
Insurance Plans Accepted
  • TRICARE
I offer online counseling in the following states:
I have experience with the following
  • Agnosticism
  • Atheism
  • Buddhism
  • Wicca/Paganism
  • Interfaith

Hours & Availability

New clients welcome
Currently accepting new clients
In-person & Telehealth
Both available

Location

Primary Location

141 South Avenue
Suite 101
Fanwood, NJ 07023
(267) 684-5279‬

Access & Transport

  • Parking available
  • Public transit nearby
  • Wheelchair accessible entrance (ADA compliant)
Open in Google Maps ↗ · GPS: 40.6383435°, -74.3877195°

Nearby Areas

Cities and Zips
North Plainfield
New Jersey
07063
South Plainfield
New Jersey
07080
Dunellen
New Jersey
08812
Colonia
New Jersey
07067
Iselin
New Jersey
08830
Metuchen
New Jersey
08840
Rahway
New Jersey
07065
Fords
New Jersey
08863
Bound Brook
New Jersey
08805
South Bound Brook
New Jersey
08880
Avenel
New Jersey
07095
Roselle Park
New Jersey
07204
New Brunswick
New Jersey
08901
Short Hills
New Jersey
07078
Carteret
New Jersey
07008
Florham Park
New Jersey
07961
East Orange
New Jersey
07018
Matawan
New Jersey
07747
Boonton
New Jersey
07005
Jersey City
New Jersey
07311

At A Glance

  • Experience: 22 years of practice
  • Languages: English
  • Rate: $175 - 175/session

Info

Email Robin
141 South Avenue
Suite 101
Fanwood, NJ 07023
139 South Street
Suite 205 C
New Providence, NJ 07974

Reach out to Robin