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Dr Dr Deborah Lee Miller
Therapeutic Counselor
verified by TherapyRoute
“ Grief is not only about death. It lives in any experience that pulls us away from the future we expected and asks us to find our footing on unfamiliar ground. Illness, chronic pain, menopause, migration, career change, retirement, migration, or living with cancer can all carry a quiet, often unspoken grief. Caring for someone you love can be especially demanding, particularly when cognitive decline is involved. Relationships shift, identities change, and the emotional ground keeps moving. There is no “right” response, no measure of coping well, and no moment when it all becomes easy. Many carers carry this weight quietly, feeling lonely and unseen. Health professionals face particular realities, working daily with illness, suffering, and sometimes death, while being expected to stay strong and composed, can take a toll. When emotions have nowhere to land, resilience can thin, leaving exhaustion and brittleness rather than strength. Therapy offers a space where these experiences can be spoken aloud, understood, and held with care. ”
About Me
Coming from a background of a palliative-trained GP, my change in careers came from a growing understanding that body and mind function as one, and a wish to continue working in caring professions in a different role. I have accompanied people through grief, including suicide, illness, transitions, aging, and cognitive decline, alongside the families who care for them.
I work with adults facing a wide range of difficulties, including:
• Grief and bereavement
• The impact of life-changing or life-limiting illnesses including chronic or life limiting illnesses and cancer, dementia or chronic pain.
• End-of-life care,
• The emotional impact of aging, challenges facing older clients.
• Support for carers and families.
• Medical professional burnout
• Life transitions and adjustments - menopause, retirement, parenting, work stresses
• Relocation and immigration, cultural disconnection
Approach
My approach
My role is not to lead or interpret, but to accompany you, to steady the boat while you paddle and support you in finding your own answers, so that in time you can paddle independently. As a team, we share expertise: yours of your life, and mine of professional training, authenticity and experience. Working in a trauma-informed way means collaboration and choice are central, tailoring therapy to what works for you and what I can offer in a way that feels safe.
Respect, integrity, autonomy and non-discriminatory practice lie at the core of my values. We are shaped by every thread of our individual stories, and therapy should honour that uniqueness.
Being person centred means believing in the ability of each of us to find the answers we need within us. By providing an environment of trust and safety, free of all judgement, we are able to unravel the expectations and external conditions that have trapped us in patterns that are no longer helpful.
Adding pluralism means recognising the unique and diverse nature of each of us, understanding we are part of many circles of influence and respecting that.
There is no one size fits all therapy. Finding what you need requires both of us - you as the expert of your life and me with my training and experience, at times to offer a new perspective or a reflective space to find your way.
