Debra

Ms Debra Milinsky

Psychotherapist

“Effective, practical help w/Personal, Couple, Family, Workplace concerns.Parenting- Mother~Daughter; Parents~Children,Teens; LGBTIQ, Cultural diversity-informed family therapy.”

About Me

I offer psychotherapy to help you navigate personal, couple, and family concerns. I welcome LGBTIQ individuals and families, supporting unique paths to well-being. Whether you're facing parenting dilemmas, mother-daughter dynamics, or workplace stress, we can explore effective strategies. My Anger & Assertiveness Women's Group provides a focused space to develop clear communication and boundaries. Clients find a supportive environment to find their voice and build stronger connections.

Approach

Effective, practical sessions focus on small, doable shifts that change how you relate to partners, children, and colleagues. In Berkeley I offer in-person and online appointments in English, paced around your day so reflection and action fit your life. I track repeating patterns with you, offer gentle challenge and clear communication exercises, and arrange short experiments to try between meetings that clarify boundaries and repair connections. People juggling parenting, relationship transitions, identity questions, or workplace strain often find this steady, hands-on way of working useful.
Contact Debra

Ask a quick question or arrange a time to meet.

Basic Information

In-person & Online

Services

Services Offered:

  • Relationship Counseling

    Counselling for couples or partners focused on improving communication, rebuilding trust, and strengthening emotional connection.

  • Psychotherapy

    In-depth therapeutic work that explores patterns in thoughts, emotions, and relationships to produce lasting psychological change.

    Learn more about Psychotherapy
  • Adolescent Therapy

    Therapy designed for teenagers, using age-appropriate methods to address issues like anxiety, identity, peer pressure, and family conflict.

    Learn more about Adolescent Therapy
  • Family Therapy

    A form of therapy that works with family members together to improve communication, resolve conflict, and strengthen relationships within the family system.

    Learn more about Family Therapy
  • Individual Therapy

    One-on-one therapy sessions between a client and a therapist, focused on that person's specific concerns and goals.

    Learn more about Individual Therapy
  • Psychodynamic Therapy

    A therapy that explores how past experiences and unconscious patterns shape current feelings, relationships, and behaviour.

    Learn more about Psychodynamic Therapy
  • Stress Management

    Techniques and strategies for managing the body and mind's response to excessive demands, including relaxation, cognitive restructuring, and lifestyle changes.

    Learn more about Stress Management

Works With:

  • Adolescents
  • Adults
  • Couples
  • Families
  • Parents

Area of Expertise

Scope of Practice:

  • Cross-Cultural

    The psychological challenges of living between two or more cultures, including identity conflicts, acculturation stress, and difficulties with belonging.

  • Mood Disorder

    A category of mental health conditions, including depression and bipolar disorder, in which a person's emotional state is significantly and persistently disrupted.

    Learn more about Mood Disorder
  • Divorce Counseling

    Counselling for individuals or couples going through separation or divorce, addressing the emotional, practical, and relational dimensions.

  • Family Issues

    Difficulties within the family system, including conflict, communication breakdown, blended family tensions, or intergenerational patterns, that affect individual and collective well-being.

  • LGBTQI+ Support

    The unique psychological experiences of LGBTQI+ individuals, including identity exploration, coming out, discrimination, minority stress, and relationship dynamics.

  • Parenting Support

    Guidance for the psychological challenges of raising children, including discipline, communication, co-parenting, and managing the emotional demands of parenthood.

  • Relationship Counseling

    Counselling for couples or partners focused on improving communication, rebuilding trust, and strengthening emotional connection.

  • Relationship Issues

    Difficulties in romantic relationships, including communication problems, trust breakdowns, conflict patterns, or uncertainty about the relationship's future.

    Learn more about Relationship Issues
  • Trauma

    The lasting psychological impact of deeply distressing events, such as violence, abuse, accidents, or disasters, that overwhelm a person's ability to cope.

    Learn more about Trauma
  • Women's Issues

    Psychological challenges more commonly experienced by women, including gender-based stress, reproductive health concerns, body image, caregiving burden, and societal expectations.

Professional Title:

  • Psychotherapist

    A professional trained to provide in-depth therapy that explores patterns in thoughts, emotions, and relationships to produce lasting change.

Credentials

Registrations

Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)

Clinical Social Work

Qualifications

University of Michigan

Service Areas

Personal, Couple & Family Psychotherapy

In-person & Online

Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, Alameda, El Cerrito, Kensington

Berkeley, California

United States