About
This is a test
Connect with me
Products
Her books include:
- Mindfulness for Kids with ADHD
- Mindfulness for Teens with ADHD
- ADHD: Non-medication Treatments and Skills for Children and Teens (Benjamin Franklin GOLD winner in psychology)
- Mindfulness Skills Workbook for Clinicians and Clients
- Mindfulness Skills for Kids and Teens
- Radical Self-Care When You Are Ill
Her card decks include:
Her CDs/mp3s include:
Her teletrainings include:
Debra has presented numerous presentations, workshops, and teleseminars. She is often interviewed on internet radio and her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and The Day newspaper, Self-Improvement Magazine, and Parenting Powers television show. She is an expert author on SelfGrowth.com.
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To answer this question, I would like to share with you a variety of important experiences that brought me to where I am today, helping people like you feel better, think better, and perform at your peak.
First, in my 20’s, after a very painful relationship breakup, I realized I needed help and sought out a psychotherapist. He helped me so much. I felt the work I did with him was the best thing I ever did for myself and it truly changed my life for the better.
Secondly, after spending 16 years working as a computer software engineer mostly on defense contracts, I realized I wasn’t happy with my work. I decided to go back to school to get a Master’s Degree in Social Work. I felt that if I could help even one person as much as my therapist had helped me years before, then it would all be worthwhile. I now feel very grateful to have helped hundreds and hundreds of people.
Thirdly, I got sick in 1984 and no one could figure out why I was ill. This began a healing journey that led me to learn about many alternative healing modalities. Among other things, I had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I discovered that listening to a guided progressive relaxation meditation was the only thing that turned down my pain. At one of my Neurofeedback Conferences I discovered that Neurofeedback was being used to help Fibromyalgia. When I returned from the conference I did 30 Neurofeedback sessions in 40 days and was able to eliminate the medication I had been taking – and the symptoms are gone!
And finally, my daughter was diagnosed with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder. In elementary school she started taking stimulant medication and her grades improved. Then when she was 13, she did Neurofeedback training. She was able to discontinue her stimulant medication and her grades remained good. She graduated from college after spending 3 years on the Dean’s list – no medications needed.
This personal journey helps me understand how to help people of all ages, from diverse backgrounds that are ready to make positive changes in their life. I know what it takes to make personal change as I have made significant changes in my own life. I also have first-hand experience with being helped by the treatment modalities I offer to you. Besides a BS in Applied Mathematics and 16 years as a computer software engineer, I have a Master’s in Social Work, 25+ years as a psychotherapist, and I am board certified in Neurofeedback and the brain.
I became known as The Brain Lady when many of my clients started calling me that. One man told me he would tell his wife ‘today is my appointment with The Brain Lady’. Parents would tell their kids, time to visit ‘The Brain Lady’. My clients benefitted from my specialized training concerning the brain which I incorporated in psychotherapy, mindfulness, and Neurofeedback. I adopted the name for my practice and my website.
I became a psychotherapist in 1992 and have worked at Family Services, Child and Family Agency, The Child Guidance Clinic, the Care Center, Lawrence and Memorial Hospital and have been in my private practice since 1999. I also added Neurofeedback to my practice in 1999. I have been writing books since 2009 and teaching workshops since 2012.
I recently retired from private practice to slow down a bit and focus on writing and speaking. Therefore, I am no longer seeing clients.
Now my “clients” are my readers, workshop attendees, and those who use my mindfulness CDs/mp3s and teletrainings. Many of my “clients” are mental health providers, teachers, ADHD coaches, as well as children (and their parents) and adults with ADHD, and those who are interested in learning about mindfulness and incorporating it into their lives.
My background and training are unique. I have studied psychotherapy, as all therapists must, but I have 300+ hours of specialized training in Neurofeedback and Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology of the Brain. I have also trained extensively in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, mindfulness, health, depression, anxiety, relationships, and addictions, and am continuously updating my skills.
I teach practical, brain-based mindfulness skills to help people reduce their stress response, and improve their self-awareness, concentration, well-being, mood, self-esteem, and health.