01 · Who Deborah works with

Deborah works with stress, Anxiety, addictions and relationship issues

Deborah lists 15 specialisms and 32 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Deborah chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Deborah's own words

What Deborah says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Hello!

My name is Deborah Gromack. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and am licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I am also a nationally board-certified Music Therapist. I attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and received my Bachelor of Science degree in Developmental Psychology in 1988. During that time, I was a research assistant and worked on studies examining the relationship between mothers and their infants. After receiving my degree, I worked as a teacher within the public school system and as a civil rights and fair housing advocate and helped to start a HUD funded organization which promoted fair housing practices. During one of the organization's multi-cultural music benefits, I was moved by the music's power to bring people of different social, economic and cultural backgrounds together. I wanted to do this kind of wonderful work on my own, but I didn't know that I could and so I didn't believe that I could.

Soon after, I received a brochure about Music Therapy in the mail and became intrigued and so I began to research the profession. I discovered that Music Therapy was an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals (musictherapy.org/AMTA, 5/22/20). I decided to enroll in a Master's degree program in Expressive Therapies with a concentration in Music Therapy at Lesley University. During my training as a Music Therapist, I worked with children who were diagnosed with developmental delays, children who were war refugees, older adults who were dealing with health issues and issues around aging, and older adults diagnosed with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. I graduated with my Master's degree in Expressive Therapies with a concentration in Music Therapy from Lesley University in 1998. My education qualified me to take the exams for both Licensed Mental Health Counselor and board-certified Music Therapist and I've been certified in both since 1998.

Since that time, I have worked as a Music Therapist, Expressive Arts Therapist and Licensed Mental Health Counselor with older adults and adults diagnosed with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, Children and Adults diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Children and Adults with various developmental delays. In my practice as a Mental Health Counselor, I have worked with children, young adults and adults who are dealing with a variety of issues ranging from depression, anxiety, family issues, to major life changes and trauma. It has been my experience that the expressive or creative arts therapies provide a person with a 'safe container' for thoughts and emotions which are difficult to hold and express. Music, art, poetry, theatre, storytelling and writing help us to clarity and to express those things which are difficult to express in any other way.

My clinical orientation is as a client-centered therapist. In seeking out help, you are taking an important step in advocating for yourself. I believe that you, the client, are the one who directs the therapeutic relationship. I fully acknowledge that seeking therapy is a powerful action and that it requires trust. You are opening yourself up to being seen and heard within a relationship with another person. You are the one who decides to take this step and it is important to acknowledge this.

I've told you a bit about myself because I have come to learn, both personally and professionally, that the stories which we tell influence our thoughts, our feelings, beliefs, intentions and actions in the world. Our stories shape our reality, they define where we are at. My clear intention is to meet you exactly where you are at and to offer help to you using the creative arts to assist you and it is entirely up to you if we decide to use them.

Please contact me if you are interested in working with me. I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Deborah Gromack, M.A., MT-BC, LMHC

Deborah Gromack, on the BetterHelp listing · read 8 Nov 2026

03 · How Deborah works

The 3 approaches Deborah lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Deborah lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Deborah's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Deborah runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Deborah practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Deborah's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Deborah at this point.

2. Naming Deborah specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Deborah is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Deborah.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Deborah

Built from what Deborah actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Deborah's - Deborah has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 27 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LMHC

Licensed in

Massachusetts

Licence

MA LMHC LMHC6604

Licence number

LMHC6604

Licence expires

31 Dec 2027

NPI

1356852040

Years in practice

27

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Deborah's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 8 Nov 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Deborah. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.