01 · Who Debra works with

Debra works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and family conflicts

Debra lists 18 specialisms. Specialisms are the subjects Debra chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Debra's own words

What Debra says about the work

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

I am a retired social worker formerly with Alameda County Child Protective Services. I provided family counseling to families in the child welfare system. I have also provided individual therapy for adults with mental health and chronic physical health issues. Currently I provide individual therapy for adults with depression, anxiety, and relationship issues. I seek to develop a trusting relationship with my clients so that they can air their emotions and concerns, and begin to see life from a new perspective.

Debra Pintel Steiner, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Debra works

The 3 approaches Debra lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Debra lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Debra'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 Debra 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”.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Debra 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 Debra'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 Debra at this point.

2. Naming Debra specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Debra 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 Debra.

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

2 questions worth asking Debra

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

• “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.

• “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

LCSW

Licensed in

California

Licence

CA LCSW 20375

Licence number

20375

Licence expires

31 May 2027

NPI

1992831887

Years in practice

10

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Debra'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 9 Oct 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 Debra. 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.