01 · Who Dr. works with

Dr. works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and grief

Dr. lists 13 specialisms and 23 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Dr. chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Dr.'s own words

What Dr. says about the work

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

I'm a licensed therapist practicing in Arizona, Louisiana, and Oregon with extensive experience supporting individuals through life's most challenging transitions. Throughout my career, I've worked with clients navigating depression, anxiety, stress, relationship difficulties, grief, and eating concerns.

My approach is grounded in compassion and practical support. I specialize in helping clients build self-love, improve communication, process isolation and loneliness, and discover life purpose. I'm experienced in addressing social anxiety, panic attacks, guilt and shame, forgiveness work, and control patterns. I also support clients through divorce, attachment challenges, caregiver stress, mood disorders, abandonment wounds, and impulsivity.

I have particular expertise working with couples, women's issues, workplace concerns, active military experiences, and multicultural perspectives. I'm trained to support clients who are deaf or hard of hearing, and I bring sensitivity to experiences of infidelity, self-harm, and body image struggles.

My therapeutic style is grounded in Carl Rogers's person-centered theory. I believe healing happens when you feel truly heard and supported without judgment. I'm honored to walk alongside you as you work toward greater peace, connection, and authenticity in your life. Taking this step toward therapy reflects real courage, and I'm here to support your journey.

I see counseling as a process in which you, the client, and I, the counselor, have come to understand and trust one another. We will work as a team to explore and define current problems and situations, develop future goals for improved life and work, and systematically work toward realizing those goals.

I earned a PhD from Walden University in the School of Counseling and Education and an M.Ed. degree from Northeast Louisiana University in 1991. An LPC-S #3527 with the Licensed Professional Counseling Board. 11410 Lake Sherwood Ave North Suite A, Baton Rouge, LA 70816. Telephone Number: 225-295-8444 (phone) 225-295-8448 (fax).

I have a general and telehealth practice but focus on clients with individual and family issues. I hold national certifications as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and a National Certified School Counselor (NCSC) (# 245996). I hold appraisal privilege and a supervision designation with the Louisiana LPC Board.

As an LPC-S, I am required by state law to adhere to the Code of Conduct for practice adopted by my licensing Board. A copy of this Code of Conduct is available upon request.

Dr. Debbie Franzen-Lang, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Oct 2026

03 · How Dr. works

The 7 approaches Dr. lists, in plain English

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

Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT

Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.

The Gottman Method

A couples approach built on decades of observational research into what distinguishes relationships that last. Structured and assessment-led: it maps friendship, conflict and shared meaning, then works on the specific mechanics of how the two of you argue.

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.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

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.

Also listed

• Existential Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Dr. 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 Dr.'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 Dr. at this point.

2. Naming Dr. specifically

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

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 Dr.

Built from what Dr. actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Dr.'s - Dr. 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 30 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

LPC

Licensed in

Louisiana

Licence

LA LPC 3527, OR LPC C9101

Licence number

3527

Licence expires

30 Jun 2028

NPI

1750753067

Years in practice

30

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

9 Jun 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Dr.'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 7 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 Dr.. 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.