| Office: |
2931 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 101E
Berkeley, CA 94705
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| Phone: |
(510) 548-8980
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| E-mail: |
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| Web Site: |
www.deborahessex.com
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| Profession: |
Marriage and Family Therapist
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| Services: |
Psychotherapy/Counseling
Coaching
Employee Assistance Counseling
Navigating through difficult life circumstances
Support for caregivers of sick/elderly family members
Support for parents, teachers and other caregivers
Support for teens, young adults
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| Practice Description: |
For over 20 years, I have counseled children and adults. I have assisted children in private and public schools, facilitated children's art and parenting groups, and have helped individual children and adults in private practice for the last 13 years. I am comfortable working with clients from a variety of backgrounds. My style is interactional, warm, experiential and instructive. My therapy is aimed at helping clients gain insight and awareness. I offer clients the knowledge, tools and skills needed to heal, grow and create changes in their relationships and their lives. Clients feel heard and understood and enjoy the therapeutic process. Clients are given the hope they need to create the changes they are seeking.
Therapeutic services are targeted to meet each individual client's needs. I combine depth therapy with practical, solution-oriented counseling. The psychotherapy treatment focuses on understanding the symptoms present in the context of the client's current situation. Adults receive support in managing adjustments to difficult life circumstances. Young children learn strategies for self-awareness and self-control. Teens and young adults examine the pressures and fears related to growing up and forming a true sense of self. Parents learn new strategies for organizing family life, managing kids' behavior and having a more positive relationship to their child.
My goal is to help clients reduce stress, manage a crisis, heal a loss/trauma and change negative patterns so that they can create a more joyful and successful life.
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Practice Specialties or Interests:
(Strengths are
in bold text) |
Anxiety Disorders/Phobias
Co-dependency
Life Transitions
ADHD
Adjustment Disorder
Adoption Issues
Adult Children of Alcoholics
Alzheimer's Disease
Child Abuse
Cognitive Disorders
Communication Disorders
Crisis/Trauma
Depression
Ethnic/Cultural Issues
Gay/Lesbian Issues
Grief/Loss
Impulse Control Disorders
Learning Disabilities
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Parenting Issues
Personal Growth
Physical Disabilities
PTSD
Relationship Issues
Self-esteem
Sexual Abuse
Spirituality
Stress Management
Terminal/Chronic Illness
Women's Issues
Caring for Yourself while Caring for Others
Play & Art therapy
Adjustment to new job, new school, new baby, etc.
Family Therapy
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| Age Specialties: |
Children
Adolescents
Adults
Elders
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| Session Formats: |
Individual
Family
Group
Play therapy for young children
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| Treatment Approaches: |
Art Therapy
Behavioral
Cognitive/Cognitive-Behavioral
Experiential
Family Systems
Feminist
Gestalt
Interpersonal
Multicultural
Person-Centered
Play Therapy
Psychoeducational
Sandplay
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
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| Demographic Specialties: |
African American
Jewish
People with Disabilities
Women/Feminist
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| Education: |
BA, cum laude
Smith College, Northampton, MA, 1984
MA, The Wright Institute, Berkeley, CA, 1986
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| License #: |
MFC29378 |
| License State: |
California |
| Additional Licenses/ Certifications: |
CA Early Childhood Education Teacher Credential |
| Professional Affiliations: |
 | California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists | | Association for Play Therapy |
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| Fee Schedule: |
$60 - $120/hour. Sliding scale. |
| Accepted Insurance: |
Alameda County Behavioral Health Care
Victim of Crime
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| Insurance and Billing Instructions: |
My services may be covered in full, or in part, by your health insurance or employee benefit plan, but please note that you are expected to pay for each psychotherapy session at the time of the appointment. If you have a health insurance policy that covers mental health treatment, I will fill out forms, submit them and provide you with whatever information that I can regarding potential reimbursement for my services. Please check your coverage carefully by asking the following questions:
Do I have mental health benefits?
What is my deductible and has it been met?
How many sessions per calendar year does my plan cover?
How much does my plan cover for an out-of-network provider?
What is the coverage amount per therapy session?
Is approval required from my primary care physician? |
| Office Hours: |
MONDAY & TUESDAY day/evening, WEDNESDAY afternoons/evening, THURSDAY & FRIDAY mornings |
| Driving Directions: |
Located on Shattuck, two blocks east of Ashby BART station, 1/2 block north of Ashby/Shattuck intersection, near Berkeley Bowl. Building and courtyard are between a small Allstate office and Rocky's Burgers.
 View map
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| Additional Comments: |
Choosing the right therapist is very important. Call to schedule a brief phone conference at no charge. We can determine whether my services fit your needs and whether my availability will fit your schedule. Parents will be asked to attend the first session without children. Initial individual or parent sessions last 1.5 hours, subsequent sessions usually last 50 minutes and can be scheduled weekly or bi-weekly. Very young children are seen for half hour sessions, once a week. |
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