Therapist profile
Debra Pintel Steiner, LCSW
California
LCSW focused on anger and relationships
Continue with DebraKey details
- CredentialsLCSW
- LicenseLCSW, California / 20375
- NPI1992831887
- Experience10 years
- LanguagesEnglish
- LocationCalifornia
About
- client-centered approach
- mindfulness techniques
- trauma-focused work
About Debra
Debra Pintel Steiner is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California with ten years of clinical experience. She works with adults on problems such as depression, anxiety, relationship strain, grief, parenting stress, and anger. Her practice focuses on helping people talk about strong emotions and find practical ways to cope.
She previously worked for Alameda County Child Protective Services providing family counseling within the child welfare system. That role involved supporting families through high-stress situations and coordinating care across agencies. She also has experience offering individual therapy to adults managing both mental health and chronic physical health concerns.
In current practice she sees adults for individual therapy. Sessions address everyday problems like work stress, sleep trouble, intimacy-related issues, and difficulties tied to ADHD or bipolar disorder. She also helps people facing compassion fatigue, addictions, and life transitions.
Her approach centers on building a trusting therapeutic relationship so clients can voice emotions and concerns. She uses client-centered techniques to listen and reflect, mindfulness practices to build present-moment awareness, and trauma-focused tools when past harm affects current behavior. Debra aims to help people notice patterns, try different responses, and widen their options for handling anger and frustration.
People who want straightforward conversation about feelings and practical coping strategies often seek her out. The focus is on clear communication, learning skills to manage upsetting moments, and looking at problems from fresh angles rather than quick fixes.
How sessions work
Working online with client-centered and trauma-informed methods
Debra draws on client-centered therapy to place the person's experience at the center of conversations. That means listening closely, reflecting back what she hears, and helping people name feelings and patterns so they can make clearer choices. Mindfulness therapy appears as practical exercises to notice breathing, body sensations, and automatic reactions, which can help when anger or anxiety rise suddenly. Trauma-focused work addresses how past harm can shape responses today and provides ways to reduce reactivity and build safer internal responses.Finding the best approach is collaborative. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, try methods that match those goals, and adjust based on what helps. That process is meant to be pragmatic and paced by the client's needs and preferences rather than fixed in advance.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm available options before booking. Many people find online work helps fit therapy into a busy life because sessions can be scheduled around work or family commitments, can be shorter check-ins when needed, and avoid travel time. Online sessions also make it easier to continue care when circumstances change, while the therapist and client decide together how to use techniques like mindfulness or trauma-focused tools in everyday routines.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
10+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
She works with adults on depression, anxiety, relationship strain, grief, parenting stress, anger, and related issues such as sleep problems and addiction.
How would you describe her therapy style?
She uses a direct, listening-based style grounded in client-centered work, with mindfulness and trauma-focused approaches added when helpful.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has ten years of experience, including time with Alameda County Child Protective Services and work with adults facing mental and physical health challenges.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California and provides therapy to adults in that state.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
Session formats are not listed in the biography; please confirm the current session options before booking.
How are session costs handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What do I do to get started?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is unsafe, use the crisis numbers.