Adults have their own emotional concerns or chronic medical conditions that create stress and conflict in their lives. Individual psychotherapy offers a close, supportive, one-to-one relationship through which you can develop better strategies for solving for your problems.
Examples of issues that therapy can help resolve include, to name a few:
- Acute stress
- Past trauma
- Grief/bereavement/loss
- Excessive guilt/shame
- Low self esteem
- Depression, Anxiety
- Panic, Phobias, Compulsions
- Relationship problems
- Personality issues
Goals for therapy may include:
- Greater self-awareness
- Greater emotional wellbeing
- More satisfying relationships with others
- Increased self-confidence and self-esteem
There are a variety of techniques that can be used in psychotherapy. The exact approach used depends upon the training of the therapist and the nature of the problem the adult is experiencing. I view all problems as matters of human growth and development and rely most heavily on the following therapeutic models:
- Psychodynamic
- Cognitive behavioral (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior (DBT)
- Family systems/interpersonal
The length of therapy depends mainly on the issues being addressed and the level of motivation by the individual to feel better. Other contributing factors include available support from friends and family and the presence and types of life stressors.
It’s not uncommon to feel reluctant about seeking help from a person you’ve never met. If you sense now that there is a problem in your life that needs to be addressed, don’t wait to seek help. Problems rarely go away on their own. Psychotherapy is more than “just talking.” Studies show that therapy can actually change your brain!
I imagine at this point you will be wondering what therapy involves and what you will be getting into, and even if you have been in therapy before you have not been in a session with me. So let me take some time to explain the treatment process to you. It all begins with an email or a phone call from you. When people make that first connection it is hard to wait, they are eager to get started and I know that so I will personally respond to your call usually within the same day. When I call you I am going to ask you some questions to find out if we are the right fit for each other. I’ll also tell you a little about my process and we will schedule our first appointment together. The first appointment I will refer to as the intake interview, I’ll also direct you to some of the areas on my website that contain my forms, and I will have you complete an intake packet and bring it to our intake interview. If you have previous evaluations or other documents that you think will help me understand you and your needs better I encourage you to bring those to the first appointment as well. Once we have the first intake interview people are very eager to begin the therapy and the intake interview is the first part of the process of starting therapy together. Usually people are very nervous when they are coming to the first appointment, that’s normal, I would be nervous if I were meeting a stranger for the first time. People sometimes have an image of a therapist as somebody who just sits back and doesn’t respond much and listens a lot and I want you to know that is not me. I am very very eager to want to get to know you and to understand you problems and to figure out what we can do together to help you. During the intake interview I’m going to ask you questions about yourself, I want to know about your background, I want to know about your educational history, your work history. Ill ask you questions about your medical history, your family history, and I want to know in particularly about the history about the problem that brings you in to see me. We’ll work together to identify goals for your therapy and then I will offer you some recommendations about how I think I can help you to reach those goals. Once we finish the intake interview then we will have identified the problems, we will have come up with a plan of how to address them, and then we’re ready to start the therapy intervention. So now we are at the part of starting therapy together. Some of the frequently asked questions I get at this point are, might I need medication as my therapy. If you do I know some very qualified physicians that I will recommend you give a call and they will help us together in working on your treatment. Another question I am frequently asked at the beginning of therapy is how long am I going to need to see you and how frequently do we need to get together. That really depends on the severity of your problem and the nature of your problem. Usually people come to see me once a week, and those appointments are usually 45 to 50 minutes in length. What makes me different from a lot of the other practitioners is that you will get very personal service from me in my practice, there is no middleman, there is no secretary or receptionist, there is nobody else that you have to tell the story to. Its just you and me on this journey together, and at the end of the journey it is my fondest hope that you will be in a better place.
I asked my daughter what her favorite thing about going to see Dr Lyons was.  Her answer was that she got to play board games after school with her. The game collection is amazing and helped my daughter relax when she was first starting with Dr. Lyons.
E.R. - Child Therapy Patient
I visited Dr. Lyons for several years through middle school into high school, and saw noticeable improvements in my physical health. I have not had chest pains or migraines in years!
M.O. - Adolescent Therapy Patient
I sought the assistance of Dr. Lyons as a college student who was struggling with the demands of a rigorous curriculum. Dr. Lyons did a thorough assessment of my attention difficulties and I was able to get a diagnosis and report that not only informed the way I navigated my studies but also could have enabled me to receive the appropriate support from my University if I chose to seek it. Throughout the process, Dr. Lyons validated my concerns about the learning process and helped me to better understand myself as a learner. Â My experience with her was invaluable and I believe strongly that the self-awareness that Dr. Lyons helps foster is a powerful tool for any student. Â Dr. Lyons is a compassionate and dedicated professional who truly has made a difference in my life.
Gratefully,
R.S. - Adult Therapy PatientAt the time of my son's first visit with Dr. Lyons, he had few friends, was lacking basic conversational skills and had low self esteem. Dr. Lyons not only taught him the social skills to be successful in middle school and high school,  but she gave him the skills and self confidence to be successful in life.  It was hard work, but the benefits have been priceless.
R.W. - Adolescent Therapy Patient
Debbie helped our family through a frightening, sad time with her thoughtful, supportive approach to the collaborative process and amazing ability to translate our sometimes very negative comments into useful dialogue. Post-divorce, my children and I are doing very well and Debbie continues to be excited to hear about our welfare. She is a gem!
HM (Happy Mom) - Collaborative Divorce Case
My son saw Dr. Lyons for almost 3 years between the 4th and 6th grades. Â He benefitted tremendously from her counsel during this time. Â Dr. Lyons was easy to work with and was spot on in her assessment of my son and where he was struggling. Â At the end of each session, we debriefed on, not only on how that week's session had gone, but also on how the strategies she and my son were working on were translating into his world outside of her office. Â I appreciated that she was holistic in her approach and really wanted to work with his school to ensure the techniques and strategies were utilized in that environment, as well. Â She often helped me to understand how to talk to the school to seek out the right kind of assistance from them. Â I would and have recommended her to others who are looking for Clinical Psychologists for their child.
K.G. - Child Therapy Patient
During a time when my identity was wrapped solely around the needs of others, Deborah Lyons provided me tools to develop an stronger, confident and self-loving person. On the heels of an international move, she helped me navigate the complexity of my divorce and custody battle. Her expertise and emotional support provided me with an understanding of how events in my life led to an unhealthy and frustrating situation. By learning to trust my intuition I gained a sense of autonomy and empowerment I didn't realize existed before meeting her. My current success is a direct and measurable result of therapy sessions with her.
S.N. - Adult Therapy Patient
Dr. Lyons was an effective and compassionate therapist for my needs. She provided me with valuable insights and ongoing support to encourage my personal growth.  She communicates effectively in ASL and has a deep understanding of Deaf Culture and the challenges that Deaf clients face in society.
S.J. - Deaf Therapy Patient
After searching the United States for a psychologist to evaluate our deaf daughter, we travelled to Austin for Dr. Lyons to test her. Our daughter, in addition to being deaf has multiple disabilities, she is a real challenge. Dr. Lyons met that challenge, she was caring and creative in her testing. She was on the floor with our daughter because that's what it took to get the task done! Dr. Lyons has always been there as a support for our family.
C.E. - Deaf Child Psychological Evaluation
I'm extremely pleased with the correct diagnosis (not ADHD) and treatment my child received under Dr Lyons care. Â She is now a college student and able to enjoy life without all the extra challenges she faced before treatment.
S.O. - Adolescent Therapy Patient
There is no one more significant in the village that helped us raise our four children (two boys and two girls) than Dr. Lyons. Beginning with grief counseling when our youngest was in the third grade through four varied adolescent experiences with all their twists and turns, she worked wonders through her professional blend of knowledge, patience, creativity, and nurture. She taught us that individual challenges are always family matters. And now that our kids are grown and moving on, we all believe that our family is deeply indebted to Dr. Lyons for the helping hand she repeatedly provided each and every time we needed it.
D.G. and N.G. - Family Therapy Patients
I sought the assistance of Dr. Lyons as a college student who was struggling with the demands of a rigorous curriculum. Dr. Lyons did a thorough assessment of my attention difficulties and I was able to get a diagnosis and report that not only informed the way I navigated my studies but also could have enabled me to receive the appropriate support from my University if I chose to seek it. Throughout the process, Dr. Lyons validated my concerns about the learning process and helped me to better understand myself as a learner. My experience with her was invaluable and I believe strongly that the self-awareness that Dr. Lyons helps foster is a powerful tool for any student. Dr. Lyons is a compassionate and dedicated professional who truly has made a difference in my life.
Gratefully,R.S. - Adult Therapy Patient March 1, 2016
There is no one more significant in the village that helped us raise our four children (two boys and two girls) than Dr. Lyons. Beginning with grief counseling when our youngest was in the third grade through four varied adolescent experiences with all their twists and turns, she worked wonders through her professional blend of knowledge, patience, creativity, and nurture. She taught us that individual challenges are always family matters. And now that our kids are grown and moving on, we all believe that our family is deeply indebted to Dr. Lyons for the helping hand she repeatedly provided each and every time we needed it.
D.G. and N.G. - Family Therapy Patients March 1, 2016
I asked my daughter what her favorite thing about going to see Dr Lyons was. Her answer was that she got to play board games after school with her. The game collection is amazing and helped my daughter relax when she was first starting with Dr. Lyons.
E.R. - Child Therapy Patient March 1, 2016
I'm extremely pleased with the correct diagnosis (not ADHD) and treatment my child received under Dr Lyons care. She is now a college student and able to enjoy life without all the extra challenges she faced before treatment.
S.O. - Adolescent Therapy Patient March 1, 2016
Dr. Lyons was an effective and compassionate therapist for my needs. She provided me with valuable insights and ongoing support to encourage my personal growth. She communicates effectively in ASL and has a deep understanding of Deaf Culture and the challenges that Deaf clients face in society.
S.J. - Deaf Therapy Patient March 1, 2016
Debbie helped our family through a frightening, sad time with her thoughtful, supportive approach to the collaborative process and amazing ability to translate our sometimes very negative comments into useful dialogue. Post-divorce, my children and I are doing very well and Debbie continues to be excited to hear about our welfare. She is a gem!
HM (Happy Mom) - Collaborative Divorce Case March 1, 2016
After searching the United States for a psychologist to evaluate our deaf daughter, we travelled to Austin for Dr. Lyons to test her. Our daughter, in addition to being deaf has multiple disabilities, she is a real challenge. Dr. Lyons met that challenge, she was caring and creative in her testing. She was on the floor with our daughter because that's what it took to get the task done! Dr. Lyons has always been there as a support for our family.
C.E. - Deaf Child Psychological Evaluation March 1, 2016
My son saw Dr. Lyons for almost 3 years between the 4th and 6th grades. He benefitted tremendously from her counsel during this time. Dr. Lyons was easy to work with and was spot on in her assessment of my son and where he was struggling. At the end of each session, we debriefed on, not only on how that week's session had gone, but also on how the strategies she and my son were working on were translating into his world outside of her office. I appreciated that she was holistic in her approach and really wanted to work with his school to ensure the techniques and strategies were utilized in that environment, as well. She often helped me to understand how to talk to the school to seek out the right kind of assistance from them. I would and have recommended her to others who are looking for Clinical Psychologists for their child.
K.G. - Child Therapy Patient March 1, 2016
During a time when my identity was wrapped solely around the needs of others, Deborah Lyons provided me tools to develop an stronger, confident and self-loving person. On the heels of an international move, she helped me navigate the complexity of my divorce and custody battle. Her expertise and emotional support provided me with an understanding of how events in my life led to an unhealthy and frustrating situation. By learning to trust my intuition I gained a sense of autonomy and empowerment I didn't realize existed before meeting her. My current success is a direct and measurable result of therapy sessions with her.
S.N. - Adult Therapy Patient March 1, 2016
At the time of my son's first visit with Dr. Lyons, he had few friends, was lacking basic conversational skills and had low self esteem. Dr. Lyons not only taught him the social skills to be successful in middle school and high school, but she gave him the skills and self confidence to be successful in life. It was hard work, but the benefits have been priceless.
R.W. - Adolescent Therapy Patient March 1, 2016
I visited Dr. Lyons for several years through middle school into high school, and saw noticeable improvements in my physical health. I have not had chest pains or migraines in years!
M.O. - Adolescent Therapy Patient March 28, 2016
