Deborah Salant, LICSW

Deborah Salant is a licensed independent social worker (LICSW) with 33 years of clinical experience. She draws on straightforward conversation and practical problem-solving to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, and everyday habits that get in the way of feeling well. She speaks English and French and practices in Massachusetts. Her approach is flexible and client-centered. Deborah starts by gathering a brief history to understand why someone is seeking help. She then works together with the person to set clear, realistic goals and reviews progress over time. Sessions are usually weekly or biweekly depending on where someone is in therapy. Deborah uses a mix of methods to match a person’s needs. She blends client-centered listening with cognitive behavioral ideas to address thoughts and everyday habits, and she draws on emotionally-focused work when relationships are central. Motivational interviewing often helps with change around addictions and health decisions. She has extensive experience supporting people with substance use issues, chronic depression and anxiety, fertility concerns, grief, and trauma. Deborah also helps those coping with caregiver stress, aging family members, blended family challenges, parenting, and intimacy-related worries. Clients can expect a respectful, collaborative environment. Deborah aims to form an alliance with whoever is in the room so people can speak openly and work toward concrete improvements. She invites people to begin with a short assessment and to agree on goals that feel manageable.

How Deborah’s Approaches Translate to Online Care

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening, understanding each person’s experience, and building a working relationship that guides the work. Online sessions can preserve that approach by keeping the conversation focused on what matters most to the client and adapting pacing to the person’s needs.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts and everyday habits affect feelings and behavior. In remote sessions, CBT-style work can include identifying unhelpful thinking patterns, planning small behavioral experiments, and reviewing progress between meetings.

Emotionally-focused ideas are used when relationship patterns are central. This work helps people name emotions, notice interaction cycles, and try new ways of connecting. It can be done online with attention to how conversations unfold when partners or family members join a session.

Finding the right approach is part of the first meetings. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and practical needs, then suggest a mix of methods that fits. This is a collaborative process and plans are adjusted as therapy progresses.

The therapist’s biography does not list specific session formats, so please confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and let people join from different locations if travel is difficult. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises, worksheets, and homework to work in remote sessions so that progress continues between meetings.