Deb Weisshaar, PhD
Each of us is unique. We come to therapy with our particular stressors and challenges, as well as our own strengths and support systems.
When you come to therapy, it is my job to meet you where you are. I will tailor a therapy experience that fits your needs, goals, and values. I will bring curiosity and openness to our work, so that I can best understand what you need. And I encourage you to treat yourself with kindness, curiosity, and openness.
Together, we can create a therapy experience that best fosters your healing and growth.
What might bring you to therapy?
Change.....Relationships..... Coping.....Growing....
Change is inevitable but often challenging. Therapy offers a neutral zone where you can consider how to navigate changes. On the other hand, you may be seeking change – it can be comforting to know that your therapist is alongside as you try new behaviors. Sometimes you have no choice. Circumstances change and you need to adjust to the new reality. Therapy offers the space to explore how to live your best life, even when things change in ways you wished they hadn’t.
Change
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Coping with feelings like Anxiety, Sadness, Grief, Loneliness
Difficult feelings like anxiety, sadness, grief, and loneliness may also be reasons for your interest in psychotherapy. Making the decision to try therapy is the first step in taking back control when upsetting feelings seem to be taking over. The truth is that you are always more than your symptoms. Together we will take time to understand your feelings and decide on strategies to put you back in the driver’s seat. In addition to traditional strategies (like exploring relationships, tapping into support systems, being intentional about healthy behaviors, and connecting thoughts with our emotions and behaviors) I like to incorporate simple mindfulness skills to increase awareness and a sense of calm.
Relationships
Therapy is also a safe space to explore your important relationships – with partners, children, parents, and friends. If improving relationships is motivating your interest in therapy, we will work together to understand your role in the relationships that matter to you. My goal will be to help you understand the dynamics of your relationships and feel capable of navigating them in a healthy way.
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Seeking Personal Growth
It isn’t necessary to feel that you are in a crisis to benefit from therapy. Often, we know that there are aspects of our lives that we want to understand better. Working with a therapist can help you better understand nuances of your past and present, and help you navigate through challenges that may lie ahead. With the availability of virtual sessions, people are increasingly seeking therapy, simply to better understand themselves, make progress toward personal goals, and feel more confident in being their authentic self.
Meet Dr Weisshaar
When I began graduate school in clinical psychology, I was fascinated with psychotherapy. My dissertation research reinforced my belief that the most productive psychotherapy comes from a strong, collaborative relationship between therapist and client. When I speak about therapy, I focus on both healing and growth because I believe they are interconnected experiences. When we seek one in psychotherapy, we inevitably also gain the other.
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I approach psychotherapy as a unique experience for each client. I do not use a rigid theoretical orientation or set of strategies. I tailor the psychotherapy experience to fit each client’s needs, goals, and values. You come to me as the expert in your life. I come to the process with openness and curiosity. It is my job to get to know you and facilitate a therapy experience to help you understand yourself better and move toward your goals.
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I attended Brown University for my undergraduate degree in Psychology. I completed my PhD in Clinical Psychology from Georgia State University. I am licensed to practice psychology in Georgia and PsyPact (Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact) certified to practice telehealth in 42 states.
How It Works?
Phone consultation
​​After I hear from you, I will arrange a 15 minute phone call for us. We will discuss your motivations and goals for therapy. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. If we agree that we could be a good fit to work together for your therapy, I will send you paperwork and we will schedule an initial session.
Initial Session
Before our first session, I will review your paperwork. During the session, we begin to develop our working relationship. We can discuss strategies we may use in therapy and expectations for how long you wish to be in therapy. We will begin to map out a plan for moving you toward your goals.
Ongoing sessions
I conduct all therapy sessions via a HIPAA compliant Zoom interface. Sessions are 50 minutes long. During our 5th session we check in to ensure that we both feel that we are working well together toward your goals.
Contact Information
Phone
404-585-8319
To protect your privacy, when leaving a voicemail or email message, please only leave your name, number and good times for a call back.
Any communication with Deb Weisshaar, PhD should be considered informational only, and should not be relied or acted upon until a formal client-therapist relationship is established pursuant to a written agreement.
