Dr. Deborah Gioia-Hasick, LCSW, MD, LCSW-C

Dr. Deborah Gioia-Hasick uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a central part of her approach. She blends CBT with client-centered listening and mindfulness tools to help people manage stress, anxiety, mood swings, and relationship concerns. Dr. Gioia-Hasick has 37 years of clinical experience in mental health care in California.

She began her career after earning a Master of Social Work in 1981 and completed a PhD in 2000. Early work focused on teens and young adults, including many years supporting people with serious mental illness and their family supports. That work emphasized symptom management, communication skills, and psychosocial education.

Dr. Gioia-Hasick has led groups and multi-family meetings and has taught mindfulness-based stress reduction to students and group participants. She also completed a year of additional training in sexual health and sex therapy and has provided couples counseling through that program.

Since 2001 she has taught clinical and research courses to graduate and doctoral students. Her teaching includes hands-on methods such as CBT, dialectical behavior therapy, and mindfulness-based stress reduction. She often uses motivational interviewing first to help people consider and commit to the steps they want to take.

In recent years she has added work on climate-focused trauma and resilience. She is interested in helping people cope with disasters and climate-related stress while supporting vocational identity, parenting challenges, grief, and recovery from trauma.

Using CBT, Mindfulness, and Collaborative Care Online

Dr. Gioia-Hasick uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors that reduce anxiety, panic, and low mood. CBT is hands-on and focuses on practical strategies people can use between sessions.

She also incorporates client-centered techniques that prioritize the person's goals and values, and uses Mindfulness Therapy to teach skills for stress reduction and staying present. These approaches are often paired so clients build coping skills and stronger emotional awareness.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk through goals and preferences and help decide whether CBT, mindfulness, DBT skills, or a mix best fits the person's needs. That decision is shared and can be adjusted as therapy progresses.

Online sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video calls are useful for deeper conversations and skills practice. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a client prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging can be convenient for brief check-ins, homework feedback, and flexible communication between appointments. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, family, or travel.