Deborah Maqueira, LMHC

Deborah Maqueira is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in Florida with 17 years of experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, and life transitions. Deborah aims to make the first step feel doable and practical for someone who may be overwhelmed right now.

Her style is straightforward and down-to-earth. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing, and adapts techniques to fit each person’s needs. She often uses memorable analogies to spark new ways of seeing problems and to shift long-held, unhelpful thinking.

Sessions blend empathy with gentle challenge. Clients can expect respectful listening alongside exercises designed to change thinking patterns and build healthier habits. Deborah balances seriousness with moments of humor to keep work engaging.

She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and mindfulness practices when those methods suit the goal. These approaches can help with coping skills, emotion regulation, and clarifying personal values.

Deborah’s background includes long-term work with people facing severe depression and intense anxiety. That experience informs practical strategies she brings into sessions. To begin, she asks questions that identify what matters most and then creates small, manageable steps toward those goals.

How Deborah Uses Therapy Approaches Online

Deborah commonly draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing in her work. CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can help with anxiety, depression, and addiction-related patterns. Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative way of exploring a person's readiness to change and building motivation for steps like cutting back on substance use or starting new routines.

She also incorporates elements of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and mindfulness when helpful, which support noticing difficult thoughts and choosing actions that match personal values. Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. Deborah works together with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences, and she adjusts techniques as progress is made.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the specific session formats before booking so you know what is offered. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time, allow quicker check-ins during a workday, and support ongoing momentum between in-person visits and appointments. Licensed professionals can use these methods effectively in remote work just as they do in the office, and Deborah will tailor sessions to the practical needs you bring up.