Deborah Hilyard, LMHC | Therapist in Florida

Warm and interactive
Practical problem solving
Trauma aware care

About Deborah

Deborah Hilyard is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 34 years of experience in Florida. She completed her graduate degree in counseling at the University of Memphis in 1988 and has worked across a range of settings. Deborah focuses on listening carefully and building a respectful, collaborative relationship with each person she sees.

Her work has included services for military service members and their families, career and campus counseling, foster care assessments, and support for people affected by emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. This background means she often helps people deal with anxiety, depression, relationship strain, parenting challenges, and stress related to life transitions.

Deborah uses a warm and interactive counseling style. She avoids stigmatizing labels and adapts sessions to match each person’s needs. Her practice draws on client-centered and cognitive-behavioral approaches, plus mindfulness techniques and motivational interviewing, depending on what the person needs.

People come to her for many concerns including grief, trauma, codependency, anger, sleep and eating concerns, ADHD, and compassion fatigue. She aims to support practical change while also addressing patterns that keep people stuck. Sessions typically focus on clear goals and steps that can be tried between meetings.

If someone is ready to make a change, Deborah offers supportive guidance and collaborative planning. Prospective clients should follow the site’s process to begin, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to availability.

Approaches for online care and how they help

Deborah uses client-centered work to focus on each person’s priorities. That approach means sessions center on what matters most to the client and builds on their strengths to find practical paths forward.

She also draws on cognitive behavioral therapy, which looks at patterns of thought and behavior. CBT helps people test unhelpful beliefs and try concrete changes that can reduce anxiety, depression, or relationship conflict.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Deborah will work collaboratively to identify which methods fit a person’s needs and goals. This usually involves talking about what has worked before, what feels manageable, and what outcomes the person hopes for.

Confirm current session options before booking, since formats are not specified in this biography. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also support steady progress when in-person meetings are hard to arrange. Licensed professionals tailor the plan so sessions match the person’s schedule, comfort with technology, and therapeutic goals.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, Anxiety Trauma and abuseAnger managementDepression Coping with life changes

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTRelationship issuesFamily conflictsGrief Intimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issues Blended family issues Caregiver issues and stress Codependency Commitment issues Communication problems Control issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDissociationDivorce and separation Domestic violenceEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFertility issuesFirst responder issuesForgiveness Guilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingImpulsivityInfidelity Isolation / loneliness JealousyVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMood disordersNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPersonality disordersPhobiasPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSocial anxiety and phobiaTraumatic brain injuryWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

34+ years

Credentials

Florida

Languages

English

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does Deborah work with?

She helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship strain, grief, and codependency among other concerns.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

Her style is warm and interactive, focusing on respect and sensitivity while avoiding stigmatizing labels.

What is her professional background?

She has 34 years of experience, including work with military family centers, campus career counseling, foster care assessments, and mental health counseling.

What credentials and location are listed for Deborah?

She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, FL LMHC, practicing in Florida.

Which languages are sessions provided in?

Sessions are offered in English.

Can people outside the United States work with her?

She does not accept international clients at this time.

How are fees and payment handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with Deborah?

Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions based on the therapist’s availability.

Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.