Deborah 'Rachel' Friedman

Deborah 'Rachel' Friedman is an Ohio licensed independent social worker (LISW) with 32 years of clinical experience. She helps people who are coping with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, trauma and concerns related to LGBT identity. Rachel focuses on practical steps people can use to feel steadier and more able to manage hard days.

She believes each person knows their story best. Sessions emphasize the client's goals and strengths while building skills for daily life. Rachel combines listening with clear tools so people leave with something they can try between visits.

Her background includes long experience supporting grief, end-of-life concerns, and trauma recovery, alongside work with anxiety and mood challenges. She also trains service and pet dogs, including psychiatric service dogs, which informs a practical, grounded approach to coping strategies.

In the room she draws on client-centered work and cognitive behavioral methods to shift unhelpful thinking and behaviors. Mindfulness practices and solution-focused steps are used to calm overwhelm and set achievable goals. Trauma-focused techniques are applied when safety and stabilization are needed.

Rachel aims to help people feel more in control of daily life and relationships. She supports work on guilt, forgiveness, isolation, panic, and rebuilding self-regard. The focus is on small, doable changes that add up over time.

How her approaches translate to online care

Client-Centered Therapy places the person’s goals and experience at the center of work. The therapist listens, reflects, and helps clients identify strengths and priorities to guide each session. This approach suits people who want a collaborative process and steady emotional support.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on changing thinking patterns and behaviors that maintain distress. It uses practical exercises and homework to reduce anxiety, panic, and mood symptoms, and to help with grief-related thinking that becomes stuck.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Rachel will work with each person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That decision is collaborative and can change as progress unfolds.

Confirm the exact session options before booking, as formats are not listed here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It can also suit people who prefer not to be on camera or need appointments that better fit work and caregiving schedules. Licensed professionals can adapt CBT, mindfulness, and client-centered techniques effectively in distance sessions when both people agree on how to work together.