Debra Cook, AASW

Debra Cook is an AASW-accredited social worker with more than 20 years helping adults navigate work stress and life transitions. She supports people worn down by difficult workplaces, loss of confidence, or uncertainty about next steps. Debra focuses on practical steps that match each person's pace and values.

Her style is person-centred and strengths-based. Sessions focus on understanding what is happening at work and in life, spotting unhelpful patterns, and rebuilding confidence. She helps people clarify goals and make choices that feel right for them.

Debra uses a mix of approaches to suit the person in front of her. She draws on narrative and solution-focused ideas to reframe stories and set achievable steps. Somatic and mindfulness approaches help with stress that shows up in the body and the moment-to-moment experience.

Typical concerns she supports include stress, anxiety, self-esteem, career questions, coaching-style work and ADHD-related challenges. She also works with issues such as blended family tensions, caregiver stress, communication problems, and feelings of isolation or emptiness.

Sessions are collaborative and paced to the client. Debra aims to help people leave with clearer direction and tools they can use between meetings. The focus is on practical change that fits everyday life.

How Debra uses approach and online work together

Debra uses client-centred work that focuses on the person's own goals and strengths, helping them make decisions that fit their life. This approach is useful for people feeling stuck at work or unsure about career directions because sessions start from what matters to the client.

She also draws on mindfulness to help people notice stress and reduce reactivity in day-to-day life. Mindfulness tools are practical and help with anxiety, overwhelm and improving focus. Narrative therapy is used to explore and reframe the stories people tell about themselves, which can free up new ways of moving forward when confidence has been lost.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the person to try different ideas and agree on what feels most useful. Goals, preferences and everyday demands help guide which techniques are used and how sessions are structured.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the available session formats before booking as the biography does not list these details. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It can also let people use body-based exercises or mindfulness practices between meetings to reinforce change.