Deborah Hilyard has been very helpful in that she has provided a safe space for me to share troubling afflictions and scenarios present in this phase of my life. experienced and wise is what I’ve needed to navigate chronic illness and starting aging in my early 60s.
Deborah Hilyard, LMHC
Experienced mental health professional
Provides online counseling through BetterHelp
At a glance
Deborah is an experienced, licensed Mental Health Professional who specializes in affordable online therapy offered through our partner, BetterHelp.
- 5.0 stars
- Clients are very satisfied with Deborah. View 56 reviews
- Speaks English
- Offers Telehealth visits
- Licensed in Florida
Recent reviews
She always makes me laugh and feel secure when we are talking. I never feel judged and I always feel understood. When I don’t understand why I am feeling a certain why, she is able to talk me through and come to conclusions on my own! She’s amazing and I love that we can have serious breakthroughs and fun moments as well!!
More about Deborah
- 34 years' experience
- Female
- LMHC
Hi. I am Deborah K. Hilyard and have been a licensed mental health counselor for over 30 years in Florida. While I have worked in different venues during that period of time and have seen a diverse group of people from all aspects of life, we all share basic wants and needs. I completed my graduate degree in counseling at the University of Memphis in 1988 and worked in the campus career counseling office during graduate school years. I later worked for the U. S. Air Force and U. S. Navy in their family centers setting up a new transitional program for service members leaving the service and then later mental health counseling for the service members and their families. Service members and their families are under some of the greatest stress with the uncertainties in their lives, along with clinical depression when feeling as if they have no control of their lives. As might be expected there are many relationship issues with the separations that families often go through. I have worked with clients through their relationship issues, anger, anxiety and depression frequently. I have also worked with many clients with parenting issues, career challenges and work discord. I have also worked in the foster care system doing comprehensive assessments on the children, their previous and current environment and their parent(s) or guardians. My experience includes working with victims and their significant others in regards to emotional, physical and sexual abuse. The past two years I have been at Betterhelp working with issues of every kind.
My counseling style is warm and interactive. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity and compassion and I do not believe in stigmatizing labels. My approach combines client centered, cognitively-behavioral, solution focused and rational-emotive counseling, although I will tailor the dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs.
It takes courage to seek out for a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. If you are ready to take that step I am here to support and empower you.
I look forward to working with you!
Specialties
* Stress and Anxiety
* Relationship Issues
* Trauma and Abuse
* Depression
* Grief, loss
* PTSD
* Aging & Caregiving Issues
Specialties
Treatment Approaches
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Licenses
Deborah Hilyard's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1538239991.
- LMHC · Florida · MH4832 · Expires March 2025
About online counseling
- Affordable.
- Pay a low flat fee.
- Convenient.
- Do it at your own time and at your own pace. Communicate whenever you feel it's needed.
- Available now.
- There is no waiting list and no calls to make. Simply fill out a short questionnaire and send your first message.
Online counseling allows you to receive care from a mental health practitioner via phone, video chat, or instant messaging. It is convenient for those who may have trouble getting to or would prefer not to have in-person therapy appointments. Starting at $65 per week, online counseling is generally more affordable than in-person counseling. A study by researchers at University of California, Berkeley found that online counseling can be just as effective as face-to-face therapy while being more convenient, affordable, and accessible.
Reviews for Deborah Hilyard
All reviews have been submitted by clients after seeing the provider.
Overall rating:
Deborah Hilyard has been very helpful in that she has provided a safe space for me to share troubling afflictions and scenarios present in this phase of my life. experienced and wise is what I’ve needed to navigate chronic illness and starting aging in my early 60s.
She always makes me laugh and feel secure when we are talking. I never feel judged and I always feel understood. When I don’t understand why I am feeling a certain why, she is able to talk me through and come to conclusions on my own! She’s amazing and I love that we can have serious breakthroughs and fun moments as well!!
Debbie is experienced, insightful, professional, and deeply empathetic. Highly recommend.
Deborah takes the time that is needed to assess her patients. She asks the most insightful and seemingly simple questions that come only from years of expertise. If you tell her something, she will follow up and offer additional resources as well to help you even more. I appreciate the thought she puts into her work so much, and it’s very evident that’s it’s there.
Deborah has been nothing but a blessing. She has helped me through so many of my issues, and events. Would recommend her to anyone. Thank you so much!
Deborah is an extremely kind, understanding, patient, humorous, and insightful therapist. I’ve been doing this (trying on different therapist hats) for a very long time and she’s asked me questions no one has before that truly made me think and reflect on what I was doing. Simple questions, too but that’s so helpful because of how much I personally overthink. She also provides many resources and is an excellent listener, not passive, not aggressive, I’ve truly never met another therapist like her I’d recommend to her to anyone, really. I believe she has that much knowledge and care.
She really good at helping you find out what the real issue is behind your mental health issues is. She is also very good at breaking down all of the walls I've built up over the years to cope with trauma and this help me process my trauma and move through and beyond it.
Great listener.
She is absolutely the best and most amazing and supportive therapist! She truly cares about her patients and empowers me to feel confident in myself.
She is the best therapist! She is an expert in her field & loves to do it with a passion. She has forever changed my life & I definitely know she can help anyone !
I’ve only had 3 sessions with Deborah, but her warm and welcoming personality makes it so easy to open up and talk with her. Deborah is empathetic, and great at listening. Her responses are always thoughtful and intentional. I’ve never done therapy before this, so I feel beyond lucky to be matched with a wonderful therapist! Couldn’t recommend her more!
Deborah is exceptional at letting me express myself and go at my pace. She offers me many different ways to deal with what I am experiencing.
She's amazing . I'm so glad I found her.
If you’re in need of a kind good listener, then Deborah Hilyard is who you’ll want. My interactions with her have been productive and enjoyable. I would highly recommend her as a therapist
Deborah has helped me in a lot of ways, she is understanding and listens to what you need to say while goving you constructive advice. Thank you Deborah!
Deborah has been so helpful in getting to the root of some of my issues that I never would’ve even thought of. So knowledgeable and friendly.
I’m very open about what I want to talk about and I appreciate that Deborah lets me ramble through when I need to express things. She is not judgmental and she sends me things to help me through my journey to better health. I know that I am dealing with a lot of things at once, but she has been very supportive in my endeavors.
Deborah has a great balance of listening and advising. She listens well and gives honest, applicable advice. Very easy to talk to!
:)
She is an amazing listener, I'm happy to be paired with her. She's very helpful with suggestions.
Deborah is positive upbeat and encouraging. She helps me navigate my complicated life.
Absolutely supportive
She has been an angel. Very professional, and has helped me a lot in the last few months!
I’ve been seeing Deborah for 3 weeks now and I am very happy with my experience with her. Her presence is calm and inviting. She asks the right questions and makes me feel heard.
Deborah is very considerate and supportive. She is very funny and helps to keep sessions light-hearted as possible. This is a huge help to me because I have to laugh through it. She’s very understanding and truly listens. I love Deborah! She’s amazing!
Deborah has been amazing to work with. I appreciate her direct questions that dig deeper to the root of the emotion or concern.
Deborah has been super helpful and willing to learn new things with me about my mental health
She is amazing!
Thanks again
I feel heard and acknowledged. She provides helpful perspectives and “tools” to use. Helped identify triggers for future situations. I would highly recommend Deborah!
So far she is amazing. She hears you.. ACTUALLY HEARS YOU. She offers more than one ways to tackle any situation. I love that I can share my dark humor and not be judged.. rather laughed with.. I am so happy I tried better help one last time..
She’s great and flexible really appreciate her and all she does
Deborah is a very compassionate person. She validates my feelings and makes me feel heard. She knows how to help me put things into perspective so that i stop repetitive and maybe harmful behaviors. Shes a great listener. She is a great therapist.
Deborah has a superb ability to listen. She understands my issues. She is very warm and gentle. She guides me to the Healing that Im looking for. Im so Grateful that I was matched with her! Thank You Deborah! AND she ALWAYS responds to my messages!
She’s very kind and helpful
I love her! Everytime I have a session I kind of have in mind what i would like to talk about and each and every session helps me incredibly in my healing journey. I would definitely recommend her if you are battling with needing to process your feelings and act on improving your overall mood.
She’s excellent and I never thought this was going to change me so much!! Thank you Mrs. Deborah. You are wonderful!
I love Deborah she is amazing
Deborah takes the time to give you plenty of tips and worksheets to reinforce what is discussed in the live sessions. She has a clinical approach while making it feel like you are just having a video coffee date with a friend. She’s warm and welcoming, and she shows no judgment.
Deborah’s been an amazing therapist & I’m so blessed to have such an amazing soul to help me
I could tell immediately that Deborah was the right fit- kind, non judgmental, experienced. I’m looking forward to working on myself in future visits.
Deborah is a good listener and often makes suggestions based on topics covered during counseling.
Talking to Deb is like talking to a non-judgemental and supportive family member, I really feel like she listens attentively and is truly sincere with her replies. She's helped me to view things from different perspectives, taught me to turn negative inner dialog to a positive outlook. 10/10 I can't thank you enough Deb :)
Love how I feel she’s a phone call (or message) away…as to with traditional counselors you have to make list and wait til next appt. to go over w counselor. I guess you could say it’s more that I feel connected to someone who cares.
Deborah Hilyard makes me feel comfy and is always honest with me and so kind. I have never felt so comfortable with a therapist before. I am lucky I found her.
Deborah makes me feel seen and heard. She asks thoughtful questions and has positive energy. I highly recommend her!
Deborah has been great in helping me to find ways to deal with things that cause me anxiety and distress.
Deborah is amazing and as someone who has had bad experiences with therapist I highly recommend her
Deborah has been a tremendous source of support. My vision for the future is much brighter now.
Deborah is very kind and sympathetic with a comforting voice, almost like talking to a family member. After my very first session I felt relieved and became aware with her help that I was stronger than I thought I was.
When Deborah describes her approach as warm it's not just a line. She took what had me shaking and made me feel as comfortable as if I had done it a thousand times before. I feel more empowered towards my goals of than I have in a long time.
Deborah is such am amazing person. She really cares about you and she understands more than you can understand yourself. She has helped me so much. I highly recommend it.
Deborah is kinda and patient. She's got a sense of humour and that's helpful when discussing things that can sometimes feel awkward. I highly recommend her.
What a lovely person! Very helpful insights and a kind, patient approach to conversation.
I think Deborah is a responsive, kind and supportive person. She listens well and takes my concerns seriously. She gives me plenty of time to express myself. I like how she gives me worksheets related to my issues I present to her. I would throughly recommend her. Already after only two sessions I feel a good connection. Thank you Deborah.
Only two sessions but she seems to know a lot about my situation. And give me real advice.
Frequently asked questions
Does Deborah Hilyard offer telehealth visits?
Yes. Deborah Hilyard works with clients by exchanging messages, chatting live, speaking over the phone, or video conferencing based on what works for the client at that particular time.
What language(s) does Deborah Hilyard speak?
Deborah Hilyard speaks English.
How many years of experience does Deborah Hilyard have?
Deborah Hilyard has 34 years of experience.
Where is Deborah Hilyard licensed to practice?
Deborah Hilyard is licensed to practice in Florida.
Does Deborah Hilyard accept clients outside of the United States?
No, Deborah Hilyard does not accept clients outside of the United States.
Is online therapy as effective as in-person therapy?
Numerous studies support the effectiveness of online platforms in facilitating life changes. For instance, research published by JMIR Publications, conducted by teams from the University of Berkeley, UCSF, and SF General Hospital, found that "users of BetterHelp experienced significantly reduced depression symptom severity after engaging with the platform."
What treatment approaches does Deborah Hilyard offer?
Deborah Hilyard offers clients Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Trauma-Focused Therapy.
How can I communicate with Deborah Hilyard?
Deborah Hilyard can be engaged in any one of four ways: (1) Exchanging messages, (2) chatting live, (3) speaking over the phone, or (4) video conferencing. You can use different ways at different times as you wish, based on your needs, availability, and convenience.
How do I get started with Deborah Hilyard?
Just tap the CHAT NOW button or tap here: A new window will open and you'll be directed to a simple form that will help start the conversation. Please note: It can take up to a few days to be matched to a therapist.
Mental health conditions are real, common, and treatable.
And recovery is possible.
When you tap CHAT NOW a new window will open and you'll be directed to a simple form that will help start the conversation. Please note: It can take up to a few days to be matched to a therapist.