- CBT skills
- DBT strategies
- Gottman work
About Deana
Deana Porter is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT, practicing in California with 29 years of experience. She works with adults on relationship problems, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, anger, and related concerns like anxiety, depression, and stress. She also helps with self-esteem, motivation, grief, sleep and eating difficulties, and career or parenting stress.
Her approach blends practical tools and guided conversation. She uses techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy to shift unhelpful patterns and manage strong emotions. She also draws on Internal Family Systems ideas to look at inner parts and on the Gottman Method to address communication in relationships.
In sessions she focuses on clear steps people can try between meetings. That can mean practicing new ways to talk with a partner, testing a small behavior change, or learning a skill for calming down in tense moments. She frames these steps so they fit into a person’s daily life.
Deana works with issues from adoption and blended family concerns to caregiver stress, codependency, commitment worries, and family-of-origin problems. She also has experience supporting people dealing with domestic violence, separation, fatherhood issues, and aging or geriatric matters.
Her clinical title, LMFT, indicates licensure as a marriage and family therapist in California. Sessions are conducted in English. To begin, prospective clients follow the site process to answer a short questionnaire and schedule a first session.
How her approaches translate to online work
Deana uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, helping people reduce anger, anxiety, or depressive patterns through practical exercises. Dialectical Behavior Therapy offers concrete skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and better interpersonal interactions, which can be practiced between sessions to manage strong reactions.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. She will discuss goals and try methods that suit a person's needs and preferences, adjusting techniques over time based on what helps most. The therapist and client decide together which tools to prioritize.
The original biography did not list specific session formats, so confirm current online or in-person options before booking. Many people find online sessions help fit therapy into work days or caregiving routines, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. If you want to focus on skills practice, emotion regulation, or couples communication work informed by the Gottman Method, these can be adapted to remote sessions once format options are confirmed.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
29+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She works with relationship problems, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, anger, anxiety, depression, stress, grief, and related concerns listed in her specialties.
What is her therapeutic style?
She uses practical, skills-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy alongside methods that look at internal parts and relationship communication.
How much experience does she have?
She has 29 years of professional experience working with a wide range of concerns from relationship issues to caregiving stress.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is an LMFT, licensed in California, and works from that state.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
The original biography did not specify session formats. Confirm the current session options through the booking flow before scheduling.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time according to the site's payment setup.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session through the site.