Addiction therapists & psychiatrists in Cookeville, TN

Hi, I'm Dr. Deborah DeFrieze, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 15 years of experience helping people work through anxiety, stress, trauma, grief, depression, and life's hardest transitions. If anxiety or overwhelm has been running the show lately, I'm here to help you take the reins back — with a warm, honest, and practical approach.

My path to this work has been a rich one. Alongside my social work career, I spent 33 years in public education — as a teacher in both regular and special education, an assistant principal, a principal, and an assistant professor — and I served as a missionary in Africa for 18 months. Those experiences taught me to meet people where they are, across every walk of life and stage of change. I hold a Master of Social Work from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a doctorate in education from the University of Georgia, and I'm also a Licensed Massage Therapist, which deepens my appreciation for the mind-body connection in healing.

I draw on evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), EMDR, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, tailoring our work to what will help you most.

There’s much more to your story.

I believe therapy should be a place where you feel seen, supported, and empowered to grow. Drawing on decades of experience, I provide a compassionate, practical, and holistic approach to therapy. I began my work as a spiritual and addictions counselor in 1981 and became a state-licensed mental health therapist in 2007. Since then, I have partnered with individuals, couples, families, and groups to help them build on their strengths, clarify their values, and create lasting change.

Before moving into private practice, I spent 20 years serving the Cleveland, Tennessee community as an outpatient therapist at Hiwassee Mental Health Center.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and have been practicing for 8 years. I want to make sure that clients feel comfortable and open when meeting with me. I believe that building rapport is what creates a strong therapeutic alliance which is important to me.

I am a licensed therapist specializing in anxiety, trauma, addiction and relationship challenges. I work with children, adolescents and adults to create a supportive space where healing and growth feel possible.

Specific modalities are Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Nurturing Parenting, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), Psychotherapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Family Therapy, Solution-Focused, Mindfulness and Muscle relaxation.