Dr. Deborah Vinall
PsyD, LMFT
Deborah Vinall is a Doctor of Psychology, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a certified EMDR and Brainspotting practitioner, and a best-selling author. She specializes in trauma and abuse recovery.
About Dr. Vinall
Deborah Vinall is a Doctor of Psychology and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in helping individuals heal from traumatic life experiences and painful relationship dynamics through her practice, Tamar Counseling Services. Before opening her practice in 2010, Deborah worked extensively with foster youth and survivors of sex trafficking in community, clinic, and group home settings.
Deborah is the author of two award-winning books: Trauma Recovery Workbook for Teens and Gaslighting: A Step-by-Step Recovery Guide to Heal from Emotional Abuse and Build Healthy Relationships (available in English, Mandarin, Russian, Korean, Hungarian, Turkish, and Japanese). She has published award-winning trauma research on the treatment of survivors of mass shootings and currently writes Mental Health Musings on Substack.
Deborah has been featured on many podcasts and in interviews for Buzzfeed News, Costco Connections Magazine, MindBodyGreen, Parents, Women’s World, Scary Mommy, Health Reporter, Well&Good, VeryWellMind, Medium, Glam, AskMen, Bustle, First for Women, the List, Reframe, Women.com, Breathe, the Good Trade, PureWow, Healing Law, and Authority Magazine. A native of Kelowna, Canada, Deborah presently lives, writes, and works in Southern California. Dr. Vinall is represented by Rachelle Gardner Literary.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Vinall has been awarded several prizes based on her psychological and literary work.
- EMDR Research Foundation Sandra Wilson Memorial Grant (2020)
- California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, Clinton E. Phillips Award (2016)
- Hope International University MFT Achievement Award (2005)
- Chanticleer International Book Awards Winner, Best in Category - Instruction & Insight (2022)
- International Conference on Abuse, International Book Awards Winner - Mental Health (2023)
- Nautilus Gold Award, Young Adult Non-Fiction (2024)
Credentials and areas of focus
Deborah specialises in helping those who have experienced traumatic events to process the horrible memories associated with them and to develop the skills needed to not let these events hinder their lives. Her expertise covers:
Credentials and Affiliations
- California Board of Behavioral Sciences - Licensed
- EMDR International Association - Certified, clinical member
- Brainspotting.com - Certified, clinical member
- California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists - Clinical member
- American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
- International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
- The Authors Guild
Published Work
Dr. Vinall has authored two books focusing on the recovery process from difficult psychological situations.
Gaslighting: A Step-by-Step Recovery Guide
Gaslighting is a targeted form of manipulation, deception, and control that makes you doubt your own perceptions and memories. Whether you’ve experienced gaslighting or emotional abuse from someone in your life, or you think you might have, Gaslighting: A Step-By-Step Recovery Guide gives you the tools to recognize it and the steps to begin healing.
Trauma Recovery Workbook for Teens
We are greater than the trauma and pain we may experience in our lives. This workbook illuminates how healing is possible, explores what trauma is, and shows teens how they can embrace their emotions while developing resiliency. Help teens find a renewed sense of hope as they learn how to work through their trauma and improve their mental health.
Featured in
A word From Dr. Vinall
"You matter. You Belong. You've got this!"
