Biography, Deborah Stamm

Originally from Southern California, I moved to Anchorage in 2000. I love Alaska and have found it a refreshing change from the fast-paced lifestyle of Orange County where I lived most of my adult life. There is something peaceful and at the same time exciting about living where moose, bears, and blue jays have no sense of boundaries. I feel very privileged and blessed to live where the people have a fierce sense of independence. I am also aware that we have many challenges that are unique to Alaskan culture where social difficulties abound, addictions, trauma, domestic violence, depression and suicide to name a few. I have broad experience in mental health and human services, including work with California department of corrections, department of development dissabilities, youth authorities, McLaughin Youth Center, and local community mental health. I have worked with co-occurring disorders, at-risk-youth, chronically mentally ill, in patient treatment for adolescent girls, and outpatient substance abuse treatment. I practice a strength-based approach to diagnosis includes and therapy because I respect and value client autonomy. I believe that the most effective therapy requires a variety of strategies and expertise because individuals are unique. Their stories, their needs, and their goals are unique. Further, they often solve problems in unique ways as well.