Dr. Deborah Vinall, PsyD, LMFT

03/01/2026

Many women learn early that visibility carries risk. This is an essay about what that lesson protects - on sexual coercion, hypervigilance, and the shrinking of women’s dreams.

On sexual coercion, hypervigilance, and the shrinking of women’s dreams

02/25/2026

A guided meditation on cultivating the calm and clarity to set loving boundaries.

A guided meditation on setting boundaries from steadiness rather than fear

02/22/2026

Boundaries are not walls to shut others out, like a Road Closed sign. Boundaries are the dashed yellow lines in the road that show where and how you can share space without causing harm.

They don’t end the journey. They guide it.

Boundaries aren’t walls — they’re how we share space without harm

02/22/2026

Great time at Therapy Book Fair today! If you missed this one, you can snag a copy of my books anywhere books are sold. Subscribe to my newsletter .substack.com so you know about the next event (plus weekly writing on mental health relevant to our world today)!

02/22/2026

I appreciated the opportunity today with the CAMFT: California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists book fair at San Bernardino Valley College to connect with readers, fellow therapists looking for resources, and a gaggle of foster youth who came in to chat about writing, overcoming trauma, and their futures. 💛

If you missed this opportunity, you can still snag a copy of either

*Gaslighting: A Step-by-Step Recovery Guide, or
*Trauma Recovery Workbook for Teens

at the link in the comments or anywhere books are sold!

02/21/2026

Heads up for Southern California readers!

I will be signing & selling books at a Psychology Book Fair at San Bernardino Valley College TOMORROW (Saturday 2/21) from 11am - 1pm.

Come say hello and pick up your copy of

Gaslighting: A Step-by-Step Recovery Guide

or

Trauma Recovery Workbook for Teens.

Would love to meet some of you there!

(pic from a library book fair last Fall)

02/18/2026

I was commissioned to write an article on boundaries last Fall, and it's finally published!

In this article, I explore what boundaries are, why we need them and when, and how to set boundaries. I tackle common myths about boundaries, their role in mental health, and how they should be set. Then we look at how they can be misused and what to do when boundaries are not respected.

If you struggle with boundaries conceptually or in practice, check it out!

(Link in comments)

12/14/2025

Holiday travel home to family can reactivate childhood roles, triggers, and relationship cycles, but those don’t define the person you are now. If you find yourself in a difficult situation, give yourself permission to step away, reconnect with the person you've become, and re-engage from a grounded self as you are ready.

10/30/2025

A reminder: what happened to you says NOTHING about WHO YOU ARE. 🌸

08/29/2025

04/14/2025

Death and destruction of our natural environment has a profound impact on our mental health, with effects experienced to varying degrees based on age, proximity, and exposure. We are intrinsically connected to nature, with both green and blue spaces, such as forests and meadows, lakes and oceans, fostering a calming and settling effect on frazzled emotions. As these spaces disappear, eco -anxiety rises. Join me on SubStack for a discussion of the impacts of climate change on mental health and how to care for yourself if you struggle with eco-anxiety.

03/02/2025

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