Deborah Batres, AMFT #162914
Associate Marriage & Family Therapist · Botaitis Therapy Group under the supervision of Nicole Botaitis, LMFT #47319.
Individual and couples therapy for people navigating life transitions, relationship strain, and everything that surfaces in between. Integrative, relational, and tailored to you.
Hello, I'm Deborah
I believe people already carry their own transformative wisdom — my role is to help them hear it clearly. I bring warmth, real clinical depth, and a steady, safe presence to the work we do together.
— Deborah Batres, AMFT
Read my story →Is this you?
A life transition
You are in the middle of a life transition in career, relationship, identity, or loss, and the old version of you no longer fits.
The same fight, on repeat
You and your partner love each other but keep ending up in the same fight, and you are ready to understand why.
High performer
You are successful on the outside and exhausted on the inside, and the gap between those two is quietly growing.
Whatever brought you here, it’s worth a closer look.
Begin with a free consultation →My approach
Compassion, warmth and real clinical method, in equal measure. More about how I work →
“You can be holding everything together and still feel like something is missing. That gap is worth listening to.”
About Deborah
I know that feeling well. Before becoming a therapist, I spent years building startups and working in corporate finance, where competence, achievement, and having it all together weren't just valued - they were expected. Like many of the people I work with today, I learned how to perform long before I learned how to slow down and listen to what was happening underneath. That experience brought me to this work and shapes how I practice.
I'm engaged, direct, and genuinely curious about what's underneath the patterns you've learned to manage. I care about more than symptom relief. I work to understand how you relate to yourself, the people you love, and the life you're building, so you don't just see the pattern, you get to live in a way that actually feels like you.
Read my full story →What I offer
For individuals
For anyone who feels stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, or simply ready for something to be different. Whatever brought you here, it matters, and it's worth exploring.
$150 · 50 min
Learn more →For couples
For partners who love each other but can't seem to find their way back, or who want to build something deeper before distance grows.
$180 · 60 min
Learn more →For trauma
A focused, evidence-based approach for working through trauma and the experiences that still feel stuck in the body, so the past loosens its hold on the present.
$195 · 50 min
Learn more →Why work with me
I work with individuals and couples navigating anxiety, life transitions, relationship strain, and trauma, as well as those who look fine on the outside and feel something missing underneath. If that's you, you're in the right place.
I draw from emotion-focused, somatic, and psychoanalytic approaches for individuals, and Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT), Relational Life Therapy (RLT), and the Gottman Method for couples, matched to what you actually need.
We begin with a free 15-minute consultation to see whether we are a good fit. From there, the work moves at your pace. I assess carefully, we set goals together, and we revisit them openly as things change.
Start here
The first step is a free 15-minute consultation. There is no pressure and no commitment, just a conversation to see if we are a good fit.
I see clients in person at Botaitis Therapy Group in Santa Barbara, and offer telehealth sessions throughout California.
