About Deborah Tome, MSSW, LCSW, Certified Trauma Therapist
From Surviving to Thriving to Conquering
A story of resilience, strength, courage, and vision
My Mission
My mission is born from lived experience and forged through adversity. After navigating a childhood marked by chaos and violence, surviving four strokes and COVID-19, and enduring four years of stalking, I emerged not as a victim or survivor, but as a conqueror. These experiences revealed a fundamental truth: many people desperately want to change but lack the practical skills to do so.
Over 48 years of professional experience, I've developed a revolutionary educational approach to trauma therapy that goes beyond traditional methods. Rather than helping clients merely survive their trauma, I teach them the concrete skills they need to conquer it—transforming pain into power and breaking cycles that have persisted for generations.
My purpose has crystallized into a clear vision: to reach as many people as possible and equip them with tools that create lasting transformation. Because when you heal, your children heal. When you conquer your trauma, you change your family's future forever.
Skills-Based Transformation
After 48 years of practice, I discovered the missing piece: many people want to change but don't have the skills to do so. I've seen too many clients in traditional therapy for years without significant change. My educational approach gives you concrete, actionable techniques—not just insight, but the practical tools for implementation and lasting transformation.
From Survivor to Conqueror
I guide clients beyond surviving their past into thriving in their present and conquering their future. Having overcome my own trauma, I teach from lived experience. Trauma does not define you—your transformation does. You are not a victim. You are not a survivor. You are a conqueror.
Generational Impact
Healing your trauma doesn't just change your life—it transforms the lives of everyone you touch and the generations that follow. I've spent my life caregiving: my brothers, my father with dementia, my brother who died of cancer, and now my daughter. I know that when you heal, your children heal. Your healing becomes their foundation. This is how we change the world—one person, one family, one generation at a time.
Therapeutic Services & Life Coaching
Individual Trauma Therapy
Life Coaching & Transformation
Life Coaching & Transformation
- Certified Trauma Therapy using evidence-based approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions
- Brief Psychotherapy
- Skills-based educational approach
- In-home and office sessions available
- Telehealth services provided
Life Coaching & Transformation
Life Coaching & Transformation
Life Coaching & Transformation
- From Survivor to Conqueror coaching program
- Practical skills development for lasting change
- Breaking generational trauma patterns
- Goal-setting and achievement strategies
- Personal growth and empowerment
- Resilience building techniques
- Life transitions and identity developmen
Specialized Treatment Areas
Specialized Treatment Areas
Specialized Treatment Areas
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Depression and Anxiety
- ADHD and Conduct Disorders
- Bipolar Disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Substance abuse recovery
- Family and relationship therapy
- At-risk youth and families
Speaking & Education
Specialized Treatment Areas
Specialized Treatment Areas
- Upcoming TED Talk on trauma transformation
- Book in development: From Surviving to Conquering
- Workshops on trauma healing
- Professional training and consultation
- Community education programs
- Keynote speaking engagements
A Story of Resilience, Strength, Courage, and Vision
Deborah Tome, MSSW, LCSW, Certified Trauma Therapist
Growing up in a family filled with chaos and violence, I emerged with a singular purpose: to make my adult life better than my childhood. This purpose became my North Star, guiding every decision and every step forward.
I embarked on my journey, earning my bachelor's and master's degrees while spending most of my childhood caring for my younger brothers. In adulthood, the caregiving continued—I cared for my brother who succumbed to cancer, and my father who had dementia for 6 years. Today, I care for my daughter who has had a stroke and struggles with mental health issues. We share a gene that makes our blood clot, and both live with APS.
Turning Pain into Purpose
I have overcome my own trauma, survived 4 strokes, and battled COVID-19, which left my lungs seriously impaired. I have started businesses and left them as my life events dictated. Each challenge, each setback, each moment of suffering became something more—a lesson, a tool, a gift I could give to my clients.
"I have used the difficult times in my life to teach me lessons that I now impart to my clients. Every wound became wisdom. Every struggle became strength."
A Revolutionary Approach to Therapy
As a Certified Trauma Therapist, I teach my clients skills and my philosophy of life through a new educational approach to therapy that has evolved over 48 years of client care. I discovered a critical gap: many people want to change but don't have the skills to do so. I saw too many clients who had been in traditional therapy for years without significant change—not because they weren't trying, but because they lacked practical tools for transformation.
My approach is different. I don't just help you understand your trauma—I equip you with concrete skills to conquer it. This isn't about endless processing; it's about actionable change that creates results you can see and feel.
Visionary Leadership
During my time at the University of Hawaii, I wrote 2 visionary grants sponsored by the Department of Education. I created something that had never been done before: linking the professionals and the community of the Hawaiian Islands via television for alcohol and drug prevention and treatment. This innovative spirit—finding new solutions to old problems—continues to define my work today.
Throughout my career, I've won numerous Who's Who awards, but the recognition I value most comes from the clients whose lives have transformed.
Emerging from the Storm—Stronger
I am in a time of transition now. I have emerged from 4 years of stalking—online, on my phone, and on my television. This experience could have broken me. Instead, it transformed me. My purpose has changed, crystallized, become clearer than ever before.
"I have a new identity and a stronger faith. As with all circumstances in my life, I emerge more powerful. I am no longer a victim or survivor of trauma—I am a conqueror of my trauma."
A New Mission: Reaching the World
I am currently working on writing my book and preparing for my TED talk. My focus now is telling my story to as many people as possible—not because my story is special, but because transformation is possible for everyone.
My purpose has changed. I am planning to reach as many people as possible to help them overcome their trauma, affecting their lives for generations to come. When you heal, your children heal. When you transform, you break generational cycles. When you conquer your trauma, you don't just change your life—you change your family's future.
This is why I do what I do. This is my mission. And I would be honored to help you on your journey from surviving to thriving to conquering.
One-Day Intensive Workshop
From Surviving to Conquering: A Transformational Experience
$497.00
TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE IN ONE POWERFUL DAY: Join me for an intensive, life-changing workshop where you'll learn the practical skills and powerful techniques I've developed over 48 years of trauma therapy and personal transformation. This isn't traditional therapy—this is skills-based education that creates immediate, actionable change.
Change Your Mindset: Deborah Tome, LCSW's Intensive Workshop
The Conqueror Mindset
Shift from victim to survivor to conqueror
Practical Trauma Skills
Concrete techniques you can use immediately
Breaking Generational Patterns
Stop trauma from affecting future generations
The Skills Gap Solution
Why wanting to change isn't enough—and what actually works
Resilience Building
Tools to emerge stronger from life's challenges
My Personal Journey
Lessons from surviving 4 strokes, COVID 19, and 4 years of stalking.
Creating Lasting Change
Implementation strategies that work
WORKSHOP INCLUDES:
- Full day intensive training (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
- Comprehensive workbook and materials
- Interactive exercises and skill-building activities
- Small group setting (limited to 12 participants for personalized attention)
- Lunch and refreshments provided
- 30-day email support following the workshop
- Certificate of completion