Fighting the Invisible: Deanna Barlow Deutsch’s Story of Advocacy, Neurodivergence, and Systemic Change
Deanna Barlow Deutsch, B.Ed., MA, CCC, RP, is a registered psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, the Association of Counselling Therapists of Alberta, and a Certified Canadian Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. Deanna has her undergraduate degree as a special education teacher and her Master’s in Counselling and is currently working on her Doctoral degree in Behavioral Health. Deanna has been a Psychotherapist since 2006. Deanna believes in and supports others in making choices that create a sustainable, enjoyable, and fulfilling life and relationships. The skills to take on experiencing setbacks and failing forward. Deanna has been passionate and determined to make healthy changes in her life with the skills she has as a psychotherapist. Deanna believes we all hit the limit of our resources to cope, at times, physically, mentally, and emotionally, and need some support. She is always honored to take that sacred path with another human through the dark times to see brighter and hopeful times ahead. She believes that teaching skills to self-soothe, move through tough emotional states, and understand our inner workings, needs, and challenges is a privilege to be able to do in her work. Deanna has felt very blessed to be there with those seeking her support in their vulnerable time and to help them see their brilliance beyond the disillusionment they may experience in the moment’s struggle. Deanna believes that remembering our strengths and seeing our capacity to heal, grow, and overcome challenges is a beautiful journey.
How are you actively contributing to or impacting your local community through your behavioral health expertise?
Having released 118lbs myself since 2018 I am passionate about helping other women overcoming chronic obesity and make changes to increase overall health, wellbeing and life longevity. I appreciate how hard it is to put ones health first when we are constantly told, especially as women, to please others, care for others and seek outside acceptance and recognition. This work is a deep work that goes right to the core of who we are and how we define our very identity and value as a human being. Helping women to speak with their full authenticity, maintain boundaries for self care, treat their health recovery as their priority as if their life depends on it, as it does, and reclaim their power where it is being given without conscious consent is a labour of love for me.
Can you share an aspect of your professional experience that has influenced your approach to behavioral health?
Being diagnosed in my 40s with adult ADHD after my child’s diagnosis I have learned much about how I am not represented in the approach of service delivery and the processes that make up how many of the systems in our society function. Learning and thinking in a neurodivergent way if often seen as less than and this is not my experience. Those that are diverse deserve to be seen as equal and even gifted in various domains. I have been someone who has struggled to fit in and subjugated herself many times to fit the popular narrative and not be a target. I am sad this has taken much of my vitality and capacity to be authentic and contribute to the development of new ways of engaging health. I am moving into a stage of my life as I get closer to 50 years old of overcoming such barriers and being the disruptor for healing and change that I have had on my heart to be my whole life.
What specific challenge have you encountered in the behavioral health field and how do you envision addressing or overcoming similar challenges in the future?
I have had challenges of being silenced, shut down, judged and condemned for being too energetic, seeing angles others dismiss and invalidate and not feeling my unique contribution or the room or conversation matters. I am done with this. I now see my worth and own the space I am in. Doing this involved advocating for others who need to be seen and overcome discrimination to receive proper care. Whether with being fully informed in health decision making or being able to ask questions and seek clarification to feel secure in a choice around their own health. Whether physically, mentally or emotionally. I am driven to support women in particular to be visible and push back to get their needs met. Handling the tension that this entails is something many women struggle with as we have been socialized to peace keep, people please and avoid conflict. Flexing our mental and emotional muscles to stand our ground for our needs is not the norm and I want this to change.
Highlight a situation that has been particularly influential in shaping your understanding of integrated care and behavioral health.
I work in a clinic with physicians where we provide a multidimensional support structure to overcome barriers to weight loss. This approach should be the norm for best practices care in obesity medicine. Patients need education and support to make lifestyle changes and overcome barriers. Our world is not set up with whole food drive thrus. It is a struggle that is not completely their fault or creation and learning this, having providers with the time and investment to encourage, support and utilize best practices for optimal treatment and outcomes is what women deserve.Providers need to overcome silos and work together so patients can heal and have the skills and support they need from their treatment teams.
How do you see yourself making a lasting impact in behavioral health?
Being an advocate for women’s rights and especially those struggling with obesity and ADHD is a passion for me. Being different is hard enough but having to overcome discrimination, stereotypes and the dismissive narrative that women experience in seeking care is not ok. This narrative and the words, actions, environments and collaborations between providers needs to be updated and optimized for women to be elevated to their full health potential. I want to see women shine.
What inspired you to pursue the DBH program?
I am an avid learner and am passionate about feeding my brain and heart with new skills and knowledge. I was looking at how best to learn and grow and an organization that would fit my needs and interested. CGI has such an incredible community of passionate, driven learners that are motivated to take action and make change in the systems that are broken. The drive to overcome barriers and disrupt the norm really spoke to my soul. I knew that the professional respect and regard I would be able to leverage with my DBH would open doors and minds to hear what is possible and needs to happen for us to serve woman and their health at the optimal level that we should be serving them. This degree supports my love of learning, commitment to providing evidence based, effective health care in collaboration with other providers and my need for a community of like minded professional on fire for change.
What ways has the DBH program impacted your role at work or career goals?
My workplace has been incredibly invested in my learning and the gems I can bring back to optimize our patient care and this journey has elevated my confidence in my path and plan to inspire me to start building my own practice,Healing Habits Psychotherapy. I am invested in developing a service that collaborates with physicians and other allied professionals to support our patients optimal health and wellbeing in all areas.
Deanna Barlow Deutsch’s Doctor of Behavioral Health journey is more than a pursuit of advanced education, it is a reflection of her unwavering commitment to personal growth, equity, and systemic change in behavioral health. Her experiences navigating the healthcare system as a woman, a neurodivergent individual, and a provider have shaped her determination to advocate for those often overlooked or misunderstood. Whether guiding women through the deeply personal work of reclaiming their health or challenging the stigma surrounding ADHD and obesity, Deanna brings compassion, authenticity, and courage to every space she enters.
Connect with Deanna Barlow Deutsch
- Website: www.healinghabits.ca coming soon