Debi Jenkins Frankle
She/Her | M.S. | LMFT #32961
Debi Jenkins Frankle, LMFT, is a grief therapist, educator, and trainer with over 30 years of experience. She co-founded a grief center in response to a deep need in her community and teaches practicum at Pepperdine University, where she mentors emerging clinicians.
Her work focuses on supporting people navigating grief related to death, addiction, mental illness, chronic illness, and family estrangement—especially when the grief feels unseen or unsupported. She integrates narrative therapy, meaning reconstruction, psychoeducation, and structured writing to help clients tend to what remains unfinished in their relationships.
Debi’s approach is shaped not only by her clinical training but also by her own lived experiences of loss. She brings a belief that therapists should not ask clients to do work they haven’t done themselves, and she strives to embody that in the way she shows up—with honesty, depth, and respect for each person’s unique grief.
As Featured in VoyageLA Magazine
Debi Jenkins Frankle was recently highlighted in VoyageLA Magazine, where she shares the personal and professional journey that shaped her commitment to grief-informed care.
In the feature, Debi reflects on the early losses that profoundly influenced her life — including the death of her newborn sister when she was seven and the loss of her mother during graduate school. These experiences deepened her understanding of how grief lives beneath anxiety, trauma responses, relationship struggles, and life transitions.
The article explores Debi’s philosophy that grief does not need to be fixed, rushed, or forced into stages. Instead, it deserves to be witnessed with compassion, clinical depth, and respect — especially when losses do not fit neatly into society’s expectations. It also highlights the founding of Calabasas Counseling and Grief Center and her ongoing mission to elevate grief-informed care within the broader mental health community.
Specialities
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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a powerful, evidence-based approach for healing trauma, grief, and distressing life events. By using bilateral stimulation (like eye movements or tapping), EMDR helps the brain reprocess overwhelming memories so they feel less charged and more resolved. Whether you're navigating traumatic loss, anxiety, or long-held emotional pain, EMDR offers a path toward deeper relief and integration.
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With ART, I guide you through imagery and visualization techniques that help shift the way distressing memories are stored in the brain. Many clients find relief more quickly than with traditional talk therapy. I use ART to help you reduce symptoms of trauma, anxiety, depression, and other difficult emotions in a focused, empowering way.
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Grief can be quiet or consuming, predictable or surprising. Whether you're mourning a recent death, grieving a past loss, or adjusting to the absence of someone or something meaningful, therapy offers a place to be held in it all. There’s no timeline for grief — just a need for space, compassion, and a process that fits you. Together, we’ll explore what’s been lost and what might still be found.
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Losing someone suddenly and violently—through overdose, murder, or other trauma—can leave you with layers of grief, shock, anger, and unanswered questions. I create a safe space for you to process these painful experiences at your own pace. Together, we focus on reducing trauma responses while honoring your grief, so you can move toward integration and meaning-making.
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Later life brings unique transitions—retirement, caregiving responsibilities, health changes, the loss of loved ones, or shifts in identity and purpose. I offer therapy that supports older adults as they navigate these changes with dignity and meaning. Whether you're facing grief, anxiety, relationship shifts, or simply seeking a safe place to reflect, I provide compassionate, age-affirming care that respects the depth of your lived experience.
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Estrangement can be an invisible loss—one that’s hard to talk about, yet deeply painful. Whether you’re estranged from a parent, child, sibling, or another loved one, this experience can bring up grief, guilt, confusion, and ongoing uncertainty. I offer a nonjudgmental space to process what led to the estrangement, explore the emotional impact, and consider what healing might look like for you—whether that involves reconciliation, boundaries, or acceptance. Your story is honored here, without pressure or assumptions.
Links:
Email: Debi@CalabasasCounseling.com
Instagram: DebiJenkinsFrankle
Youtube: DebiJenkinsFrankleLMFT
Schedule an Appointment with Debi at Calabasas Counseling
Contact us today to schedule an appointment to meet with one of our professional therapists.