Deborah has been a professional orchestral musician for 40 years, but for all of that time has struggled with stage fright. More often than not, Deborah did not perform as well as she knew was possible for her. This impacted her career and her general mental health. The lightbulb moment for Deborah was the moment she began to work with ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) as a client in 2010. ACT was such a revelation for her, that she wanted to learn to apply it to music performance - first for herself and then for others. She became a counsellor in 2016 after graduating with a Master of Counselling. She now is a counsellor for musicians and performers both in private practice and workshops. She has presented workshops to The University of Melbourne, the Sydney Conservatorium, WAAPA, Queensland Conservatorium and online to The Curtis Institute among others.