With over 30 years of experience in private practice, Dr. Debra A Hill, MD, in Laguna Hills, CA, is here to support and guide you through your unique path to wellness. Dr. Hill's extensive expertise ensures that you are safe as you delve beneath the surface to uncover the root causes of your current challenges. Call (949) 833-7998 to start your journey today.
The road to health is a personal journey, much like a safari. It can be exciting yet uncertain, with unexpected twists and turns. As your doctor, I will serve as your guide on this journey. In private practice since 1989, I have guided many patients through their unique paths to wellness, ensuring they feel safe and supported.
Integrative Approach to Patient Care
I believe in an integrative approach to understanding my patients. This involves knowing your entire life story from beginning to present, along with a thorough understanding of your medical status. Your recent physical from your primary care doctor and lab results from your first visit are crucial. Your medical status, life history, and present troubles are interconnected, and understanding these aspects is essential for providing effective care.
Extensive Training and Expertise
As a Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst, my extensive training includes four years of medical school, a year of Fifth Pathway (similar to a rotating internship), a year of Internal Medicine Internship, three years of Adult Psychiatry Residency, two years of Specialty Fellowship Training in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and five years of Psychoanalytic Training for Adults and Children. This comprehensive background equips Dr. Hill MD to understand how your medical status, genetic background, and family upbringing impact your mental and physical health and relationships.
Personalized Appointment Scheduling
When you schedule an appointment with me, your time is reserved solely for you. I do not double or triple-book appointments. Typically, I see patients at least once a week, depending on the therapy needed. You may cancel at any time, and while I will try to offer your slot to someone else if I can't fill it, you are responsible for the payment. Cancellations made with more advance notice are easier to fill.
Fee for Service Practice
My practice operates on a fee-for-service basis, with payment due at the time of service. I am not affiliated with any insurance companies, which allows me to provide care without restrictions imposed by insurance policies. To ensure continuous and complete treatment, it is important to budget for your care. Contact your insurance company to understand your coverage and reimbursement. Payment options include Check, VISA, Mastercard, AMEX, Discover, HSA Card, or Debit Card.
Who I Am
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Private Practice
Adult Psychiatry, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and Infant Psychiatry: 5/89 – present
Psychoanalysis: 7/96 to present.
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Board Certification
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Diplomat, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, September 1992 – Certificate #2993
Adult Psychiatry: Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, March 1990 – Certificate #32437
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Medical Licensure
Original Issuance Date 9/30/1985
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Faculty Appointment
Volunteer Clinical Faculty, UCI Neuropsychiatric Institute, Adult Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, 2/19/90 – present.
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Board Memberships
- Board Member of the UCI School of Medicine Alumni Association 9-2011 to present.
- Board Member of South Orange County Dive Club 9-2006 to present.
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Education
Training in Psychoanalysis:
Clinical Associate in Adult Psychoanalysis and Clinical Associate in Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysis, 9/91 – 7/96 – Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute
Fellowship:
Fellow in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 7/87 – 7/89, UC Irvine Medical Center
Residency:
Resident in Psychiatry, 7/85 – 7/87 – LAC/USC Medical Center
Internship:
Internal Medicine, 7/84 – 7/85 – Long Beach VA/UC Irvine Program
Fifth Pathway:
UC Irvine/Long Beach Memorial Hospital, 7/83 – 6/84
Medical:
M.D., December 1982 – Autonomous University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico
Undergraduate:
B.S., Biological Sciences, 1978 – University of California at Irvine
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Honors
Mejor Alumno (Best Student) – Given to the top ten academic students in the graduating medicine class of 350, 12/82
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Radio Broadcasts
Interviewed for Live Radio Broadcast on KCSN by Phyllis Chase, MA, MFT, on a program called “Shrink Rap” about “Getting Beneath the Surface in Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis to Solve Problems: The Experience and the Process,” August 19, 2008, 6:30 pm Radio Show.
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Presentations
“Psychoanalysis of a Depressed Psychotic 9-Year-Old Girl with Multiple Developmental Delays,” Presented at West Coast Child Psychoanalytic Meeting, La Jolla, California, September 24, 1994
“Complications of Divorce and Alleged Sexual Abuse in a 4-Year-0ld Girl – A Psychoanalytic Case Presentation,” discussant – Judith Wallerstein, M.D., at the Impact of Divorce on Children’s meeting at St. John’s Hospital, Los Angeles, California, August 1993
“Psychoanalytic Case Presentation of a 5-Year Old Child,” presented at the West Coast Child Psychoanalytic Meeting, Westwood, California, September 19, 1992
“Language Acquisition and Play Dialogue,” presented together with Justin Call, M.D., and Susan Braunwald, Ph.D., at the 5th World Congress of Infant Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, Chicago, IL, September 10, 1992
“Evaluation and Treatment of Physically and Sexually Abused Infants and Children in the Context of Legal Proceedings,” presented together with Justin Call, M.D., at the Children’s Communication: Legal and Clinical Implications Conference sponsored by California Consortium for the Prevention of Child Abuse, The California Psychiatric Society, and the California Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Long Beach, California, April 2, 1992
“Play Dialogue Therapy” and “Block Play in Psychotherapy with Infants,” presented at Specific Techniques in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Conference, CPC Laguna Hills Hospital, May 2, 1990
“Therapeutic Play Dialogue in the Mastery of Separation in a Twenty One-Month Old Child” (video-tape Presentation), presented at American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York, October 13, 1989; and 4th World Congress of Infant Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, Lugano, Switzerland, 9/22/89
“Impact of Divorce on Children” – one of the three-panel discussants, Dimension Cable Program, 9/89
“The Emergence of Syntax from Block Play during Psychotherapy with a Two-Year-Old,” presented at World Association for Infant Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, Pacific Rim Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii, April 1988; and the Southern California Consortium of the Orton Dyslexia Society, 2nd Annual Conference, Los Angeles, California, April 1988.
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Grants
Drown Foundation Grant for $10,000 (9-9-92) for a study on “Language Acquisition and Block Play as Measure of Preverbal Syntactic Function in Infants 12 to 36 months of Age.”
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Publications
Wrote the Forward in Book called, Stung By “B’s” A Storybook on How to Survive Venomous Behaviors by Theresa Drinka and Jenni Synnes, copyright 2011 Bbalm Publishing, Wisconson “Computerized DSM-III Psychiatric Diagnosis,” IEEE Frontiers of Engineering and Computing in Health Care, CH 2058 – 6/84/0000-0266-0269, Mark Zetin, M.D., Danine Garber, Debra Hill, M.D., Chris Btasiak, M.S., and Eric Pierson
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Research Projects
- “Language Acquisition and Block Play as a Measure of Preverbal Syntactic Function in Infants 12 to 36 Months of Age,” 7/87 – 7/91
- “Longitudinal Case Studies of Two Normal Mother/Infant Pairs,” 7/87 – 7/91
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Special Recognition
Honoree: OC Spirit of Volunteerism Award 4-2012. http://spiritofvolunteerism.wordpress.com/?s=Debra+Hill
Listed in the Orange Coast magazine as one of the best doctors in the field of psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and psychoanalysis in 2001 and 2002 [The Best Doctors in America database includes approximately 30,000 doctors in more than 40 medical specialties and is compiled and maintained by Best Doctors, Inc. of Aiken, South Carolina. The doctors listed were selected as the top physicians in their fields in an independent peer review evaluation conducted by Best Doctors, Inc.]
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Special Skills
Speak Spanish fluently.
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Business Hours
Mon - Fri
By Appointment Only
