About Debby
Debby Sawyer is a Nebraska-based Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner (LIMHP) with 33 years of experience. She focuses on helping people who feel overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, depression, grief, trauma, ADHD, and addiction. She approaches work with warmth and respect and encourages people to use their own strengths as they make changes.
She believes the client is the expert in their life and meets people where they are. Sessions aim to be practical and goal-focused so people can notice small improvements quickly.
Background and approach
The tone is supportive and collaborative rather than prescriptive. Debby uses a mix of approaches depending on the person and the issue. She draws on client-centered methods to make space for people’s stories and on cognitive behavioral techniques to identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
Motivational interviewing is used to increase readiness for change when people feel stuck. Many people consult her for concerns beyond core mood and anxiety issues, including self-esteem, attachment questions, caregiving stress, chronic medical challenges, body image, and relationship communication problems. She also addresses grief, abandonment, adoption and foster care matters, and aging-related concerns.
Sessions are offered via multiple online formats to fit different schedules and needs. Debby aims to help people take practical steps toward the life they want while honoring each person’s values and pace.
Approaches that guide online sessions
Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening and acceptance. The focus is on understanding the person's experience and building a trusting relationship so they can explore what matters most and identify next steps. This approach helps with anxiety, grief, and self-esteem concerns.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at connections between thoughts, feelings, and actions. Practical exercises and behavior changes are used to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and phobias. Sessions often include homework to practice new skills between meetings.
Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, try methods that fit the person's needs, and adjust the plan when something isn't helping. Decisions about techniques are collaborative and meant to match each person’s pace and values.
Online formats offer practical benefits. Video calls are useful when visual cues matter for discussion and skill practice. Phone sessions can fit shorter check-ins or lower bandwidth situations. Live chat and text-based messaging support people who prefer writing or need on-the-go options. These choices make therapy more flexible and easier to match with daily life.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Trichotillomania
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Visually impaired
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 33 years
- Licensed
- Nebraska
- Languages
- English
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