About Debra
Debra (Debbie) Shepard is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 14 years of experience who helps people manage stress, anxiety, addictions, depression, and relationship concerns. She supports people facing life transitions, parenting strain, career problems, and issues like ADHD, trauma, or compassion fatigue. Her manner is warm and interactive, aimed at helping people feel heard and make steady change.
Debbie uses practical, evidence-informed methods that match each person's goals. Sessions focus on identifying what isn’t working and trying clear steps to improve daily life.
Background and approach
She blends talk-based work with skills practice so people leave with tools they can use between meetings. In her work she draws on client-centered methods that prioritize each person’s perspective. Cognitive behavioral techniques are used to spot patterns of thinking and behavior that keep problems alive.
Mindfulness practices are offered when they help reduce reactivity and improve focus. She also integrates relationship-focused ideas from the Gottman Method and motivation-focused questions from motivational interviewing when these fit a person’s goals. Treatment plans are shaped together, so therapy aligns with what the person wants to change and how quickly they want to move.
Debbie is licensed in Illinois as an LCSW. She offers sessions by video, phone, live chat, and text messaging. People can expect a calm, straightforward approach that emphasizes practical steps and steady progress.
Approaches that guide online sessions
Debbie commonly uses client-centered methods that focus on each person’s experience and priorities, helping make sessions feel collaborative and respectful. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is used to identify unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, and then practice concrete skills to change them. Mindfulness therapy offers simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and improve focus.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Debbie will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and how quickly they want to move. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust the plan as progress is made, so therapy stays useful and relevant.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video is useful for in-depth conversation and skill practice, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat and text messaging suit shorter check-ins or people who prefer written communication. These options help fit sessions into workdays, caregiving schedules, or when travel is difficult, while keeping focus on consistent progress and usable tools.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Phobias
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 14 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English
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