About Debra
Debra (Debbie) Shepard is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Illinois who helps people manage stress, anxiety, mood swings, addiction, relationship strain, and ADHD-related challenges. She keeps sessions straightforward and focused on practical steps that fit a person's daily life. Debbie aims to make the first steps toward change feel doable rather than overwhelming.
She brings 14 years of clinical experience to her work and has supported people through life transitions, parenting concerns, career stress, grief, and trauma.
Background and approach
Sessions emphasize clear goals, skill building, and noticing small shifts that add up over time. Her style is warm and interactive, matching responses to each person's needs. Debbie uses a mix of approaches to help people solve problems and build coping skills.
She draws on Client-Centered therapy to create a respectful environment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns, and Mindfulness strategies to reduce reactivity. Motivational Interviewing also appears when people are weighing change or facing ambivalence. She has worked with substance use issues, eating and sleeping problems, anger, self-esteem struggles, compassion fatigue, and the effects of trauma and abuse.
Debbie also addresses concerns like body image, codependency, communication problems, and isolation. Her work balances practical tools with attention to personal strengths. People who prefer different ways of meeting can connect through video, phone, chat, or text-based messaging.
Getting started involves a brief matching questionnaire and scheduling a time that fits the person's routine.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Client-Centered therapy emphasizes listening and understanding each person's perspective. In this approach the therapist follows the person's lead, validates their experience, and helps them name values and goals; this often helps with relationship and self-esteem concerns.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on the connections between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It involves identifying unhelpful patterns and practicing different ways of thinking and behaving, which can reduce anxiety, depression, and impulsive responses related to ADHD.
Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and improve focus. These techniques are useful for stress management, sleep problems, and increasing awareness of habits.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the person about their goals, try methods that match those goals, and adjust plans based on what helps. This means techniques can be mixed and changed as progress is made.
Online formats offer practical advantages. Video calls let therapists observe body language and run guided exercises. Phone sessions require less bandwidth and can be easier during a busy day. Live chat or text-based messaging works well for short check-ins, homework prompts, or when writing feels more comfortable than talking. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a routine and keep momentum between sessions.
Questions people ask
What kinds of concerns does she address?
What is her general therapy style?
How much clinical experience does she have?
What are her credentials and where is she located?
Which languages are supported for sessions?
What session formats are available?
How does payment work?
How do I begin therapy with her?
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
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you.