About Debra
Debra Schwarze is a licensed counselor who helps people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, ADHD, and difficult life changes. She has three decades of experience in mental health work and draws on that background to offer steady, practical support. She uses straightforward conversation to understand what feels hard and what a person hopes to change.
Sessions focus on building coping skills, managing mood and worry, and addressing sleep or concentration problems that get in the way of daily life.
Background and approach
Debra emphasizes an approachable style that makes room for honest feeling and real problem solving. Her background includes work in community mental health, schools, faith-based settings, health systems, and independent practice. She holds master's degrees in counseling and art therapy, and she brings that variety into how she tailors care.
That mix of settings informs an adaptable way of working with people at different stages and needs. Debra commonly draws on cognitive behavioral strategies to change patterns of thinking and behavior. She also uses client-centered listening and may incorporate art-making when words don’t feel enough.
When trauma is present, she includes trauma-focused methods that aim to reduce distress and improve daily functioning. Sessions are offered in English and are arranged through the platform's scheduling tools. The first step is a short matching questionnaire and then scheduling according to therapist availability.
Debra encourages people who feel stuck or overwhelmed to reach out and begin a practical, compassionate process toward change.
How Debra’s Approaches Work Online
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening without judgment and following the person's lead to identify what matters most. It helps people feel heard and safe enough to talk about hard things and decide what changes they want.Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and teaches concrete skills to shift them. It is useful for anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and challenges with focus or daily routines.
Finding the right approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with each person about symptoms, goals, and preferences, then suggest ways to combine approaches. That collaborative planning can change over time as needs shift.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different days and needs. Video works well when a longer session and face-to-face interaction are helpful. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when a shorter check-in fits a break at work. Live chat or text messaging offer brief touchpoints between sessions or a way to keep momentum without a full session. These options make it easier to match therapy to a person’s schedule and energy level.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- ADHD
- Bipolar disorder
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Sleeping disorders
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 30 years
- Licensed
- Illinois, Wisconsin
- Languages
- English
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