About Debbie
Debbie Hayes welcomes people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief, or relationship strain. She aims to create a calm space where conversations are straightforward and focused on what matters most to each person. Debbie uses clear, practical steps so clients can try things between sessions and notice what helps.
She has ten years of combined experience as a caseworker and counselor in Illinois. That background shaped her ability to work with many issues, including depression, addictions, trauma and abuse, eating concerns, bipolar disorder, and questions about identity and self-esteem.
How Debbie works
She also supports people coping with chronic illness, caregiver stress, cancer, and body image difficulties. Debbie draws on several approaches to fit the person in front of her. She uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Client-Centered methods, and Existential ideas.
Sessions are conversational and respectful, with a focus on building practical skills and clearer understanding of values and choices. When clients want, she can include Christian-based perspectives as part of the work. That option is offered in a straightforward way and adapted to each person’s needs and beliefs.
Debbie emphasizes collaboration so clients help shape goals and the pace of change. She offers sessions in English and works with people through a mix of real-time and text-based formats. The first step is a short matching questionnaire and scheduling according to availability.
Debbie lists 12 ways of working on the entry:
What Debbie works with
The areas below are the ones Debbie selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- 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
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LCPC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 10 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Illinois |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice what matters most and take small, values-driven steps despite difficult thoughts or feelings. It’s useful for stress, anxiety, and feeling stuck. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and testing new behaviors to reduce symptoms like depression and anxiety. It offers practical exercises and homework to try between sessions. Emotionally-Focused Therapy centers on emotions and relational patterns, helping people understand and shift how they connect with others and themselves.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will listen to goals and preferences, then suggest methods that fit the situation. This is a collaborative process where plans are adjusted as progress is made and new needs appear.
Online therapy formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation for skill practice and deeper dialogue. Phone sessions can work well when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging offer brief check-ins, flexible support between sessions, and a way to continue momentum when a longer session isn’t possible. These options make scheduling easier and help therapy fit daily life.
Start online instead of waiting
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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