About Debbie
Debbie Hayes is a licensed counselor in Illinois with ten years of hands-on experience. She focuses on helping people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief, depression, addictions, and relationship struggles. Her approach aims to make therapy feel practical and doable for everyday life.
She draws from several approaches to match each person’s needs. That can mean using exercises from cognitive behavioral therapy to change unhelpful thoughts. It can also mean client-centered listening to help people feel heard and supported.
Background and approach
Debbie integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and emotionally-focused ideas when those approaches fit the situation. Debbie has worked as both a caseworker and a counselor. That background means she understands how life systems and daily routines affect coping.
She has experience supporting people with bipolar disorder and psychotic conditions, and with concerns like parenting difficulties, career stress, eating issues, and trauma. She also lists extra focus areas such as attachment struggles, caregiving stress, chronic illness, and body image. Her style is warm, respectful, and interactive.
Sessions typically include straightforward tools, gentle exploration, and a plan tailored to each person’s goals. She can also incorporate Christian-based perspectives when a client asks for that frame. Debbie holds the LCPC credential and continues professional training to stay current.
She works with English-speaking clients in Illinois and aims to help people take steady steps toward a more fulfilling life.
How her approaches fit online therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice thoughts and commit to actions tied to personal values. Online ACT can be useful for stress, anxiety, and purpose-related concerns through values work and short behavioral experiments. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on changing thoughts and behaviors with practical tools like activity scheduling and thought records; it adapts well to video or messaging formats for homework and check-ins. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathic listening and building a trusting relationship, which can be delivered through conversation on video or phone to help people feel understood.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals and preferences, then suggest methods that fit. That plan can change over time as needs shift and progress is made.
Online sessions offer flexibility for different schedules and situations. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging are helpful for brief check-ins or when a shorter, written format fits someone’s routine. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent while balancing work, family, and other demands.
Questions people ask
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What this counselor works with
Most often
- 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
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 10 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English