Debbie Hayes , LCPC

Debbie Hayes is a licensed counselor in Illinois with ten years of combined experience as a caseworker and therapist, bringing practical experience and clinical training to each client interaction. She has worked with a wide range of concerns including grief, depression, anxiety, anger, relationship difficulties, parenting challenges, career stress, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, attention-deficit differences, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, and she draws on that breadth of experience when tailoring support for individual needs.

Her academic and professional credentials include a Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC), LCPC which stands for Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, and QMHP which denotes Qualified Mental Health Professional. Hayes has training in multicultural counseling and pursues additional continuing education to stay current with research and best practices so she can offer informed clinical care.

Hayes describes her style as warm and interactive, emphasizing respect, sensitivity, and compassion while avoiding judgment. Her approach blends client-centered and strengths-based perspectives with existential and cognitive-behavioral ideas, together with humanistic and psychodynamic influences, to create individualized treatment plans. She is also able to incorporate Christian-based counseling when clients request that focus, reflecting her own faith-informed perspective.

Debbie Hayes is based in Illinois and provides services in English. She is not currently accepting new clients.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Debbie Hayes uses evidence-informed approaches tailored to each person's situation. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - ACT - focuses on helping people clarify their values and take committed action while learning to accept difficult thoughts and feelings; it is often helpful for anxiety, stress, and chronic patterns of avoidance. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT - centers on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, making it effective for depression, anxiety, and many day-to-day struggles. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes an empathic, nonjudgmental relationship in which the therapist offers support and understanding so clients can explore their own goals and strengths.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Hayes works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods align with their needs, goals, and preferences. Sessions may blend techniques so the plan fits the individual rather than forcing a single model.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place by video call or phone, and shorter check-ins can be done via live chat or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit care into a busy life, maintain continuity when schedules change, and access licensed professionals from familiar surroundings.