- Trauma-informed approach
- Mindfulness and ACT
- Practical coping tools
About Deborah
Deborah Gleason is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing from Alabama. She focuses on helping people who feel overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, grief, relationship strain, identity questions, and other painful life changes. Her tone is warm and accepting, and she aims to create a steady, nonjudgmental space where people can begin again.
Deborah draws on a mix of approaches to meet each person where they are. She asks questions, listens closely, and uses gentle exercises that include body awareness and grounding when helpful. Sessions often blend talking with practical tools to manage difficult moments and build day-to-day coping skills.
She brings nine years of experience with issues such as trauma and abuse, mood challenges, substance concerns, parenting strain, codependency, and ADHD. Deborah also supports people working through adoption, aging concerns, chronic illness, and identity-related worries. Her background includes time supporting adolescents in group home settings, where she focused on emotional awareness and self-worth.
In practical terms, Deborah works collaboratively. She explores recurring patterns and beliefs that may be holding someone back and helps people try different ways of responding. Mindfulness, cognitive strategies, and narrative work are tools she commonly uses to shift perspectives and reduce distress.
People who prefer a reflective, relational approach may find her style a good match. She encourages curiosity about internal experience and helps clients reconnect with their own sense of direction and meaning.
Therapeutic approaches and online options that fit your life
Deborah uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy in ways that are easy to understand. ACT helps people notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, and then choose actions that match their values. Client-centered work emphasizes listening, empathy, and meeting each person where they are so they feel heard and respected.She also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking and try small behavior changes. CBT is practical and useful for anxiety, mood shifts, and managing day-to-day stress. Together these methods offer both insight and tools for coping with relationship strain, trauma reactions, codependency, and life changes.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Deborah will talk with clients about goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful. That conversation helps shape whether more mindfulness, ACT exercises, or CBT skill-building will be used, and it’s a collaborative decision made over time.
Session formats are not listed here, so confirm current options before booking. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, shorten commute time, allow a quieter check-in during a break, and reduce the need for travel when managing health or caregiving demands. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises, grounding, and skill practice to work well in an online setting.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
9+ years
Credentials
Alabama, Illinois
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Deborah commonly address?
She supports people facing anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship issues, grief, addictions, codependency, ADHD, and many life transitions.
What is her therapeutic style like?
The approach is warm, collaborative, and nonjudgmental. Sessions typically mix talking with mindfulness, grounding, and practical exercises to manage emotions.
What relevant experience does she bring?
She has nine years of clinical work and experience supporting adolescents in group home settings, focusing on self-worth and emotional awareness.
What credentials and location information apply?
She holds LICSW and LCSW credentials and practices in Alabama. The credentials are listed as AL LICSW and IL LCSW.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Deborah accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
Session formats are not specified here; please confirm current session options before booking so you know how meetings are held.
How is cost handled?
Fees vary by location and therapist availability, and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.