- Client-centered approach
- Cognitive behavioral tools
- Gottman Method elements
About Debra
Debra Fitzgerald is a Tennessee licensed professional counselor with mental health service provider designation, LPC-MHSP, and has 22 years of clinical experience. She focuses on stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, grief, substance use, and self-esteem. Debra also lists social anxiety and related phobia concerns among the issues she addresses.
Clients will find straightforward, talk-based care focused on day-to-day problems and coping skills. Sessions often involve discussing what is happening now, identifying patterns that make things harder, and practicing small changes that can feel doable. She uses practical approaches rather than long academic explanations.
Debra works with a broad range of concerns including caregiver stress, midlife transitions, mood difficulties, panic attacks, and process addictions. She also supports people facing body image struggles, cancer-related emotional strain, and end-of-life or hospice-related issues. Topics like communication problems and family of origin struggles are part of her regular caseload.
Her methods include client-centered work that listens to a person’s priorities, cognitive behavioral techniques to test and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, and elements of the Gottman Method for addressing relationship patterns. These approaches are used in clear, practical ways during sessions.
People who want calm, steady help sorting specific problems and small steps to cope often choose Debra. She practices in Tennessee and conducts sessions in English. Prospective clients are asked to confirm current session options before booking.
How Debra’s approaches translate to online work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening to what matters most to the person and shaping sessions around those priorities. It helps when someone needs a space to talk through feelings and figure out practical next steps. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, breaks problems into thoughts, behaviors, and feelings and uses short exercises to test and change unhelpful patterns. CBT is often used for anxiety, panic symptoms, mood shifts, and worry about social situations. The Gottman Method involves looking at how partners communicate and teaching specific skills to improve interactions and reduce conflict; elements of this method are useful for relationship concerns.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful. Together they decide which methods to emphasize and adjust the plan as sessions progress.
Confirm the available session formats before booking, since specific options are not listed here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when schedules demand it, and reduce travel time. It can also let someone choose a session without needing to be on camera if that helps them engage. Licensed professionals use these practical benefits to help therapy fit into everyday life rather than requiring large schedule changes.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
22+ years
Listed in
Tennessee
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship issues, grief, self-esteem, substance use, and related concerns listed in her profile.
What is her therapy style like?
The approach is practical and talk-based, focusing on present-day problems, coping skills, and small behavioral changes.
How much experience does she have?
Debra has 22 years of clinical experience as a licensed counselor in Tennessee.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She holds the LPC-MHSP credential and practices in Tennessee.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people from other countries work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are sessions scheduled and what about cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.