PuttingFamilyFirst

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DF Portrait of Debra Fitzgerald
Online therapist

Debra Fitzgerald

Compassionate, practical support for life’s challenges

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Credentials
LPC-MHSP
Experience
22 years
Licensed in
Tennessee
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Debra

Debra Fitzgerald is a licensed professional counselor with more than 22 years of experience working in Tennessee. She focuses on practical help for daily struggles like stress, anxiety, depression, and problems with substance use. She speaks plainly and aims to make therapy feel approachable for someone who is worried or overwhelmed.

Her work often addresses relationship and intimacy concerns, family issues, eating and body image problems, and grief or loss.

Background and approach

She also helps with midlife transitions, caregiver stress, and aging or geriatric concerns. Sessions are offered in English and adapt to each person’s situation. Debra uses methods that help people notice patterns and try small, useful changes in thinking and behavior.

She also builds sessions around the person’s goals and what matters most to them. Many people find this combines practical skills with steady emotional support. Therapy can include talk work on communication, coping skills for panic or mood shifts, and strategies for managing process or substance addictions.

She provides tools for handling career stress, loneliness, and difficult family dynamics. Her practice welcomes a wide range of backgrounds and life circumstances. Debra aims to meet people where they are and help them move toward clearer choices and better day-to-day functioning.

Therapeutic Approaches and How They Work Online

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and meeting the person where they are. The therapist follows the client’s lead, reflects concerns, and helps clarify what matters most in life. It is useful for building trust and figuring out personal goals.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going. It uses simple exercises and skill practice to reduce anxiety, panic, low mood, and unhelpful patterns. This approach is often used for stress, mood disorders, and coping with change.

The Gottman Method offers tools for improving communication and managing relationship conflicts. It teaches specific ways to talk and listen that reduce hurt and increase understanding between partners.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, needs, and preferences and will adjust methods over time. That helps make sure the work fits each person’s life and leads to useful, manageable changes.

Online sessions can be done by video, phone, live chat, or text messaging. These formats make it easier to schedule appointments and continue work from home or another convenient place. The flexibility helps people keep steady progress when life is busy or travel is difficult.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Gottman Method

A research-based framework for couples, focused on how partners argue, repair, and stay connected. Practical and structured, with exercises to try between sessions.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, addictions, grief, self-esteem, family problems, eating and body image concerns, career stress, and related life changes.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is straightforward and supportive. She combines client-centered listening with practical strategies from cognitive behavioral therapy and relationship work when helpful.
What is her background and experience?
She has 22 years of professional experience in clinical work and has focused on grief, caregiver stress, midlife transitions, mood disorders, and addiction-related concerns.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds the credential LPC-MHSP and is listed as TN LPC-MHSP 2502 practicing in Tennessee.
Which languages and international options are available?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats does she offer?
Sessions can take place via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and preferences.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are needed to begin working together?
To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience
22 years
Licensed
Tennessee
Languages
English

Next step

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