Debra  Alper
Vetted

Debra Alper

Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW Specialties Insurance & Fees Locations
Illinois Accepting Online
North Side Not Accepting In-person
Updated August 16, 2023

Specialties & Expertise

  • Relationships
  • Couples counseling
  • Self-esteem
  • Anxiety
  • Life transitions
  • Repetitive patterns
  • Divorce
  • Emotional abuse recovery

Professional statement

Debra Alper is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the Ravenswood neighborhood in Chicago, IL who specializes in working with couples and individuals who are navigating relationship challenges, including those who are going through a divorce or separation. She also has extensive experience working with individuals who are dealing with self-esteem issues or have a history of emotional abuse, including attaching themselves to narcissists.

Debra takes a psychodynamic approach to help her clients gain a better understanding of themselves and past experiences. She also frequently utilizes mindfulness practices to bring awareness to the mind and body and quiet their inner critic. Debra utilizes attachment theory in helping clients to understand their repetitive behaviors in relationships in order to help them break unconscious patterns and replace them with healthier relational patterns. Debra is trained in The Gottman Method and primarily utilizes this treatment approach when working with couples.

Debra loves seeing her clients make remarkable transformations and considers it an honor to support them in making these changes. She has been in private practice for over 20 years and looks forward to meeting you. Her office is conveniently located a few blocks from the Montrose stop.


Message to clients

Relationships are the food for our soul. Sometimes, our relationships nurture us, bring us joy and provide us with a foundation to grow. Sometimes we find ourselves in relationships that are consistently not fulfilling or even worse, hurtful. This can be an individual occurrence, or part of a larger repetitive pattern. Either way, when our relationships are out of sync, we need to look at what changes need to be made, both in ourselves, in our choices of the people we fill our lives with and in our way of communicating with others.


Specialties

Relationships - Understanding one’s wants and needs in relationships; exploring patterns of interaction, addressing concerns, and strengthening satisfaction in relationships and dating

Couples counseling - Addressing relationship challenges and life transitions; strengthening communication and feelings of security, desire, connection, and love, and recovering from infidelity

Self-esteem - Cultivating self-compassion, assertiveness, and confidence; developing ways to reduce suffering, anxiety, social withdrawal, and self-neglect

Anxiety - Coping with excessive worry, nervousness, or stress; intense discomfort in social settings (social anxiety); sudden and intense feelings of panic (panic disorder)

Life transitions - Coping with difficult or impactful life changes, such as moving to a new area, relationship transitions, child rearing, or career changes; learning self-care to better manage resulting stress

Repetitive patterns - People tend to gravitate toward what is familiar—even when it’s hurtful to us. We carry unconscious models of past relationships with us in our present relationships and often find ourselves involved in familiar unsatisfactory situations. Helping to identify and understand these patterns is key to changing them and creating healthier attachments

Divorce - Questioning or feeling unsatisfied in your relationship; contemplation and navigation of separation; addressing issues of power, voice, and communication challenges; dealing with anger, loneliness and navigating family and social relationships during and after divorce; working around creating a new normal in the aftermath of divorce

Emotional abuse recovery - Supportive guidance on the healing path from emotional abuse; learning to identify emotionally abusive behaviors including gaslighting, invalidation, blame, and control; strengthening healthy relational patterns and fostering self-esteem




Clientele

  • Adults (24+)
  • Couples
  • Parents

Insurance

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois PPO

Out-of-pocket fees

  • Individual sessions: $195 (50min)
  • Initial session: $195 (50min)
  • Couples sessions: $195 (50min)

Additional session information

Out-of-network billing options

This provider can support you in getting reimbursement from your insurance company if you are seeking out-of-network reimbursement. Here are the out-of-network billing options they provide:

  • Super billing
  • Direct billing
Payment options
  • Cash
  • Zelle
Session frequency

Frequency of sessions this provider offers to see clients once you are an established client.

  • Weekly

Location(s)

North Side practice
4256 North Ravenswood Avenue, Suite 312, Chicago, Illinois 60613
Not accepting new clients in-person
Currently Available Times
  • Morning (Before 10am)
  • Daytime (10am - 1pm)
  • Afternoon (1pm - 5pm)
  • Evening (After 5pm)
  • Weekends
Regular Hours
  • Mon 4:00pm-8:00pm
  • Tue 12:00pm-8:00pm
  • Wed 11:00am-5:00pm
  • Thu 12:00pm-8:00pm
  • Fri Closed
  • Sat 10-3
  • Sun Closed

Online Sessions (Illinois)
Accepting new clients online
Currently Available Times
  • Morning (Before 10am)
  • Daytime (10am - 1pm)
  • Afternoon (1pm - 5pm)
  • Evening (After 5pm)
  • Weekends
Regular Hours
  • Mon 12pm--5:00pm
  • Tue 11:00pm-7:00pm
  • Wed 11:00am-6:00
  • Thu 12:00pm-8:00pm
  • Fri Please inquire about hours
  • Sat 10:00am-3:00pm
  • Sun Closed

Work and Education

Private Practice, 2000 - Present
Josselyn Center For Mental Health, Northfield, Illinois, 1998 - 2000

Loyola University, MSW, 1999
University of Massachusetts Amherst, BS, 1982


Licensure

Illinois: 149.010383


Languages

English


Therapy Groups

Debra  Alper
The Mother Daughter Project

This monthly group provides a supportive community for mothers and their daughters to deal with the different developmental and relational issues that occur during the pre-adolescent and adolescent years.