Deborah Gleason, LICSW, LCSW
Compassionate therapist blending narrative and body awareness
Details
| Name | Deborah Gleason |
|---|---|
| Credentials | LICSW, LCSW |
| Based in | Alabama |
| Licensed in | Alabama, Illinois |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 9 |
About Deborah
Deborah Gleason is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with nine years of practice. She focuses on helping people who feel overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, grief, identity questions, and relationship struggles. Her style is warm, calm, and nonjudgmental, so people can speak honestly and begin to make small, realistic changes.
Deborah pays attention to both thoughts and bodily experience. She invites clients to notice sensations, breath, and movement alongside talking.
Background and approach
This can help when words alone do not capture what someone is carrying from past trauma or ongoing stress. In session she uses narrative ideas to help people reframe their life stories and look for alternative meanings. She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and client-centered methods to focus on values and practical choices.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques are available when people want specific tools to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Her work often includes grounding, mindfulness, and exercises to calm the nervous system. Sessions may also involve exploring patterns that keep someone stuck and practicing new responses in everyday situations.
Deborah supports clients as they experiment with different ways of coping and notice what helps. She has experience with a broad range of concerns including trauma and abuse, LGBTQ issues, addiction, parenting strain, grief, and attention differences. Deborah welcomes people who want a collaborative approach that balances feeling and doing.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, LGBT, Relationship issues among the things Deborah works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Listed by Deborah among the ways she works.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Deborah among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Deborah among the ways she works.
- Jungian Therapy: Listed by Deborah among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Deborah among the ways she works.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Deborah among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Deborah among the ways she works.
- Somatic Therapy: Listed by Deborah among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Deborah among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Deborah directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Deborah directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
How Deborah blends narrative and practical approaches online
Deborah uses Narrative Therapy to help people tell their stories differently, separating problems from identity and finding new meanings in life events. This approach suits people who feel stuck in a single storyline and want clearer choices about who they are and who they can become.She also works with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which focuses on noticing thoughts and feelings while taking action that matches personal values. ACT can be useful for anxiety, depression, and life changes when people want practical steps tied to what matters most.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Deborah will collaborate with each person to see which methods fit their needs, goals, and comfort level. She often combines narrative ideas with ACT and client-centered conversation so therapy feels both reflective and actionable.
If you are considering online sessions, confirm the available formats before booking since the profile does not list them. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and let people choose whether to use video or not based on their bandwidth and comfort. Licensed professionals can adapt grounding exercises, narrative work, and behavioral tools to remote settings while working together to shape a plan that fits daily routines.
Common questions about this listing
What kinds of problems does Deborah help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, and many related concerns listed in her specialties.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her approach is warm, collaborative, and nonjudgmental. Sessions balance talking with attention to bodily experience, mindfulness, and practical tools.
What experience does she bring to therapy?
She has nine years of clinical experience supporting people through anxiety, trauma, identity questions, life transitions, and related challenges.
What credentials and location are on record?
She holds LICSW and LCSW credentials with licensure in Alabama and Illinois, and her profile lists Alabama as a practice location.
Which languages and international sessions are supported?
Sessions are offered in English, and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify session formats; please confirm the current session options before booking.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist arrangements; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin if I want to work together?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Deborah are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Deborah where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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