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LMFT

Debra Wallace, LMFT

  • Experience21 years
  • LocationIllinois
  • Focus areasRelationship, Trauma and abuse, and Intimacy-related issues
  • Therapy approachesInternal Family Systems and Attachment-Based Therapy
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About Debra

Debra Wallace is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) who focuses on relationship challenges, trauma and abuse, intimacy concerns, parenting struggles, depression, addictions, and sleep difficulties.

Background and approach

With 21 years of clinical experience, she brings informed compassion to work with issues such as abandonment, attachment challenges, blended family dynamics, caregiver stress, codependency, communication problems, dissociation, and family-of-origin wounds. Her practice also addresses divorce and separation, domestic violence, adoption and foster care matters, and related sources of guilt and shame.

Wallace creates a welcoming space where clients can explore painful memories and current relationship patterns without judgment. She draws on an integration of approaches tailored to each person, including Internal Family Systems, Attachment-Based Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, EMDR, and elements of the Gottman Method to strengthen connection and process traumatic material.

Working collaboratively, she supports clients in building insight, healthier boundaries, and more dependable emotional regulation. Based in Illinois and offering services in English, she accepts international clients and adapts session formats to individual needs.

Prospective clients who are ready to begin are invited to reach out and take the first step toward clearer communication and renewed emotional wellbeing.

Integrating relational and trauma work in online therapy

Debra Wallace uses several evidence-based approaches to address relationship and trauma-related concerns in an online format. Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps clients identify and dialogue with inner parts that hold pain or protective roles, which can clarify patterns of intimacy and self-protection. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early bonds shape current relationships and supports building safer, more responsive connections with others. EMDR offers a structured method for processing traumatic memories through guided bilateral stimulation, which can reduce the emotional charge of distressing events and improve daily functioning.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences and will adapt methods over time so treatment fits the client rather than forcing a single model. This flexible, client-centered stance helps clients feel involved in planning their care.

Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase accessibility and convenience. These options allow people to receive consistent support from licensed professionals while fitting therapy into busy schedules and differing time zones, and they make it easier to continue work on emotional regulation, attachment patterns, and trauma processing from wherever the client is located.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She supports people facing relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related struggles, parenting challenges, depression, addictions, and sleep problems, along with related family and attachment issues.
What is her therapeutic approach and style?
Her style is collaborative and nonjudgmental, combining somatic and relational methods such as Attachment-Based Therapy, EFT, IFS, EMDR, and Gottman-informed techniques to tailor treatment to each client.
How long has she been practicing clinically?
She has 21 years of professional experience working with individuals and addressing complex relational and trauma-related concerns.
Where is she licensed and located?
She is licensed as an LMFT and practices in Illinois; her license details include IL LMFT 166000901 and WI LMFT 2331 - 124.
Does she work with clients who live outside the United States?
Yes, she accepts international clients and conducts sessions in English to accommodate people in different locations.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit varying needs and schedules.
How are costs and payments handled?
Costs vary based on location and therapist availability, and sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, filling out a brief matching questionnaire, and then scheduling according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Relationship issuesTrauma and abuseIntimacy-related issuesParenting issuesDepression

Also works with

AddictionsSleeping disorders

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAttachment issuesBlended family issuesCaregiver issues and stressCodependencyCommunication problemsDependent personalityDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)DissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsGuilt and shameMood disordersPanic disorder and panic attacksPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthSelf-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSexualityWomen's issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Attachment-Based TherapyEmotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Gottman MethodMindfulness TherapyNarrative TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

21+ years

Licensed

Illinois, Wisconsin

Languages

English