Alisa Cates , LCPC

Alisa Cates, LCPC, is a licensed clinical professional counselor in Illinois who has worked in mental health since 2013. She brings experience from a range of settings including community mental health agencies, inpatient hospitalization, intensive outpatient programming, corrections, and private practice, supporting people through depression, anxiety, mood disorders, grief, life transitions, relationship and family challenges, low self-esteem, anger, stress, interpersonal conflict, and career planning.

She believes that being heard and understood, while honoring each person’s differences, is essential to change. Building a strong rapport is central to her work because trust and connection create the conditions for growth. Alisa practices from a person-centered perspective and adapts treatment by integrating techniques that fit each individual's needs, drawing on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

As an LCPC - a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor - she leverages thirteen years of clinical experience to help people identify goals, develop coping skills, and navigate life’s transitions. Alisa aims to create a collaborative atmosphere where questions can be explored and practical steps toward change are developed.

Approaches That Guide Online Support and Growth

Alisa Cates uses therapeutic methods that translate well to online work and focus on the client's experience and practical change. Client-Centered Therapy centers the person's perspective, offering empathic listening and respect so clients can explore their values, identity, and goals; this approach often helps with self-esteem, life transitions, and relationship concerns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, helps people identify and shift unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns through practical strategies and skill-building, which is useful for anxiety, depression, and stress management. Emotionally-Focused Therapy focuses on understanding and reshaping emotional responses within relationships, making it helpful for couples and family issues that involve attachment and communication.

Finding the best approach is part of the therapeutic process. Alisa collaborates with each person to evaluate needs, goals, and preferences and to select or adapt methods that feel most effective. This collaborative stance helps tailor sessions so that techniques fit the individual rather than following a one-size-fits-all plan.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can be held by video call or phone, and some work can continue through live chat or text-based messaging. For many people this format reduces travel time, allows scheduling around work and family commitments, and makes it easier to maintain continuity of care with licensed professionals and therapists even when life becomes busy.