About Alisa
Alisa Cates, LCPC, offers a straightforward, person-centered style of therapy. She listens without judgment and helps people find practical steps forward. Her approach aims to make conversations feel understandable and useful for everyday problems.
Alisa has been a licensed clinical professional counselor in Illinois since 2013. Over 13 years she has worked in community mental health, inpatient hospitalization, intensive outpatient programs, corrections, and independent practice. That range gave her experience with depression, anxiety, mood disorders, grief, life transitions, and stress-related concerns.
Background and approach
She often helps people handle relationship and family conflict, manage anger, and build self-esteem. Career questions, addiction concerns, and coping with big life changes are also areas she addresses. ADHD is listed among the issues she works with and is addressed through collaborative planning and skills practice.
In sessions she blends a client-centered stance with clear, goal-oriented techniques. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used to identify unhelpful thoughts and try new behavior patterns. Motivational Interviewing supports people who want to make changes but feel stuck.
Her style emphasizes a strong working relationship as the starting point for change. She aims to help people set realistic goals, practice new skills between meetings, and track progress over time. The tone in sessions is direct, respectful, and focused on what the person wants to accomplish.
How therapeutic approaches are used online
Alisa often combines a person-centered stance with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing when working online. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on hearing the person and building a trusting relationship; it helps when someone needs to feel understood before making changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at patterns of thinking and behavior and offers practical exercises to try between sessions for issues like anxiety, depression, and mood shifts. Motivational Interviewing helps people explore their own reasons for change and strengthen commitment when they feel stuck.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked before to choose techniques that fit. That means plans can be adjusted over time based on how the work is going and what the person prefers.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video is useful for deeper conversations and visual cues. Phone sessions can be a simpler option when bandwidth is limited or for a shorter check-in. Live chat or text-based messaging can help maintain momentum between meetings and fit into busy schedules. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care while balancing other responsibilities.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 13 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English
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