Alisa Cates, LCPC
Illinois · 13 years in practice
Alisa Cates is an Illinois licensed clinical professional counselor who focuses on helping people feel heard and understood.
License and registration
- LCPC, Illinois
- 180.012524 · expires March 2027
- NPI
- 1801238365 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 13
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.
About Alisa
Alisa Cates is an Illinois licensed clinical professional counselor who focuses on helping people feel heard and understood. She draws on a client-centered approach to create a respectful, nonjudgmental space where people can talk about what’s weighing on them. Her style is straightforward and grounded in real-world problem solving.
She has worked in community mental health, inpatient hospitalization, intensive outpatient programs, corrections, and independent practice. Over 13 years she has supported people dealing with depression, anxiety, mood disorders, grief, and major life transitions.
Background and approach
She also helps with stress, anger, self-esteem, and challenges related to parenting and relationships. Alisa uses tools from Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy to tailor sessions to each person. Sessions often include identifying patterns, trying small behavior changes, and reflecting on emotions to improve coping.
The aim is practical progress that fits daily life. Clients may work on managing career stress, navigating grief, addressing addictions, or improving communication and boundaries. She also supports people facing postpartum mood concerns, seasonal mood shifts, and challenges tied to aging and life purpose.
Sessions are adapted to what matters most to the individual. Alisa offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to suit different schedules. She works in English and practices under her Illinois LCPC credential.
To start, a short matching questionnaire helps pair each person with the right schedule and format.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Alisa lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Emptiness
- Forgiveness
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Approaches Alisa names
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Systemic Therapy
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How therapy approaches translate to online care
Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people notice and name strong feelings and understand how those emotions shape connections and behavior. It can be useful when patterns of shutting down or intense reactions get in the way of feeling close to others. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on offering respectful listening and support, creating space for people to set their own pace and goals during sessions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and uses practical exercises to change unhelpful patterns in daily life.Finding the right combination of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to pick methods that match their needs, goals, and comfort level. This can mean trying short experiments between sessions, adjusting the balance of emotional focus and skills work, and checking in about what helps most.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy fit into busy lives. Video calls let people use visual cues and face-to-face conversation, while phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited. Live chat or messaging supports brief check-ins or ongoing reflection between appointments. These options make it simpler to schedule, follow up on homework, and keep consistent progress.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. It does not change what you pay or the order of the listings.
Questions people ask
What kinds of concerns are addressed here?
Support is offered for stress, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, grief, relationship and family issues, parenting challenges, self-esteem, anger, addictions, and coping with life changes.
What is the therapy style like?
The approach is person-centered and practical, blending Emotionally-Focused Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral techniques with motivational and narrative elements to fit each person.
How much experience does the therapist have?
The clinician has 13 years of experience working across community mental health, inpatient care, intensive outpatient programs, corrections, and independent practice.
Where is the therapist licensed and based?
She is licensed as an LCPC in Illinois and practices under that credential in the state.
Are sessions offered in other languages or internationally?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to match different schedules and needs.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin the process?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
More therapists in Illinois
See allMargaret Couch
LCSW
Compassionate therapist focused on practical change
- Stress, Anxiety
- Parenting
- Bipolar
Marianne Costales-Roman
LCSW
Trusted LCSW for emotional and relationship challenges
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Parenting
Is this your profile?
Ask us to correct details or take the page down.
Contact us