Debra Alper is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice in Chicago specializing in relational therapy and recovery from emotionally abusive relationships. She is the developer of The ISLAND Method: A Framework for Relational Recovery, a therapeutic framework she developed through decades of clinical work and utilizes in her practice to help clients recognize and recover from emotionally abusive and toxic relationship dynamics.

Since 1999, a significant focus of her work involves helping clients understand the psychological and relational dynamics that keep them stuck in toxic patterns and supporting them in rebuilding their sense of self and moving toward healthier relationships.

Debra has worked extensively with individuals seeking deeper, more meaningful relationships, couples facing crises related to infidelity, loneliness, and disconnection, and clients navigating the emotional and life-changing challenges of divorce and post-divorce recovery.

Debra received her undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and her Master’s in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago. She has received specialized training in Gottman Marital Therapy and Harville Hendrix’s Imago Relationship Therapy and participated in a year-long weekly seminar on Psychodynamic Theory through the University of Chicago. She is a frequent podcast guest, an educator teaching others about her methods of helping clients stuck in emotionally abusive relationships,  a writer, and has appeared on TV as a relational expert, sharing her knowledge about healthy vs unhealthy relationships. 

Outside of her practice, Debra enjoys walking the Chicago lakefront with her beloved dog, Gracie-Belle, spending time with her daughter and son-in-law, working out at the gym, exploring farmers markets around the city, and traveling whenever possible.