My name is Debra Lyles, I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a B.S. in Finance. Before becoming a therapist, I spent 20+ years in high-responsibility leadership and operations roles, often helping teams stay grounded and aligned during complex change. Now I bring that same steady, practical calm to therapy—especially for women and couples navigating the emotional and relational weight of money, caregiving, power, and major life transitions.
My style is warm, inquisitive, and direct—the kind of support that helps you exhale and make progress. A big part of my work is financial therapy, which is psychotherapy focused on the emotions, beliefs, and relationship patterns around money (not budgeting, investment advice, or financial planning). We’ll pay attention to what money represents—safety, freedom, fairness, worth, control—and how it shows up in your body, your choices, and your relationships. Together we’ll work on anxiety and overwhelm, boundary-setting, decision fatigue, and the resentment that can build when you’re carrying the mental load.
The first session is about creating safety and getting clear. You’ll tell me what’s been feeling heavy—whether it’s spiraling thoughts at night, conflict about spending/saving, unequal household labor, caregiving strain, or feeling like you have to manage everything to keep things from falling apart. I’ll ask thoughtful questions, help you name the pattern underneath the stress, and we’ll leave with one or two concrete next steps you can try right away. Most clients tell me they feel relieved and more grounded after that first conversation—like they’re finally not alone in it, and there’s a path forward that doesn’t require burning their life down.
