Guiding individuals through the complexity of high-conflict divorce with clarity, strategy, and grounded support.

Debra Alper, LCSW is a divorce consultant based in Chicago who specializes in high-conflict and high-asset divorce. Her work is grounded in a deep understanding of the relational dynamics that often complicate the divorce process, including coercive control, emotional abuse, power imbalances, and entrenched patterns of conflict.

Over the course of her career, Debra has worked extensively alongside attorneys and divorce professionals, developing a nuanced understanding of how legal strategy, financial considerations, and family dynamics intersect. She is highly skilled at helping clients navigate the complexity of building and coordinating an effective divorce team, ensuring that communication is clear, decisions are intentional, and the process remains as steady and contained as possible.

Debra’s approach is both strategic and emotionally attuned. She helps clients organize information, prepare for key conversations, and move through each phase of the divorce process with greater clarity and confidence. Her role is not therapy, but rather to serve as a grounded, informed presence who understands the psychological undercurrents at play and how they can impact decision-making, negotiations, and outcomes.

She is the developer of The ISLAND Method: A Framework for Relational Recovery™, a model that helps individuals recognize and understand the patterns that keep them stuck in unhealthy relationship dynamics. This framework informs her consulting work, allowing clients to move through divorce not only with a clear plan, but with a deeper understanding of what they have experienced and how to move forward.

Debra holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has completed advanced training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy and Imago Relationship Therapy, and brings a sophisticated, integrative lens to her work with individuals navigating complex relational transitions.

She works with clients remotely and collaborates with attorneys, mediators, and financial professionals as needed to support a cohesive and well-coordinated divorce process.