She was born to father Alojz Rebula and mother Zora Tavčar, both notable Slovene writers.
Rebula initially worked as psychologist and is now teaching at the "Anton Martin Slomšek" College in Trieste.
Her 1999 book on developmental psychology places particular emphasis on early infant experiences; The Depths we are Born from (in Slovene: Globine, ki so nas rodile) is the first work written by a Slovenian author, that rejects the alienation of analytic terminology in favor of treating the subject with an increased sensibility towards the infant's needs.
In 2010 Alenka Rebula took part in a TV documentary on her life and work, together with another notable woman author (Alenka Puhar) and her book "The Primal Text of Life" (in Slovene: "Prvotno besedilo življenja".
The documentary was aired on National Television and Radio Station RTV Slovenija.