About Deborah
Deborah Sterling is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, parenting strain, and challenges tied to adoption or foster care. She also supports those navigating relationship concerns, self-esteem, ADHD, LGBT issues, compassion fatigue, and non-monogamous relationship dynamics. Deborah offers straightforward, compassionate care for everyday struggles.
She takes a practical, supportive approach in sessions. Conversations focus on what is happening now and on small steps that can make daily life easier.
Background and approach
Deborah draws on Cognitive Behavioral ideas to notice and shift unhelpful thoughts, and she centers the person’s own goals when planning next steps. Deborah holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from California State University, San Bernardino and is licensed in California as an LCSW. Her earlier career included more than 20 years working with children and families involved with foster care.
That experience shapes her work with adoption, foster care concerns, and family problems. Sessions tend to be calm and practical. Deborah uses traditional talk therapy alongside focused strategies to help people learn coping skills and solve pressing problems.
She aims to make therapy clear and doable for busy parents and adults. People meet Deborah for help after major life changes, during divorce or separation, when coping with loss, or when stress and anxiety become hard to carry. She focuses on immediate needs while building skills that last.
How Deborah’s Approaches Work Online
Deborah uses Client-Centered Therapy to make sessions about the person in front of her. That means she listens without judgment and follows the client’s pace to build trust and clarity. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, often called CBT, helps identify unhelpful thoughts and replace them with more useful thinking; it is helpful for anxiety, depression, and stress. Solution-Focused Therapy concentrates on small, practical steps and measurable goals to get unstuck and move forward.Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. Deborah helps clients decide what fits best based on current challenges, goals, and personal preferences. She adapts methods as progress is made and checks in regularly to refine the plan in collaboration with the client.
Online therapy offers flexibility that many people need. Video calls let people work through issues face to face without travel time. Phone sessions are useful when bandwidth is limited or for quick check-ins. Live chat and text-based messaging provide shorter, frequent touchpoints that can fit between errands or work breaks. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care and practice new skills between sessions.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Deborah support?
What is her therapy style like?
What background does she bring to sessions?
What credentials and location are on record?
Which languages are supported and can international clients join?
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How does payment and cost work?
How do I begin working with Deborah?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Self esteem
Also works with
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Family problems
- Grief
- LGBT
- Parenting issues
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Relationship issues
- Self-love
- Trauma and abuse
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 3 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English