Deborah Sterling, LCSW

Deborah Sterling is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in California. She earned a Master of Social Work from California State University, San Bernardino with an emphasis on child welfare, and her training supports a deep understanding of child and family systems.

She worked for over 20 years with children and families involved in the foster care system and also offers therapeutic support to teens and adults. Her background in child welfare informs a practical, compassionate approach to family concerns, adoption and foster care issues, parenting challenges, and transitions such as divorce or separation.

Deborah practices supportive therapy influenced by Cognitive Behavioral Theory, blending talk-based work with goal-oriented techniques to help clients address patterns of thought and behavior. Her areas of focus include depression, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, ADHD, relationship and family problems, self esteem and self-love, LGBT issues, polyamory and non-monogamous relationships, and coping with life changes. She also attends to compassion fatigue among caregivers and professionals.

As an LCSW Deborah combines clinical knowledge with practical experience to help clients explore concerns, build coping strategies, and work toward clearer goals in therapy.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care with Deborah Sterling

Deborah integrates Client-Centered Therapy, which emphasizes empathy and a collaborative relationship so clients feel heard and supported while exploring their own solutions. This approach is helpful for building self-esteem, navigating life transitions, and strengthening personal insight.

She also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a practical method that identifies unhelpful thinking patterns and teaches skills to change behaviors. CBT can be effective for managing anxiety, depression, stress, and day-to-day coping strategies.

Solution-Focused Therapy is used to identify immediate goals and small, achievable steps toward change, making it a useful option for clients seeking concrete progress on specific issues such as relationship concerns or parenting challenges.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Deborah collaborates with each client to select or combine methods based on individual needs, goals, and preferences so the process feels tailored rather than one-size-fits-all.

Online therapy offers flexibility - sessions can occur by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging - allowing clients to fit care into busy schedules and access therapists from their own communities. These options can make it easier to maintain continuity of care and to try different formats until the best fit is found.