Deborah Sterling, LCSW

Deborah Sterling is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and parenting strain. She also supports those dealing with trauma and abuse, ADHD, questions about sexuality, relationship concerns, and self-esteem challenges.

She uses a straightforward, supportive approach rooted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Sessions focus on practical steps people can try between meetings. Deborah combines talk-based work with problem-solving tools to help clients notice patterns and try different responses.

Deborah earned a Master of Social Work from California State University, San Bernardino with an emphasis on child welfare. She spent over 20 years working with children and families connected to the foster care system. That background shaped her focus on adoption and foster care, family problems, and divorce and separation.

Her clinical work also includes teens and adults in therapy settings, and she brings experience with compassion fatigue, coping with life changes, and non-monogamous relationship concerns. Deborah aims to make sessions practical, calm, and centered on what matters most to each person.

Appointments are offered through video calls, phone, live chat, or text messaging. Deborah works in English and practices in California as an LCSW.

How Deborah’s Approaches Work Online

Deborah uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot unhelpful thoughts and try small behavior changes that can ease anxiety, depression, and stress. Client-Centered Therapy guides sessions around what each person needs, with the therapist listening and reflecting so goals feel personal and realistic. Solution-Focused Therapy looks for concrete steps and short-term strategies to address immediate problems like parenting challenges or relationship conflicts.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Deborah will talk with each person about goals and preferences, then try methods that fit those needs. She adapts techniques over time so the plan stays helpful and relevant to daily life.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video calls are useful for face-to-face conversation, phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits shorter check-ins, and text messaging lets someone check in between meetings. These options help people fit care into busy schedules and different routines.