PuttingFamilyFirst

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DS Portrait of Deborah Sterling
Online therapist

Deborah Sterling

Support for parents navigating family life

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Credentials
LCSW
Experience
3 years
Licensed in
California
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Deborah

Deborah Sterling is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California who focuses on family and parenting concerns. She supports parents managing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and the many changes that come with caring for children. She also addresses issues like ADHD, relationship stress, trauma and abuse, and self-esteem.

Her tone in sessions is steady and practical, aimed at helping parents find workable steps they can try between meetings. Deborah draws on training in social work and long experience with children and families to shape her approach.

Background and approach

She uses straightforward talk therapy alongside techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, aiming to help people spot unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors. She also applies client-centered ideas, listening closely and tailoring each plan to the family’s priorities. Her background includes a master’s degree in social work with an emphasis on child welfare.

Deborah spent many years working with children and families involved in foster care, and she has experience with teens and adults in therapy. That history informs how she approaches adoption, foster care concerns, and family problems. In sessions she tends to keep goals concrete and focused.

She helps parents break big problems into small steps. She also works with people facing divorce or separation, polyamorous or non-monogamous relationship questions, and caregivers dealing with compassion fatigue. Deborah maintains a practical style that centers the parent’s priorities.

She aims to create simple, attainable plans and to support people as they practice new approaches at home.

How Deborah’s Approaches Work Online

Deborah combines client-centered work with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to support parents and families. Client-centered therapy means she prioritizes the family’s goals and listens first; sessions focus on what matters most to the parent. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people identify unhelpful thoughts and try different actions to reduce anxiety or mood symptoms.

She also uses solution-focused ideas to keep sessions action-oriented. That approach zeroes in on small, practical steps and short-term goals families can try between meetings. Together she and the parent decide which methods to use, based on the child’s needs, the family situation, and what feels doable. Finding the right mix is a collaborative process rather than a one-size-fits-all plan.

Online therapy lets parents meet from home using video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. This flexibility makes it easier to fit sessions around school, childcare, and work. It also allows parents to try strategies in real time at home and then discuss what worked in the next session, keeping therapy tied to everyday family life.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Solution-Focused Therapy

Rather than examining the problem at length, this looks at what is already working and builds on it. Sessions tend to be practical and forward-looking, with small achievable steps, which translates readily to shorter online conversations.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Deborah focus on?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, parenting challenges, grief, trauma and abuse, ADHD, self-esteem, relationship issues, and compassion fatigue. She also addresses adoption and foster care, divorce and separation, family problems, and non-monogamous relationship questions.
What is her general therapy style?
Her style is supportive and practical. She listens closely, helps set clear goals, and suggests simple steps families can try between sessions.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has three years of professional experience as a licensed clinician and many prior years working with children and families in the foster care system, including work with teens and adults in therapeutic settings.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - LCSW - licensed in California, credential number CA LCSW 60078, and is based in California.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Sessions may be conducted via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability. Sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

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Therapeutic approaches

Experience
3 years
Licensed
California
Languages
English

Next step

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