Deborah "Debbie" Kirby, LCSW
Straightforward support for life and parenting challenges
Book with Deborah- Years in practice
- 24
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- Oregon
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Grief
- Focus
- Career difficulties
About Deborah
Deborah "Debbie" Kirby is a licensed clinical social worker with 24 years of practice. She works from Oregon and brings long experience helping people navigate stress, anxiety, grief, career shifts, and parenting concerns. Debbie aims to make sessions feel open and nonjudgmental.
She creates space for people to say what they are thinking and feeling. She also offers executive and professional coaching when career decisions are central to a person's concerns.
Background and approach
Her approach mixes practical strategies and listening. She uses methods drawn from cognitive behavioral work, acceptance and commitment ideas, and attachment-focused listening to help people find clearer next steps. Sessions emphasize skills you can try between appointments and reflection about what matters to you.
Debbie also supports people facing trauma, eating struggles, fertility and adoption-related worries, and compassion fatigue. She works with clients on communication problems, codependency, and managing big life changes or losses. Her background includes helping those dealing with first responder stress and end-of-life issues.
People who choose her often want straightforward guidance plus time to make sense of feelings. She invites clients to move at their own pace and to set practical goals. Getting started is described as a collaborative process where the client's needs guide the work.
What Deborah works with
Everything Deborah lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Deborah helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Grief
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- LGBT
- Trauma and abuse
- Eating disorders
- Parenting issues
- Compassion fatigue
- Adoption and foster care
- Blended family issues
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Life purpose
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Deborah lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Systemic Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Therapeutic approaches and how they work online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on helping people notice their thoughts and choose actions that match their values. It is useful for stress, anxiety, and making life changes by emphasizing small, value-driven steps. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches practical tools to shift unhelpful patterns; it often helps with anxiety, grief, and coping skills. Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to how early relationships shape current ways of connecting and communicates strategies to build more stable patterns in relationships and parenting.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to identify which methods fit their goals and preferences. That might mean trying ACT techniques one week and practicing CBT-style skills the next, or blending attachment-focused conversations with coaching around career decisions.
Online formats here include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation when visual feedback matters. Phone sessions require less bandwidth and can fit a break at work. Live chat and text messaging make shorter check-ins and ongoing support easier between sessions. These options give flexibility to match therapy to a person's schedule and comfort while working toward their goals.
Questions people ask about Deborah
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She supports people facing stress, anxiety, grief, trauma and abuse, eating issues, career transitions, and parenting concerns among other topics.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is open and nonjudgmental with a mix of listening and practical skills. Sessions focus on what feels most useful for each person.
How much experience does she have?
She has 24 years of clinical experience working with a wide range of concerns and also offers executive and professional coaching.
Where is she licensed and based?
She holds an LCSW license in Oregon and practices with that credential in mind.
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different preferences.
How is cost handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability, and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule based on therapist availability.
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