Deborah Brewer, LCSW – Clinic Director

Deborah Brewer is the Clinic Director of Palo Alto Therapy and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over a decade of experience working with children, teens, and families.

She holds a Master’s Degree from Columbia University earned summa cum laude and has pursued extensive advanced training throughout her career, including certifications from Yale University, the International OCD Foundation, and the Beck Institute.

Deborah specializes in anxiety, OCD, ADHD, depression, school refusal, selective mutism, misophonia, and failure to launch in children and adolescents. She is one of a small number of certified SPACE therapists in California, having completed her certification through the Yale University Child Study Center. SPACE, which stands for Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions, is a clinically proven approach that works directly with parents to reduce anxiety in children and teens without requiring the child to attend therapy sessions directly.

Her specialized training in OCD in children and youth, ARFID, selective mutism, and play therapy makes her particularly well suited to complex cases where families have not found success elsewhere. Deborah is an ADHD Certified Clinical Services Provider and brings a structured, practical approach to helping children and teens with attention and executive functioning challenges that affect school performance and family life.

Deborah’s approach is grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and she has pursued advanced CBT training at the Beck Institute, David Burns’ TEAM CBT program, and trauma-focused CBT. She recently completed advanced training through the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), further deepening her expertise in OCD treatment for children and adolescents. She is licensed in both California and New York and sees clients in person at the Palo Alto and Menlo Park offices as well as via video therapy.

As Clinic Director, Deborah leads the clinical team at Palo Alto Therapy and contributes regularly to the practice’s learning center and blog, writing evidence-based articles on anxiety, OCD, ADHD, depression, and parenting to help families across the Bay Area and beyond.

Deborah grew up in Sydney, Australia and spent her early years at Bondi Beach before moving to the United States. On weekends she enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband.