Debbie Allen, LCSW, received her Masters in Social Welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles and her BA in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has been an adjunct faculty at Antioch University since 2000 and teaches courses such as Theories of Family Therapy, Clinical Skills with Families and Couples, and Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy. She has also served as adjunct faculty at Santa Barbara Graduate Institute and Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She strives to create an experiential atmosphere in the classroom where students can integrate a solid theoretical foundation with cutting edge techniques that are emerging in the field.

Debbie is a senior staff member at Family Therapy Institute of Santa Barbara, providing direct clinical services and supervision and also maintains a small private practice in Ventura. Her theoretical orientation includes family systems and integrative approaches to therapy. She has worked with children, adolescents, and families in a broad range of treatment programs, including psychiatric hospitals, day treatment programs, residential programs, and both public and non-public schools. Debbie has held various positions with the State Chapter Board of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the local Board of NASW, and has served on the Santa Barbara Mental Health Commission. She was the recipient of the Social Worker of the Year Award in both Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Debbie holds a Diplomate in Clinical Social Work, certification in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and certification in Multisystemic Family Therapy (MST). She has received advanced clinical training from pioneers in the field such as Julie and John Gottman, David Schnarch, Esther Perel, Daniel Siegal, Ron Taffel, and Daniel Goleman.

Debbie enjoys seeing students develop a strong systemic and ecological framework for working with families, couples, and individuals while they experiment with new clinical skills in an atmosphere that encourages curiosity, self awareness, and healthy risk taking. She appreciates Antioch’s emphasis on helping students to refine their clinical skills and develop cultural competence by providing a program that prepares new professionals to work in agencies and programs that serve diverse communities.