Debbie Allen, LCSW, received her Masters in Social Welfare from UCLA and her BA in Psychology from UCSB. As a clinical supervisor and senior clinician at Family Therapy Institute of Santa Barbara since 2000, Debbie  works with a talented cohort of family systems therapists in an agency that has served the Santa Barbara Community for more than 40 years. Her theoretical orientation includes family systems and integrative approaches to therapy. Since 1985 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.  As adjunct faculty at Antioch University since 2000, she 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 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 is a stepparent, an aunt, a grandmother and a great aunt. She loves being in the ocean on boogie boards with her family, skiing when local conditions cooperate, and listening to live music. She has family members in recovery and is committed to social justice making communities a more welcoming place for neurodiverse people.