About Stephen
Dr. Stephen Bentley is a licensed professional clinical counselor with more than three decades of experience. He focuses on helping adults manage stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, ADHD, grief, and related life changes.
He aims to build a respectful, nonjudgmental working relationship so clients can take steps toward practical change. Stephen keeps sessions simple and direct. He listens first, then helps people set clear goals.
He uses everyday language and avoids stigmatizing labels when talking about struggles.
Background and approach
Many clients appreciate his calm, steady manner and focus on practical steps. His background includes long-term clinical work in hospital settings, crisis intervention, group and individual therapy, and leadership roles such as director and supervisor. He has been with his current organization for about 20 years and has more than 32 years in the field overall.
Therapy draws on several approaches to match what a person needs. He blends client-centered listening with cognitive-behavioral tools and attachment-focused ideas. Mindfulness and emotionally-focused techniques are also woven in when they fit the client’s goals.
Stephen is based in Kentucky and holds the LPCC credential. He offers sessions through phone, video, live chat, and text messaging to make therapy easier to fit into busy lives. He works collaboratively, helping each person choose steps that feel doable and relevant.
How therapy approaches translate to online care
Attachment-based therapy looks at how early patterns of relating affect current relationships and emotional responses, helping people notice those patterns and try different ways of connecting. It can be useful for intimacy issues, abandonment concerns, and attachment-related stress. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and practicing concrete alternatives to reduce anxiety, manage ADHD-related challenges, and improve mood. Client-centered therapy centers the person’s experience, using listening and acceptance to build a trusting working relationship that supports self-directed change.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and past experiences to decide which methods to try first, and adjustments are made as progress is reviewed. The idea is to find what feels most helpful for each person rather than imposing a single method.
Online formats offer practical benefits for busy lives. Video calls let people work in real time while keeping visual cues that help emotional connection. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit into a short break. Live chat or text-based messaging lets clients check in between sessions, share brief updates, or choose written reflection if that feels easier. These options make it simpler to keep continuity of care and try different ways of communicating as needed.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Trichotillomania
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 32 years
- Licensed
- Kentucky
- Languages
- English
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