About Stephen
Dr. Stephen Bentley helps people who are struggling with stress, anxiety, addiction, depression, grief, relationship concerns, ADHD, and other life changes. He brings 32 years of experience to sessions and emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion in his work.
He holds the LPCC credential and practices from Kentucky, offering in-person knowledge alongside online care options. He uses a person-centered stance that begins by building a working relationship. That means listening first and tailoring the pace and goals to each person's needs.
Background and approach
He avoids stigmatizing labels and focuses on what the client says matters most. His approach blends several methods to address thinking patterns, emotions, and attachment. Cognitive-behavioral techniques help people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
Attachment-based work looks at how early bonds and current relationships affect feelings and reactions. Mindfulness practices add skills for managing strong emotions and staying grounded. Dr.
Bentley's background includes hospital work, crisis intervention, group and individual therapy, and many years supervising and directing a practice. He has supported people facing trauma, abuse, chronic health issues, eating concerns, and caregiver fatigue, among other challenges. This variety shapes a practical, experienced way of working.
Sessions may focus on problem-solving, coping skills, processing difficult experiences, or improving connection with others. He encourages small, achievable steps and stays alongside clients as they try new ways of handling stress. If someone is ready to make a change, he aims to be a steady, respectful partner in that process.
Online approaches that meet people where they are
Dr. Bentley often combines cognitive-behavioral methods and attachment-based perspectives in online work. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps people identify unhelpful thought patterns and practice new behaviors to reduce anxiety, depression, or addictive urges. Attachment-based work focuses on how early and current relationships shape emotional responses, which can help with intimacy, grief, and relationship concerns.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. He starts by listening to what the person wants to change and then experiments with techniques together. Clients and therapist adjust goals and methods over time so the work fits the client's needs and preferences.
Online formats offer practical benefits for ongoing therapy. Video calls let people read facial expression and tone during deeper conversations. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging make it easier to share quick updates, coping steps, or brief reflections between sessions. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, caregiving, or travel while using the same clinical approaches as in-person care.
Questions people ask
What concerns does he help with?
What is his therapeutic style like?
What experience does he bring?
Where is he licensed and located?
Which languages are supported and can international clients work together?
What session formats are available?
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How do I begin therapy with him?
What this counselor 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