About Stephen
Dr. Stephen Gunsallus uses a client-focused approach to help people who are dealing with loss, trauma, or identity concerns. He is a licensed professional counselor in South Carolina with 20 years of experience.
He aims to meet people where they are and speak plainly about the problems that brought them here. He works with people facing LGBT issues, trauma and abuse, grief and bereavement, and attention and focus difficulties related to ADHD.
Background and approach
He also addresses shame, guilt, forgiveness, mood concerns, and post-traumatic stress in session. He can offer support around HIV/AIDS and hospice or end-of-life matters as well. Stephen earned a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Pastoral Community Counseling in 2017.
He also holds a Master of Arts in Counseling and a Master of Sacred Theology. In addition, he completed seven units of Clinical Pastoral Education, including four residency units. These academic and clinical experiences inform his practical work with clients.
In sessions he combines straightforward conversation with tools drawn from client-centered work, cognitive-behavioral ideas, emotion-focused methods, dialectical behavior strategies, and existential reflection. He adapts the pace and techniques to each person’s needs and preferences. The goal is to make progress on specific problems and reach clearer ways to cope.
Stephen encourages a collaborative process for planning treatment. He emphasizes respect and compassion and focuses on what is useful in day-to-day life. Taking the first step can be difficult, and he aims to make the next ones manageable and concrete.
Approach and online therapy options
Client-centered therapy emphasizes a respectful, nonjudgmental conversation where the therapist follows the person’s lead and helps them find their own solutions. This approach is helpful for people who want space to talk through identity, grief, or relationship questions without someone directing every step.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and helps people practice small changes to reduce distress. CBT can be useful for mood disorders, anxiety after trauma, and attention-related challenges by breaking problems into concrete steps.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) provides skills for managing intense emotions, improving distress tolerance, and handling difficult interpersonal moments. It is often used when strong emotions or repeated patterns cause problems in daily life.
Choosing a therapy style is part of the work together. The therapist will review goals, try techniques, and adjust the plan based on what helps most. That collaborative process makes it easier to find an approach that fits the person’s needs and preferences.
Online sessions are available by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to offer flexibility. Video calls allow full conversation and visual cues, phone sessions use less bandwidth, live chat is useful for shorter check-ins, and text messaging supports ongoing, brief contact between sessions. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into a busy life and to keep momentum between appointments.
Questions people ask
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What this counselor works with
Most often
Also listed
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- South Carolina
- Languages
- English