- Thoughts and habits
- Person-centered care
- 32 years experience
About Stephen
Dr. Stephen Bentley is a licensed professional clinical counselor with 32 years of practice. He focuses on helping people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, addiction, grief, or shifts in mood. He aims to build a working relationship based on respect and sensitivity so clients feel understood and ready to make change.
He uses a person-centered approach that starts with what the client needs. Sessions often involve talking through thoughts and everyday habits to find practical ways to cope and move forward. He draws on cognitive behavior ideas to spot unhelpful thinking, and mindfulness to bring attention to the present moment.
His work history includes hospital-based group and individual therapy, crisis intervention, and long-term practice leadership and supervision. He has experience addressing trauma, abuse, autism spectrum concerns, ADHD, eating and intimacy-related issues, and caregiver stress among many other concerns.
Clients can expect a direct but compassionate style. He prefers to avoid labeling and focuses on strengths and real-life changes. Over his career he has combined attachment-based, psychodynamic, and rational-emotive elements to match the needs of each person.
If someone is ready to try therapy, he supports practical steps toward a more fulfilling life. He emphasizes collaboration and sees the therapeutic relationship as the place where change begins.
He uses a person-centered approach that starts with what the client needs. Sessions often involve talking through thoughts and everyday habits to find practical ways to cope and move forward. He draws on cognitive behavior ideas to spot unhelpful thinking, and mindfulness to bring attention to the present moment.
His work history includes hospital-based group and individual therapy, crisis intervention, and long-term practice leadership and supervision. He has experience addressing trauma, abuse, autism spectrum concerns, ADHD, eating and intimacy-related issues, and caregiver stress among many other concerns.
Clients can expect a direct but compassionate style. He prefers to avoid labeling and focuses on strengths and real-life changes. Over his career he has combined attachment-based, psychodynamic, and rational-emotive elements to match the needs of each person.
If someone is ready to try therapy, he supports practical steps toward a more fulfilling life. He emphasizes collaboration and sees the therapeutic relationship as the place where change begins.
Areas of expertise
Also works with
LGBTRelationship issuesFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCompassion fatigue
Additional focus areas
AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeAvoidant personalityBlended family issuesCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCo-morbidityCodependencyControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)Divorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameHoardingHospice and end-of-life counselingImpulsivityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPersonality disordersPhobiasPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSocial anxiety and phobiaTraumatic brain injuryTrichotillomaniaWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Mindfulness TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems
Experience
32+ years
Credentials
Kentucky
Languages
English
How therapeutic approaches translate to online work
Dr. Bentley integrates client-centered work with cognitive behavioral ideas to help people notice and change thought patterns and daily habits. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening closely and shaping sessions around a person’s needs, which can help when someone wants practical coping steps. Cognitive behavioral techniques look at thoughts and behaviors and offer concrete tools for anxiety, depression, and stress.Finding the right approach is part of the process. He works together with each person to choose which methods fit their goals and daily life. That means adjusting techniques as therapy progresses and checking in about what feels helpful and what does not.
Tele-health has been useful in his practice for keeping therapy manageable alongside work and family demands. Before booking, confirm the current session options so you know what formats are available. Online work can make it easier to fit regular appointments into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time so clients can focus on changing thoughts and habits rather than logistics.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does he address?
He works with a wide range of issues including stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, depression, ADHD, grief, and relationship or intimacy-related concerns.
What is his therapeutic approach like?
He practices a person-centered style that uses cognitive behavioral, mindfulness, attachment-based, and psychodynamic ideas to address thoughts and everyday habits.
How much experience does he have?
He has 32 years of experience, including hospital work, crisis intervention, group and individual therapy, and more than a decade of practice leadership and supervision.
What credentials and location are listed?
He holds the credential LPCC and is licensed as KY LPCC in Kentucky.
Can I work with him if I live outside the United States?
Sessions are offered in English and he accepts international clients.
What session formats are offered?
The biography mentions use of tele-health as an effective tool, but readers should confirm current session options before booking.
How is cost handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with him?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability.