Dr. Stephen Bentley

Dr. Stephen Bentley is a licensed professional clinical counselor with over 32 years of experience. He helps people who are feeling stressed, anxious, depressed, overwhelmed by grief, or struggling with addiction. He also supports those dealing with relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting stress, ADHD, and a wide range of life transitions.

He takes a person-centered approach, starting by building a straightforward working relationship. That relationship guides the work and helps people decide what to try next. He emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion, and avoids stigmatizing labels.

In practice he combines elements of cognitive behavioral approaches, attachment-based ideas, emotionally focused methods, mindfulness, and psychodynamic thinking. Sessions can include practical skills, talking through difficult memories, and noticing patterns that affect daily life. He has provided both individual and group work in hospital settings and has done crisis intervention.

Dr. Bentley has served in supervisory and director roles for over a decade and has been with the same organization for about 20 years. He has experience with a broad set of concerns including trauma, abuse, eating issues, bipolar disorder, chronic illness, and caregiver stress. He also lists additional focuses such as adoption and foster care, attachment issues, and neurodiversity.

People who choose him can expect a collaborative process where treatment choices are discussed and adjusted. If someone wants to begin, the usual next step is to use the platform’s Start Therapy flow to match and schedule a first appointment.

How his approaches translate to online therapy

Dr. Bentley often blends client-centered work with cognitive behavioral ideas and attachment-based thinking. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening closely and building a dependable working relationship so people can speak openly about what matters. Cognitive behavioral techniques look at patterns of thought and behavior and introduce practical tools to reduce anxiety, change unhelpful habits, or manage mood. Attachment-based ideas pay attention to how early relationship patterns shape current reactions and help people practice different ways of relating.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. He will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what has helped or not helped before. Together they try methods and adjust them over time so the work fits the person’s life and needs.

Telehealth has been part of his practice and can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule. Online work can reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins, and make it simpler to attend from different locations. Confirm the current session options before booking to know exactly which formats are available and how to schedule them.