About Gayle
Gayle Bradley-Starkes uses a client-centered approach to guide people through stressful and painful times. She combines listening with practical skills to help people manage anxiety, grief, anger, and relationship strain. Gayle holds an MD and is licensed as an LCSW-C and LICSW.
She has 27 years of clinical experience in Maryland. Gayle believes clients know their own lives best. She offers a calm space to talk and helps people find what works for them.
How Gayle works
Sessions focus on small, doable changes and clearer communication. Mindfulness techniques are woven into sessions to help with stress, sleeping problems, and impulse control. Her experience includes work with addictions, trauma and abuse, and intimacy-related concerns.
Gayle also supports people facing life transitions such as divorce, caregiving challenges, adoption and foster care issues, and aging-related stress. She helps those dealing with bipolar disorder or ADHD to build routines and coping strategies. Practical life concerns are part of the work.
Gayle helps with family of origin issues, blended family adjustments, fatherhood questions, and handling control or codependency patterns. She also addresses commitment and communication problems and issues that follow domestic violence. Sessions are conversational and goal-focused.
Gayle mixes empathic listening with exercises and mindfulness practices to reduce reactivity and improve sleep and self-esteem. She helps people track progress and adjust plans as needed to move toward better day-to-day functioning.
Gayle lists 2 ways of working on the entry:
What Gayle works with
The areas below are the ones Gayle selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Grief
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Postpartum depression
- Self esteem
- Sleeping disorders
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Registers | MD, LCSW-C, LICSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 27 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Maryland |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Client-centered and mindfulness-based online care
Gayle uses client-centered therapy, which means sessions start with listening to the person's concerns and goals. The therapist follows the client's lead, helps clarify priorities, and works with the person to build practical steps that fit their life.She also uses mindfulness therapy to teach attention and relaxation skills. Mindfulness exercises can help reduce rumination, improve sleep, and lower stress reactions that get in the way of daily functioning.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Gayle will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their needs, goals, and preferences. She checks in and adjusts the plan as progress is made so the approach stays useful and relevant.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls let people use face-to-face interaction for deeper conversation. Phone sessions work well for shorter check-ins or when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging can be used for quick support, homework check-ins, or when writing feels easier than speaking. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into busy schedules and different life demands.
Start online instead of waiting
Our partner service asks a few questions about what you are looking for and matches you with a therapist for sessions from home.
Book with GayleWe will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you.
Common questions
What concerns does Gayle commonly address?
What is her therapeutic style like?
How long has Gayle practiced?
What credentials and location are listed for her?
Which languages are supported for sessions?
What session formats are available?
How is cost handled for sessions?
What are the steps to begin therapy?
A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. Entries are not assessed or endorsed by this directory.
Other entries for stress, anxiety
Supportive LCSW helping people build strength and clarity
Practical, trauma-aware therapy for everyday life
Practical, relational therapy for life transitions