About Stephen
Dr. Stephen Bentley welcomes people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, addiction, grief, relationship strain, or big life changes. He writes plainly and listens closely to understand what matters most to each person.
He brings 32 years of practice to the counseling room and aims to help people take practical steps forward. He uses a person-centered approach that starts with forming a working relationship. That means listening without judgment and focusing on the client's goals.
How Stephen works
He combines several methods to meet real needs, including cognitive-behavioral work, attachment ideas, and mindfulness strategies. Dr. Bentley has led and supervised clinical teams for more than a decade and has worked in hospitals providing group and individual therapy.
He has experience with crisis intervention and a broad range of concerns such as trauma, abuse, ADHD, autism spectrum issues, mood disorders, and addiction. In recent years he has used telehealth widely and finds it can make therapy easier to fit into busy lives. He emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion in every session and avoids stigmatizing labels.
Sessions focus on what the client wants to change and on building practical tools. He aims to be an active ally who helps people make steady progress toward the life they want.
Stephen lists 9 ways of working on the entry:
What Stephen works with
The areas below are the ones Stephen selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
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
Training and background
| Register | LPCC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 32 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Kentucky |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Approaches that translate to online care
Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns in close relationships and helps people notice how past bonds affect current struggles; it can be useful for intimacy, trust, and attachment-related issues. Client-Centered Therapy centers on the person's experience and priorities, with the therapist offering empathy and acceptance while the client leads the pace and direction. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is practical and skill-based; it helps people identify unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors to reduce anxiety, manage mood, or address addictive patterns.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each person to choose methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences. Sessions often mix approaches and are adjusted as progress is made so care fits the individual rather than forcing a single model.
Online sessions use video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make attendance easier. Video allows face-to-face conversation for deeper exchanges, phone can fit a short break or lower bandwidth, and messaging offers quick check-ins or ongoing support between sessions. These options make therapy more flexible and easier to fit into busy lives while preserving the same clinical focus on practical change.
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Common questions
What concerns does Dr. Bentley address?
What is his therapeutic style like?
How much clinical experience does he have?
What credentials and location are on record?
Which languages and international clients are supported?
What session formats are available?
How does payment and cost work?
How do I begin working with him?
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.
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