About Stephen
Stephen Murphy is a licensed clinician with ten years of experience helping people who face stress, anxiety, depression, and life transitions. He holds LICSW, MD, and LCSW-C credentials and practices from Maryland while accepting international clients. His style is warm and direct, focused on practical steps people can use between sessions.
He aims to build a steady working relationship where clients feel heard and respected. Sessions typically include listening, gentle reflection, and concrete skills to manage difficult moments.
How Stephen works
He draws on a mix of approaches to match the needs of the person in front of him. Stephen commonly addresses relationship concerns, parenting strain, grief, addiction issues, trauma and abuse, and challenges with self-esteem. He also supports people dealing with career stress, bipolar symptoms, ADHD, compassion fatigue, and the effects of separation or divorce.
His toolbox includes acceptance and commitment techniques, attachment-focused ideas, client-centered dialogue, cognitive behavior strategies, and dialectical behavior methods. These are used to help people notice patterns, shift unhelpful thoughts, and build new habits that fit their goals. People work with him by video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging.
He uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time. To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.
Stephen lists 13 ways of working on the entry:
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
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.
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Registers | LICSW, MD, LCSW-C |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 10 |
| 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
Approaches and Online Therapy Options
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people accept difficult feelings while focusing on values-based action. It is useful for stress, anxiety, and coping with life changes by teaching ways to move forward despite uncomfortable thoughts. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns; it can help with depression, anxiety, and managing mood swings by offering practical exercises and homework. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns shape current connections and communication, which can help with relationship challenges and managing strong emotional reactions.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. That may mean blending elements from different approaches and adjusting the plan as progress happens.
Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversations and visual cues. Phone sessions can be a good fit when bandwidth is limited or a screen-free check-in is preferred. Live chat or text messaging supports brief check-ins, coaching-style prompts, or ongoing contact between longer sessions. These options make it easier to work therapy into a busy life and to maintain continuity when schedules change.
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Common questions
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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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