Stephen Murphy

Stephen Murphy is a licensed clinician with ten years of experience helping people manage grief, anxiety, depression, and big life changes. He holds LICSW and LCSW-C credentials and practices from Maryland while maintaining licenses in multiple states. His work often involves people facing loss and end-of-life concerns, and he focuses on practical steps clients can take day to day.

He uses straightforward talk and steady support to help clients name what feels hard. Sessions focus on coping skills, clearer communication, and small behavior changes that add up. He aims to make the work feel doable instead of overwhelming.

Stephen blends several common therapies to meet each person's needs. He draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to challenge unhelpful thinking and from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to clarify values and take meaningful action. Attachment-based ideas help when relationships or past losses shape current reactions.

He pays attention to the whole context of a person’s life - work, caregiving roles, and identity factors such as LGBT concerns. Areas he commonly addresses include addiction, trauma, parenting stress, compassion fatigue, and mood conditions like bipolar disorder.

People who do best with his style want practical tools and honest conversation. He works in plain language and treats each person with respect. If you want a therapist who focuses on concrete coping strategies and life transition work, he may be a good fit.

How therapeutic approaches guide online sessions

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings and choose actions that match their values. It is often used to address anxiety, grief, and the stress of major life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on spotting patterns of thinking that worsen mood and testing new behaviors to see what helps. It is practical for depression, anxiety, and coping tasks. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current reactions and helps people understand and change relational patterns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, past experiences, and what methods feel most useful. Together they will try approaches and adjust the plan based on what helps in real life.

If you are considering online sessions, check the current session options before booking so you know what formats are available. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Many people find it simpler to practice skills between appointments when sessions fit into their routine. Licensed professionals can use the same therapeutic approaches in remote sessions, and this therapist will discuss which methods suit your needs and daily life during the first meetings.