Stephen Murphy, LICSW, MD, LCSW-C
Practical support for parents and life transitions
Book with Stephen- Years in practice
- 10
- Credentials
- LICSW, MD, LCSW-C
- Licensed in
- Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, District of Columbia, Maryland
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- LGBT
- Focus
- Relationship issues
About Stephen
Stephen Murphy is a licensed clinician with a decade of experience helping people sort through strong emotions and life changes. He works with adults facing stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, grief, and parenting concerns. Stephen brings a steady, compassionate presence and focuses on practical steps clients can use day to day.
He centers sessions on what the client needs right now. Conversations are straightforward and paced to match each person's comfort.
Background and approach
He listens for patterns in relationships, work, and family life, then helps people build clearer choices and new habits. Stephen uses several evidence-informed approaches to guide his work, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Attachment-Based methods, and Cognitive Behavioral techniques. Those tools help with emotions, behavior patterns, and the ways people connect with others.
He adapts methods to the situation rather than following a single script. Clients often seek him for issues tied to identity, communication struggles, workplace stress, and the strain of caregiving. He also supports people facing trauma, addiction, bipolar mood challenges, and the challenge of parenting while managing personal mental health.
Stephen holds LICSW, MD, and LCSW-C credentials and practices in Maryland. He offers sessions in English and accepts international clients. His approach emphasizes clear goals, small experiments between sessions, and steady progress over time.
What Stephen works with
Everything Stephen lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Stephen helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Depression
- Addictions
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- 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
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Stephen lists
- 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
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Therapeutic approaches for online parenting and life work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on identifying personal values and taking small committed steps toward them while learning to live with difficult thoughts and feelings. It can help when parenting or life demands clash with what matters most. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early and current relationships shape expectations and safety in close connections; it can help people notice patterns that affect caregiving and communication. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets unhelpful thinking and behavior cycles by teaching practical skills for mood, anxiety, and stress management.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and the specific problems they bring. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust those methods as progress is made, keeping the process collaborative and flexible.
Online sessions are available via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules. Video lets people work face to face when they prefer to see the therapist, phone can be easier when bandwidth or background noise is a concern, and messaging supports brief check-ins or ongoing coaching between meetings. These options make it simpler to maintain continuity of care, fit sessions into busy family routines, and try different formats to see what works best.
Questions people ask about Stephen
What concerns does Stephen commonly address?
He helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, grief, parenting challenges, relationship and communication problems, and identity-related concerns including LGBT issues.
What is his therapeutic style like?
Sessions are straightforward and collaborative with a calm, compassionate tone. He focuses on practical steps and short experiments clients can try between sessions.
How much clinical experience does he have?
He has 10 years of experience working with a wide range of emotional and relational concerns.
What are his credentials and where does he practice?
He holds LICSW, MD, and LCSW-C credentials and practices in Maryland.
Which languages and international options are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and he accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
He offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.
How does billing and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with him?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
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