01 · Who Dr. works with

Dr. works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and family conflicts

Dr. lists 11 specialisms and 10 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Dr. chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Dr.'s own words

What Dr. says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Hello! My name is Brian and I am a Licensed Psychologist with over 30 years of experience in the field. I began my career on the faculty at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC where I saw clients and supervised psychiatric interns completing their outpatient rotations. I have also served as the Clinical Director for a national managed care organization, where I was responsible for monitoring and ensuring best practice treatment planning and therapeutic techniques from over 5,000 practitioners across the United States in a wide range of therapeutic settings including inpatient hospitalization, partial and intensive outpatient care, and outpatient settings. I am currently serving as the Chair of the Graduate Psychology program at a major online university in Florida. Clinically, I work with clients affected by depression, anxiety, self-esteem/motivation, and career challenges.

Originally from the mid-west, I currently reside in south Florida. I received my undergraduate degree in Psychology and Biochemisty from Rutgers College in New Brunswick, NJ and my Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL. I also returned to school following my Doctoral degree to obtain an MBA from Pfeiffer University in Charlotte, NC as I am also interested in looking at financial models that promote greater quality of care in behavioral health settings.

My approach to therapy is both client-centered and solution-oriented. I strongly believe that clients are the experts of their lives and can be empowered to make changes that allow them to reach their goals. I assist clients in identifying areas of focus (i.e., a roadmap to what they want to achieve in therapy) as well as the steps necessary to take to make the positive changes that they desire. This is accomplished through Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness techniques where I assist clients in exploring relationships among their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that may be contributing to barriers to their short- and long-term goals, ultimately creating a path to positive outcomes.

Outside of my work, I am a competitive rower and devoted father of two wonderful children. I enjoy spending time with my wife and children, traveling, home improvement projects and restoring and maintaining my classic sports car.

Dr. Brian Esterling, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Dr. works

The 5 approaches Dr. lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Dr. lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Dr.'s - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Dr. runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Dr. practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Dr.'s own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Dr. at this point.

2. Naming Dr. specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Dr. is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Dr..

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Dr.

Built from what Dr. actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Dr.'s - Dr. has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “With 36 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

Psychologist

Licensed in

Florida

Licence

NC Psychologist 2085, FL Psychologist PY9451

Licence number

PY9451

Licence expires

31 May 2028

NPI

1891919635

Years in practice

36

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Dr.'s name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Dr.. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.