01 · Who Phil works with

Phil works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and self esteem

Phil lists 11 specialisms and 5 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Phil chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Phil's own words

What Phil says about the work

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

I believe that when it comes to being depressed, anxious/fearful, or if you are having real problems in your relationship, you want relief and you want it as soon as you can get it. People don't seek a counselor to talk, they go to find a way to feel better, be better and never need you again as soon as possible. That's why I use the methods and principles normally associated with Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), or Brief Therapy.

My training was first as a scientist and science educator. Dealing with people from all walks of life, I came to realize we are far more alike than we are different and that we are all susceptible to being depressed, anxious and having relationship difficulties. I trained in hypnosis to help with obsessive thinking and behavior change (like smoking, overeating, social and other anxieties, etc.), and to become a psychological counselor through the UNC-G graduate studies program.

In all that time (beginning to help others in 1989) I came to find that the fastest way to get your life back is to employ the principles and strategies studied and described as CBT. Whatever you call it (several names can be applies), taking a more practical, here-and-now approach with understanding what your problems are and creating a plan of action to make them better is the most direct and most successful way to make things better. It places the power of control and to heal right in the hand of the individual, not a therapist, not a drug...you.

We all know that it isn't always easy. And being realistic means we acknowledge that sometimes it can be mighty tough. The wonderful part of it is that with the right therapist, this approach is tested and proven, and gives you a real reason to hope and be encouraged that, while it might take some time, you can get better.

After years of practice, the passion to help others translated in my authorship of nearly two dozen training courses in subjects like gaining emotional control, resolving conflicts, dealing with people that are very hard to deal with, leadership, management, and others. I also authored Ready Access CBT for Working Professionals (Lorman Education) to share what I know with other therapists, and a book to bring these principles to the public titled, Naked Thinking.

I focus my help for those who are suffering with depression and anxiety problems (which can include transitional issues like loss of a job, a relationship, speaking up for yourself, speaking to groups or just your boss, etc.) and relationship problems (which can include marital and couples problems, family issues, work and co-worker issues, etc.)

Phil D'Agostino, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Oct 2026

03 · How Phil works

The 6 approaches Phil lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Phil lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Phil'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 Phil runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

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.

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

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.

Also listed

• Existential Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Phil 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 Phil'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 Phil at this point.

2. Naming Phil specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Phil 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 Phil.

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

2 questions worth asking Phil

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

• “With 38 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

LCMHC

Licensed in

North Carolina

Licence

NC LCMHC 3183

Licence number

3183

Licence expires

30 Jun 2028

NPI

1124178579

Years in practice

38

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Phil'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 7 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 Phil. 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.