01 · Who Scott works with

Scott works with addictions, anger management and coping with life changes

Scott lists 15 specialisms and 15 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Scott chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Scott's own words

What Scott says about the work

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

ABOUT ME Hello, Thank you for checking out my profile. My name is Scott Shepherd, MS, LPC. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Alaska as well as the state of Arizona. I have worked in the mental health and substance abuse field for over 30 years, and my expertise is related to working with individuals that experience hardships such as substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and PTSD, as well as issues with stress and anger management, change, and other issues that influence you to make rash, brash, or possibly impulsive or compulsive decisions without thinking the process through. I specialize in working with all ages with substance use/abuse as well as co-occurring disorders. My therapeutic technique centers around the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach, focusing on assisting you gain awareness into the situation that you are struggling with, helping you view it from many other perspectives, and assisting you in processing which intervention that you choose is the best for you. I an there to assist and support you throughout this journey and to be your biggest supporter. I also incorporate Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) as well as Motivational Interviewing to assist you in your journey to self-empowerment. This process can be scary which is why you need to know I will be there with you every step of the way. My goal is to assist people in working towards fulfilling their goals of living to their fullest potential, healing form the various wounds they have collected from childhood trauma to grief and loss, and regaining a new perspective on life.

SPECIALTIES Addictions Depression Trauma Anger/Stress Management

Also experienced in: Grief , Self esteem , Career difficulties , Bipolar disorder , Coping with life changes , ADHD , Abandonment , Read more...

Clinical approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused CBT

Years of Experience: 30 SERVICES OFFERED

MESSAGING LIVE CHAT PHONE VIDEO LICENSING LPC #LPC114237 (Expires: 2023-10-31)

Scott Shepherd, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Scott works

The 4 approaches Scott lists, in plain English

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

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.

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.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Scott 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 Scott'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 Scott at this point.

2. Naming Scott specifically

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

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 Scott

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

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 30 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

LPC

Licensed in

South Carolina

Licence

SC LPC 8734

Licence number

8734

Licence expires

31 Aug 2027

NPI

1821229576

Years in practice

30

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Scott'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 Scott. 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.