Practitioner record · Checked 9 Oct 2026

Scott Underwood has been in practice 25 years and is licensed in California. Scott lists stress, Anxiety, trauma and abuse and parenting issues among 24 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.

Everything below is either quoted from Scott's own BetterHelp listing, taken from public licensing records, or written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such. Nothing here is an availability promise, a review, or a rating.

25years in practice
24subjects listed
3approaches listed

01 · Who Scott works with

Scott works with stress, Anxiety, trauma and abuse and parenting issues

Scott lists 16 specialisms and 8 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”.

Specialisms
  • Stress, Anxiety
  • Trauma and abuse
  • Parenting issues
  • Anger management
  • Depression
  • Relationship issues
  • Family conflicts
  • Grief
  • Intimacy-related issues
  • Eating disorders
  • Sleeping disorders
  • Self esteem
  • Career difficulties
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Coping with life changes
  • Coaching
Also experienced with
  • Family problems
  • Midlife crisis
  • Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
  • Mood disorders
  • Panic disorder and panic attacks
  • Phobias
  • Post-traumatic stress
  • Social anxiety and phobia

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.

I'm an older, more conservative therapist. My first experience in the field was with the Army as a Behavioral Science Specialist in 1984. I have worked in Community Mental Health, Psychiatric Hospitals, private practice, and most recently service mostly active duty Air Force at Nellis and Creech Air Force base. I'm well trained and experienced working with trauma, depression, and anxiety. I can help with problem solving, anger management, and other issues. I am experienced treating people with very serious conditions, and, highly functional people that have hit a rough spot. Counseling does not have to be heavy, serious and intimidating. Under the right circumstances, we can both find humor in a situation and release tension with laughter instead of tears.

For the new client, you may have a better experience and have your expectations met if you have an idea what you want out of therapy. With my experience on this site, I have some observations. Some of you very much enjoy the convenience of this platform. And, however you choose to receive counseling, teleconference, phone, or chat, that is what you will get. There are some that enjoy the almost complete anonymity of the internet platform. There are some that are interested in an assessment, diagnosis, and consultation or treatment recommendations based on the diagnosis. There are some that very much want a good listener. If you let me know what you want, I'll lock in. If you change your mind about what you want, I'll be flexible. If you want short-term counseling, let me know the number of sessions, and we'll get as much done as we can. If therapy is going to be a part of your long-term growth, let me know that as well. Of course, there is the possibility that you just want to sample therapy to see what it's all about. I think that's great!

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

03 · How Scott works

The 3 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.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and ReprocessingEMDR
A structured trauma protocol in which you hold a distressing memory in mind while following a repeated side-to-side cue. The mechanism is still debated; the outcome data in post-traumatic stress is strong enough that it appears in national treatment guidelines.
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 25 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
LCSW
Licensed in
California
Licence
CA LCSW LCS20226
Licence number
LCS20226
Licence expires
31 Jul 2028
NPI
1770615395
Years in practice
25
Gender
Male
Languages
English
International clients
Accepted
Listed since
9 Jun 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.

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