01 · Who Stephen works with

Stephen works with stress, Anxiety, addictions and relationship issues

Stephen lists 13 specialisms and 27 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Stephen chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Stephen's own words

What Stephen says about the work

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

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has 9 years of experience working in the mental health field. Currently practicing in Idaho focusing on mental health/behavioral challenges, but have also worked in Utah, Kentucky, and Indiana working with challenges related to mental health, behavioral health, addiction, relationships, personality disorders, culture, spirituality, rural life, and homelessness. Some of the therapies which I utilize is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Reality Therapy, Person Centered Therapy, Existential Therapy, and Solution Focused Therapy.

I believe that healing and understanding occurs when there is a strong client-counselor relationship which is caring, non-judgmental, and focuses from the client's point of view. I believe in the resiliency of people and the importance of bringing to the surface internal strengths and values which individuals can use to empower themselves with the ability to move forward in their lives. I also focus on the power of connection, and how connecting, whether it be to relationships, spirituality, values, the present moment, nature, or ones-self, leads to healing and growth.

Stephen Bunnell, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Stephen works

The 5 approaches Stephen lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Stephen lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Stephen'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 Stephen 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.

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”.

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.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

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

Stephen 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 Stephen'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 Stephen at this point.

2. Naming Stephen specifically

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

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 Stephen

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

• “You list both Dialectical Behaviour 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.

• “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.

• “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

Idaho

Licence

UT LCSW 10466255-3501, AZ LCSW LCSW-21954

Licence number

LCSW-40292

Licence expires

8 Jun 2027

NPI

1225373137

Years in practice

6

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Stephen'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 Stephen. 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.