01 · Who Stephen works with

Stephen works with stress, Anxiety, family conflicts and parenting issues

Stephen lists 13 specialisms and 20 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.

As a social worker for more than 25 years, I've had the privilege of working with people from diverse backgrounds who are struggling with a wide variety of challenges. My main focus as a therapist is to create a safe space, free of judgement where we can form a trusting, therapeutic relationship. My clinical experience has primarily focused on children, adolescents, young adults and their families. I have worked with concerns ranging from anxiety, depression, adoption, behavioral issues, divorce, parenting issues and life transitions. My approaches to therapy are cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, solution focused and mindfulness. I look forward to working with you to achieve your clinical goals. Please be aware I am accepting referrals for clients age 22 and older for individual therapy.

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

03 · How Stephen works

The 3 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.

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.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Works on the assumption that current patterns - in relationships, at work, in how you treat yourself - have a history, and that seeing the history loosens the pattern. Less structured than CBT, usually longer, and more interested in what comes up unbidden than in a weekly agenda.

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

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 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Psychodynamic 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

New Jersey

Licence

NJ LCSW 44SC06026900

Licence number

44SC06026900

Licence expires

31 Aug 2028

NPI

1558663708

Years in practice

8

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.