01 · Who Stephen works with

Stephen works with stress, Anxiety, addictions and trauma and abuse

Stephen lists 13 specialisms and 17 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.

Stephen Creel is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Before becoming a therapist, Stephen was a musician (drummer) working the clubs of Hollywood. This experience was rich in joy and excitement but also disappointment and confusion. After giving up on a dream of making music for a living, Stephen discovered the benefits of therapy and set out to help others find their way and happiness in life. In 2001, Stephen earned a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. Since then, Stephen has worked in rehabs and in private offices helping people recover from substance abuse, trauma, depression, anxiety, codependency and more. Stephen believes that therapy is a collaboration. It's two people working together in a trusting relationship to discover what's wrong and how it can be healed. Stephen has found that most mental/emotional problems have their basis in a false belief about self such not being good enough, strong enough, wanted enough. Stephen helps people recognize, confront and overcome these hurtful ideas so that they can live more authentically and at rest with themselves.

Stephen Creel, 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.

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”.

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.

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

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

4 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 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.

• “With 24 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

LMFT

Licensed in

California

Licence

CA LMFT 44523, TX LMFT 204077

Licence number

44523

Licence expires

31 Aug 2028

NPI

1043796386

Years in practice

24

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.