Stephen Murphy, LICSW, LCSW-C

Stephen Murphy is a licensed clinical social worker with ten years of experience helping people through tough emotional moments. He practices in Maryland and holds licenses across several states, bringing practical support for concerns like anxiety, depression, and trauma and abuse.

He works in a direct, compassionate way. Sessions focus on what’s happening now and on small steps people can use between meetings. He helps clients build emotional tools, manage stress, and handle relationship strain without jargon or complicated plans.

Murphy uses approaches that emphasize present-moment choices and clear skills. He often combines acceptance and commitment techniques with cognitive strategies to reduce unhelpful thoughts and increase meaningful action. Attachment-based ideas guide work on closeness and trust in relationships.

Clients who come for help with grief, addiction, parenting strain, or career stress find practical strategies and real-world homework. He also supports people facing issues such as abandonment, codependency, dissociation, and domestic violence concerns. Sessions aim to make daily life feel more manageable.

Language used in sessions is plain and respectful. Murphy explains options and adjusts pace to each person. He helps people set goals, try new behaviors, and track small wins so progress is clear.

To begin, he asks about current struggles and what a better week would look like. From there he shapes a plan that fits the client’s needs and schedule.

Approaches that translate well to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that match their values. It’s useful for anxiety, depression, and finding direction during life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying patterns of thinking and behavior and practicing concrete alternatives to reduce symptoms like worry and low mood. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships influence current trust and closeness, and it helps people change how they connect with others.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences, then suggest methods to try. This is a collaborative process and adjustments are made based on what helps most in practice.

Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, shorten commute time, and allow check-ins during workday breaks. Because the specific session formats are not listed in the profile, confirm current options before booking. The focus is on practical gains you can use between sessions, such as skills practice, behavioral experiments, and clearer communication strategies that carry over into daily routines.