Stephen Richardson, LCSW, LISW-CP
North Carolina · 10 years in practice
Stephen Richardson is a licensed clinical social worker who uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy alongside other practical approaches.
License and registration
- LCSW, North Carolina
- C012054 · expires February 2028
- LISW-CP, South Carolina
- 13202 · expires December 2026
- NPI
- 1174062046 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 10
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.
About Stephen
Stephen Richardson is a licensed clinical social worker who uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy alongside other practical approaches. He brings ten years of experience and focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, relationship and intimacy concerns, and parenting challenges. He practices in North Carolina and supports international clients in English.
Stephen frames therapy around emotions and relationships, helping people notice patterns that cause pain and learn new ways to connect and cope.
Background and approach
He blends Emotionally-Focused Therapy with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and client-centered work. That mix means sessions can include talking through feelings, learning skills for stress and mood, and making concrete behavior changes.
He has a background in social work from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Winthrop University and holds the credentials LCSW and LISW-CP. Stephen draws on a decade of clinical practice to support people facing grief, trauma, bipolar disorder, eating and sleeping problems, ADHD, and complex life transitions. In a session he focuses on clear, practical steps.
People can expect to talk about what matters most to them, practice coping tools, and set small goals to try between meetings. He also addresses specific concerns like body image, communication problems, commitment issues, and caregiver stress. Stephen offers a calm, direct style that centers the client’s values and goals.
He works to help clients build stronger emotional insight and better day-to-day coping. The aim is steady progress over time through collaboration and repeated practice.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Stephen lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Traumatic brain injury
- Trichotillomania
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Stephen names
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How Emotion-Focused and Acceptance-Based Work Translate Online
Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people identify and change patterns in close relationships by focusing on core emotions and how those feelings shape interactions. It can be useful for people struggling with intimacy, attachment concerns, and relationship cycles. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy encourages people to notice difficult thoughts and feelings while choosing actions that match their values; it often helps with anxiety, depression, and life transitions.Finding the best approach is collaborative. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped before. Together they decide whether to emphasize emotional processing, acceptance-based skills, or practical CBT and DBT tools, and they adjust the plan as progress continues.
Online formats make regular work easier to fit into life. Video calls let people speak face-to-face and practice emotional work in real time. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or a check-in is needed without video. Live chat and text messaging allow shorter touchpoints, homework prompts, and between-session support when clients need quick reminders or coaching.
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Questions people ask
What kinds of concerns does Stephen address?
He works with stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, addictions, trauma, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting and career struggles, and many related concerns.
How would you describe his therapy style?
Sessions emphasize emotions and relationships while also teaching coping skills from CBT, ACT, and DBT. The work is practical and focuses on what the client wants to change.
What is his professional background?
He has ten years of clinical experience and a social work education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Winthrop University.
What credentials and location apply to his practice?
He holds LCSW and LISW-CP credentials and provides services from North Carolina.
In which languages can sessions be held?
Sessions are offered in English and he also accepts international clients who communicate in English.
Which session formats are offered?
He meets via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin working together?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.
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