Stephen Creel, LMFT

Stephen Creel is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who brings a rare blend of creative experience and clinical training to his work. Before entering the field of therapy, he spent years as a drummer in the Hollywood club scene, a time that offered intense highs alongside disappointment and confusion. Those early experiences helped shape his understanding of how dreams, identity, and setbacks affect emotional health. After deciding not to pursue music as a full-time career, he sought therapy for himself and found the process so helpful that he later dedicated his career to guiding others toward greater well-being.

In 2001 he earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, and he has since worked in both rehabilitation settings and private practice helping people recover from substance abuse, trauma, depression, anxiety, codependency, and related concerns. As a practitioner he emphasizes collaboration - viewing therapy as a cooperative relationship in which two people work together to identify problems and chart a path toward healing. He often traces many emotional difficulties to underlying, inaccurate beliefs about the self - ideas such as not being good enough, strong enough, or wanted enough - and focuses on helping clients recognize, challenge, and move beyond those limiting narratives so they can live more authentically and at greater ease with themselves.

Stephen holds the LMFT credential, which stands for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and uses evidence-informed approaches including client-centered work, cognitive behavioral techniques, trauma-focused therapy, EMDR for trauma processing, and motivational interviewing when appropriate. His style balances professional expertise with a down-to-earth, empathetic stance aimed at helping clients build resilience and clearer direction in life.