Char Bentley
I work with adults who are dealing with anxiety, trauma and PTSD, grief, depression, stress, and big life changes. I’m a veteran, and I have a lot of experience working with military members and veterans. I understand military culture and the changes that can come with service, and I enjoy supporting veterans and active duty service members.
Whether life has taken a sudden turn or things just don’t look the way they used to, I’m here to help you find your footing.
I also work with adults facing the changes that can happen to anyone over a lifetime, such as parenting, career shifts, retirement, an empty nest, and changing relationships. Whether life has taken a sudden turn or things just don’t look the way they used to, I’m here to help you find your footing.
First session
My hope is that you leave your first session feeling heard, supported, and ready for change, with a clearer sense of where we are headed. In this first visit, I will ask questions about your history and what you have been feeling, which helps me understand what you are going through. We will also talk about your hopes and goals for therapy. I know that is a lot to cover, so I focus on the basics and try not to overwhelm you. As we keep working together, we will keep checking in on how you are doing.
Strengths
I can support people with many kinds of concerns, but I am especially well trained in helping with anxiety, depression, trauma, and difficulty adjusting to big life changes. I bring warmth and teamwork to every session, along with proven methods and practical tools you can use outside of therapy. I don’t believe therapy has to feel cold or clinical to work. I also don’t believe talking alone is always enough. Together, we will work to understand what is going on, decide what needs attention first, and choose approaches that fit the problem we are working on.
Ideal clients
I work best with people who are ready to look honestly at hard things and also want to take action. If you want more than someone to listen and you are looking for a partner in change, we will likely be a good fit. I will offer a clear plan, helpful tools, and support to keep you on track, so the healing you do in therapy can lead to real changes in your daily life.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured, practical form of talk therapy that focuses on how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all connected. The core idea is simple: The way you think about a situation affects how you feel and act. If you can change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns, you can change your emotional state and improve your daily life.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an action-oriented form of talk therapy that teaches you to accept your difficult thoughts and feelings rather than fight or avoid them. ACT focuses on changing your relationship to those thoughts so they lose their power over you.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a highly structured form of talk therapy designed specifically to help people who experience intense, overwhelming emotions and struggle to manage them.
Cognitive Processing (CPT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a specific, short-term type of cognitive behavioral therapy designed explicitly to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured, specialized form of therapy designed to help the brain heal from trauma, PTSD, and distressing life experiences. The core idea is that traumatic memories can get "stuck" or frozen in the brain's emotional survival center in their raw, vivid form. When you remember the event, you don't just recall it—you actually re-experience the panic, sights, and physical sensations as if it is still happening. EMDR acts like a digestive system for your brain, unsticking those memories so they can be processed and filed away as normal, non-threatening history.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Black / African American
Woman
Top specialties
Anxiety
Emotional Regulation
Trauma and PTSD
Other specialties
Depression
Family Conflict
First Responders/Healthcare Workers
Grief
Life Transitions
Peer Relationships
Self Esteem
Women's Issues
Serves
Adults (18 to 64)
Individual Therapy
Doesn't specialize in
Addiction
Autism
Couples Counseling
Couples Counseling
Crisis Intervention
Dissociative Disorders
Domestic Violence
Eating Disorders
Family Therapy
Gambling Addiction
High Clinical Acuity
Recent Hospitalization
Serious Mental Illness / Crisis
Sex Therapy
Licensed in
MarylandLicense 14022
VirginiaLicense 0904010743
Accepted insurance
Amerihealth Administrators
Cash - $115 per session
Kaiser Permanente