Steven Hurley, Psy. D.
Specialties:
Anxiety, Depression, & other Mood Disorders; PTSD; Anger & Stress Management; Coping Mechanisms; Drug & Alcohol Abuse; Non-Substance Addictions; Dual Diagnosis; Behavioral Management; Couples/Marriage Therapy - including Pre-Marital Screening and Divorce Mediation; Geriatric Disorders; Sports Psychology; Sexual Issues including: Dysfunction, Abuse, & Offender; LGBTQ concerns; Self-Esteem; Prisoner issues; Life Coaching; and Career Counseling
Mindset:
Inspiration for the process of therapy can be drawn from one of the best movie quotes of all time, "No! Try not! Do or Do Not, There is no try." These are very powerful words telling people, especially to those in therapy that you must either willingly make your own necessary and sometimes critical changes in your life or you don't. Therapy is about actively regaining control of your personal energy. Therapy is a collaborative approach to healing and well-being between a client and therapist. The therapist helps guide a person into making better life decisions, but the client must intuitively think of new ways of managing their life stressors that they are comfortable starting and maintaining. Clients not willing to make changes for themselves will continue to spin helplessly and hopelessly out of control. The mind is constantly changing; people in therapy must also learn to continually adjust and adapt to new situations while keeping a mindful-eye on their past.
Education and Training:
Dr. Hurley received his Master of Arts (MA) in General and Theoretical Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) in Teaneck, New Jersey. He graduated with a Doctoral Degree (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology at Forest Institute of Professional Psychology (FIPP) in Springfield, Missouri. At FIPP, Dr. Hurley specialized in Marriage and Family Counseling. Other areas of training include neuro-psychology, anger management, bio-feedback, and pre-marital counseling. During his doctoral program he worked in a children's psychiatric hospital. His internship was in community mental health, and he participated in a national study on Schizophrenia. Dr. Hurley's post-doc residency was in substance abuse and rehabilitation.
After his post-doc residency he spent two years in private practice in Libertyville, IL. Dr. Hurley then became the medical director for a Chicago based firm doing home health care delivering mental health therapy to Chicago's south-side geriatric African-American population who live in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Dr. Hurley has taught undergraduate students at Robert Morris College in Aurora, IL and graduate students at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He finds teaching to be a change of pace and a way of leading a new generation of therapists into the Health Services Industry.
His career path changed when he moved to Knoxville, TN. Dr. Hurley was the Clinical Director for Mental Health for Tennessee's main intake prison facility. He worked with various criminals making sure that they received the help they needed and to minimize suicide attempts. Dr. Hurley's stance on his education, training, and career is to always strive to learn more, to do more, and to be the best therapist possible.
Dr. Hurley has since moved and changed careers. He has worked in private practice dealing with individuals and couples while supervising trainees. He has also gone back into working with the criminal population in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Dr. Hurley is always looking for ways to help people become the very best version of themselves.
Therapeutic Stance:
My approach to therapy with my clients is multi-faceted. There is no one therapy to fit all. I like to approach issues from a psycho-dynamic, family systems, CBT, Gestalt, existential, and medical stance. When dealing with mental health disorders you have to consider the mind as well as the body for the root of a problem. Therapy needs to be understandable by those who seek help and I have spent years refining my technique to help clients understand the issues they're facing and the theories on how to resolve said issues. People feel more comfortable and understood if you can talk to them in the various places they are currently. I love to see individuals, couples, and groups in a calm, peaceful, and most importantly neutral environment. I love to make presentations to groups for psycho-educational purposes as well.
Personal:
Other psychological interests include neuro-psychology and brain imaging, music and movie therapy, sexual dysfunction and addictions, sports psychology, and psychopharmacology. I hope to further my training in psychopharmacology in order to receive prescribing privileges in Illinois. I love to use humor, music, movies and TV in sessions because they are examples of life experiences people can relate too. I have a wonderful wife and family who make me happy, and who help me strive to be the best person I can be.
Additional areas of focus: LGBT, Family conflicts, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Sleeping disorders, Anger management, Self esteem, Coping with life changes, Abandonment, Adoption and Foster Care, BDSM, Kink, Alternative Sex Culture, Body image, Co-morbidity, Commitment Issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), Divorce and separation, Domestic Violence, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Emptiness, Family of Origin Issues, Fatherhood Issues, Fertility Issues, Forgiveness, Gender Dysphoria, Guilt and shame, Infidelity, Life purpose, Men's issues, Midlife crisis, Military and Veterans Issues, Money and financial issues, Mood disorders , Multicultural Concerns, Obsessions, Compulsions, and OCD, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Phobias, Polyamory / Nonmonogamous Relationships, Postpartum Depression, Post-traumatic stress, Pregnancy and childbirth, Prejudice and Discrimination, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-Harm, Self-love, Sex Addiction, Sexual Assault and Abuse, Sexual Dysfunction, Sexuality, Social anxiety and phobia, Women's issues
Clinical approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Existential Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
IL Psychologist 071007009
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Dr. Steven Hurley. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
Written on Dec 17, 2022 after therapy with Steven for 2 years and 8 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, intimacy-related issues, and self esteem
He is the first therapist that I was able to work through my issues with. He has given me the tools to be successful in handling my mental health.
Written on Nov 15, 2022 after therapy with Steven for 1 year and 6 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, parenting issues, and anger management
Dr Hurley has helped me understand myself better and helped me forward.
Written on Feb 11, 2022 after therapy with Steven for 4 months on issues concerning relationship issues, and coping with life changes
Dr. Hurley is the best for many reasons. I have given short replies but he always, always asks how things are going throughout the week. He’s an expert and has a calm smooth voice. I call it the voice of reason. He’s reasonable. He’s a friend, supporter, critic, advisor, shows empathy, consistent, and really is calm even when talking about crazy things! I never thought I’d give a 10/10, but if I only have one perfect score, this is it!
Written on Jan 31, 2022 after therapy with Steven for 3 months on issues concerning career difficulties, coaching, and adhd
I have greatly appreciated Dr. Hurley's keen insight and guidance through some tricky times in my life this past couple months. He is attentive and responsive. I have struggled with some serious anxiety of late and he has taken the panic out of my daily routine. I am finding a steadiness in life. And I find his support very helpful.
Written on Aug 05, 2021 after therapy with Steven for 2 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, parenting issues, self esteem, and coping with life changes
Well Dr. Hurley it’s the most understanding , compassionate doctor I have ever met. He knows what I’m talking about and he shows empathy towards me , my feelings and the situations I am in, and he always talks to the point; he never ever gives an answer which is absurd or diplomatic; he suggests the solutions which are practical and also are applicable ;he always hears me out and he never interrupts me and the best part about him is , he takes his clients feelings /situations personally and one of the example is that he always checks up on me even if I don’t message him and it feels like someone is there for you and someone is there to listen to what you are going through and I would recommend him to everyone who feels they need help ; to figure out right from wrong and who wants to be heard!
Written on May 09, 2021 after therapy with Steven for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, and intimacy-related issues