Dr. Brian Esterling
Practical CBT and client-centered guidance
NC Psychologist 2085, FL Psychologist PY9451 Florida
- Experience
- 30 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Self esteem, Career
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Brian
Dr. Brian Esterling brings a practical, client-centered approach grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness techniques.
Background and approach
With more than 30 years of clinical experience, he blends evidence-informed strategies with a focus on helping clients identify clear goals and the step-by-step actions needed to reach them.
He emphasizes exploring how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact to reduce obstacles to progress in areas such as stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, career concerns, addictions, grief, anger, relationships, family matters, and coping with life changes. Dr.
Esterling's career includes academic, clinical, and administrative roles that shape his perspective on care. He began on the faculty at Duke University Medical Center, supervised psychiatric interns, served as Clinical Director for a national managed care organization overseeing best-practice treatment planning across thousands of practitioners, and currently chairs a graduate psychology program at an online university in Florida.
He holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and combines clinical insight with organizational experience to support clients in making meaningful, attainable change.
CBT and Client-Centered Care Online
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps clients identify and shift unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior. It typically involves setting clear goals, tracking thought-feeling-behavior connections, and practicing new strategies that reduce symptoms like anxiety, depression, and stress. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes the client’s own experience and priorities, creating a collaborative space where the therapist follows the client’s lead and supports personal insight and self-directed change.
Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the work together. Dr. Esterling aims to collaborate with each person to determine which combination of strategies best matches their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting methods as progress unfolds. The process is guided by the client’s priorities and informed by clinical judgment and experience.
Online sessions - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging - offer flexibility for people with busy schedules or geographic constraints. These formats make it easier to maintain continuity of care, practice skills between meetings, and fit therapy into daily life while working with a licensed professional who uses CBT, mindfulness, and solution-focused tools to support change.
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
30+ years
Licensed
Florida, North Carolina
Languages
English