ABOUT CHAR BENTLEY
About BCB Counseling
Therapy grounded in experience, evidence, and real life.
I'm Char Bentley, therapist and founder of BCB Counseling.
I work with adults navigating anxiety, trauma and PTSD, grief, depression, stress, and significant life changes. My approach combines warmth and collaboration with evidence-based treatment and practical strategies that have a purpose beyond the therapy session.
I don't believe therapy needs to feel overly clinical to be effective. I also don't believe talking alone is always enough. Our work is focused on understanding what's happening, identifying what needs attention, and using approaches that make sense for the problem we're addressing.
A therapist, veteran, and person who values straightforward conversation.
My own experiences shape the perspective I bring to this work.
I'm a veteran, which gives me firsthand familiarity with military culture and many of the transitions that can come with service. I enjoy working with veterans and active duty service members, but BCB Counseling isn't exclusively a military-focused practice.
I also work with adults navigating the kinds of changes that happen across a lifetime: parenting, career shifts, retirement, empty nesting, grief, changing relationships, and periods when life simply doesn't look the way it used to.
As a Black woman, I understand the value of working with a therapist who doesn't require every cultural experience to be explained from the beginning.
MY APPROACH TO THERAPY
Good therapy should be useful.
I want clients to understand not only what they're experiencing, but what contributes to it and what can be done differently.
That means therapy with me is collaborative. We'll talk, ask questions, notice patterns, learn skills, and address difficult experiences directly when that's part of the work.
There isn't one method that works for every person or every concern. I draw from several evidence-based approaches and tailor treatment to the individual rather than expecting the individual to fit a particular model.
Online therapy for adults in Virginia & Maryland.
BCB Counseling currently works with adults through virtual therapy in Virginia and Maryland.
My areas of focus include:
Anxiety and stress
Trauma and PTSD
Grief and loss
Depression
Life transitions and adjustment
Parenting stress
Self-compassion
Veterans and active duty military
EVIDENCE-BASED THERAPY
Training that gives us options.
My clinical training includes:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Prolonged Exposure (PE)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Mindfulness-based approaches
This range is particularly useful in trauma work because treatment doesn't have to look exactly the same for every client.
I enjoy working with people who are ready to engage in the process and interested in understanding themselves differently, developing useful skills, or addressing something that has been getting in the way.
ONLINE THERAPIST IN VIRGINIA
Professional therapy with room to be yourself.
Therapy doesn't require a particular personality, background, or way of communicating.
Some people process by talking. Others need time to think. Some appreciate structure and concrete strategies. Others need to understand the problem first.
My job isn't to decide who you're supposed to become. It's to understand what brought you here and help us do productive work with it.
Looking for a therapist in Virginia or Maryland?
BCB Counseling provides virtual therapy for adults throughout Virginia and Maryland, including support for anxiety, trauma and PTSD, grief, depression, and life transitions.