Adewale (Wale) Adegbenle, LCSW

Adewale (Wale) Adegbenle is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in New York who helps people facing substance use, depression, anxiety, and the stress of life transitions. He speaks plain, direct language and focuses on building a respectful, relationship-based connection. Wale draws on two decades of clinical experience to guide conversations and set realistic goals with each person.

Wale centers his work on listening and practical steps. He uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify and shift unhelpful thought and behavior patterns. Motivational Interviewing is part of his approach when people are weighing change or struggling with addiction or substance use concerns.

Many clients bring trauma, grief, caregiver strain, or chronic illness into sessions, and Wale helps them sort priorities and manage symptoms one step at a time. He also supports people dealing with family and relationship strains, parenting stress, career pressures, and compassion fatigue. Aging and geriatric issues are included among the additional areas he focuses on.

Sessions emphasize collaboration and realistic planning rather than open-ended exploration. Wale offers tools people can use between meetings, such as behavioral experiments, mindfulness exercises, and focused homework. He also draws on solution-focused techniques when someone needs short-term strategies to move forward.

Outside of work, Wale identifies as a Christian husband and father of three, which informs his compassionate, family-minded perspective. He welcomes conversations about how values and life roles shape goals for therapy.

How his approaches translate to online therapy

Adewale commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing in his clinical work. CBT focuses on identifying thought and behavior patterns that keep problems going and replacing them with manageable alternatives; it is often used for anxiety, depression, and some stress-related problems. Motivational Interviewing helps people weigh their own reasons for change and resolve mixed feelings, which is useful for substance use and motivation-related goals.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. He will collaborate with each person to choose techniques that match their goals, needs, and preferences. That may mean combining CBT tools, motivational interviewing questions, mindfulness practices, and brief solution-focused steps to create a plan that feels doable.

The therapist biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current options before booking. In general, online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life - for example by removing travel time, allowing shorter check-ins between obligations, or making it simpler to attend from different locations. Online sessions also let therapists assign digital or at-home exercises and follow up with written resources to support progress between meetings.