About the Therapist

Hello, and welcome to Out of the Darkness Therapy. My name is Bethany Vinton, and I am a Licensed Master Social Worker in Wichita, Kansas, passionate about helping people feel seen, understood, and supported through life’s challenges and transitions.

I live in Wichita with my partner of 19 years, our three boys, three dogs, and three cats, so there is rarely a quiet moment in our home. I also have an adult daughter who lives in the community in a home for those with intellectual disabilities. All of my children are on the autism spectrum, and our family’s experiences navigating significant behavioral and support needs have deeply shaped the way I understand resilience, caregiving, advocacy, and human connection.

I grew up in a small valley in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming and moved to Kansas in 2006. I often joke that I did not realize how spoiled I was by mountain views until I moved somewhere without them, and suddenly had no mountains to help me figure out which direction was north.

I earned my Associate’s degree from Central Wyoming College in 2006, my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Wichita State University in 2008, and my Master’s degree in Social Work in 2026. During the years between degrees, life was anything but quiet. I participated in two mission trips to Peru as a youth leader, worked in schools, institutional settings, county programs, Head Start, served as a foster parent for more than 14 years, and worked as an educational advocate for 12 years, all while raising four children with special needs.

During my graduate practicum, I worked with individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use disorders, mental health concerns, and incarceration. I facilitated trauma recovery and substance use treatment groups within the prison system and became deeply passionate about supporting people exiting incarceration and rebuilding their lives. One of my long-term goals is to expand trauma recovery programming beyond prison walls so individuals returning to the community can continue receiving support and healing opportunities even if they were unable to access treatment while incarcerated.

My therapeutic approach is trauma-informed, relational, and rooted in authenticity. I am especially drawn to Existential Therapy, CBT skills, and DBT skills, and I believe therapy works best when people feel safe enough to show up as their full selves without fear of judgment.

Above all else, my favorite thing about myself and the value I carry most deeply into this work — I see people as human beings first. Not as diagnoses. Not as mistakes. Not as the worst thing that has happened to them or the worst thing they have done. Just human beings, deserving of dignity, compassion, and the opportunity to heal and live authentically.