Laura Smith , LCMHC

Laura Smith is a licensed clinician who brings an empathic, strengths-focused approach to counseling. Holding an LCMHC - Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor - she has developed a practice that supports men, women, adolescents, and children through a wide range of challenges. With experience working on issues such as family violence, sexual assault and abuse, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, conflict resolution, multicultural concerns, LGBT matters, parenting, couples work, and bereavement, she aims to empower clients to reach their own conclusions and take meaningful steps forward.

Her sessions are warm and inviting, grounded in compassion, respect, and sensitivity. She adapts evidence-based methods to each person’s needs, drawing from approaches like person-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral techniques, dialectical behavioral strategies, narrative work, and family systems perspectives. This flexibility allows her to tailor interventions for concerns including stress, trauma, self-esteem, intimacy issues, eating and sleeping difficulties, anger, career challenges, bipolar symptoms, and relationship or family dynamics.

Laura values collaboration and sees the therapeutic relationship as a partnership. She recognizes the courage it takes to seek help and is committed to creating a supportive space where clients can explore their experiences and move toward their goals.

Evidence-Based Techniques and Remote Care

Laura Smith frequently integrates cognitive behavioral techniques and dialectical behavior strategies into her work. Cognitive behavioral techniques focus on identifying and adjusting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety and depression and to improve daily functioning. Dialectical behavior strategies teach practical skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, which can be especially helpful for intense emotions and relationship conflicts.

She also uses family systems perspectives when relationships and family dynamics are central to the concern, helping people understand patterns and develop healthier interactions. Determining the right approach is a collaborative process - Laura partners with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences, and adapts methods as therapy progresses to find the best fit.

Online therapy offers practical benefits for this work. Video calls allow face-to-face interaction from home, phone sessions provide an accessible option when video is not possible, and live chat or text-based messaging can support check-ins or working through techniques between sessions. These formats increase flexibility and make it easier for people to engage in consistent care with licensed professionals.