Phyllis Smith , LMFT

Phyllis Smith is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with five years of clinical experience working with individuals, couples, and families. As an LMFT, she has specialized training in relational dynamics and family systems, enabling her to address concerns that arise within intimate and familial contexts. She has worked with a diverse population across age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and integrates that awareness into her clinical work.

Phyllis believes people have the capacity to grow toward greater mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Her practice is strengths-based, identifying existing resources in a client’s life to build resilience, restore hope, and open new perspectives. She takes a collaborative approach to therapy, partnering with clients to set specific goals and guiding them toward measurable change. While supportive and empathetic, she also provides gentle challenges designed to help clients develop and implement new patterns of thinking and behavior.

Her therapeutic toolkit draws from Bowenian concepts focused on personal growth, experiential methods that emphasize learning through doing, and structural and strategic techniques that address patterns within relationships. Phyllis applies a systems perspective - understanding a person in the contexts where they live and relate - and adapts methods to meet each client’s unique needs and circumstances.

Therapeutic approaches and online care that fit your life

Phyllis integrates client-centered therapy to create a respectful, nonjudgmental space where the client’s goals and values guide the work. This approach helps people clarify what matters to them and supports personal growth across life transitions and relationship concerns.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. CBT is practical and skills-oriented, and it can be helpful for stress, anxiety, depression, and coping with change.

Mindfulness therapy is another element of her practice, encouraging present-moment awareness and techniques for managing emotional distress. Mindfulness can support regulation, reduce reactivity, and enhance self-understanding.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Phyllis works collaboratively with clients to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting the plan as progress unfolds.

Online therapy options - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging - add flexibility to scheduling and make it easier to access consistent care. These formats allow clients to engage from locations that fit their daily life while working with a licensed professional to address relationships, mood, stress, and other concerns.