Dr. Marie Smith, LMHC, LPC

Dr. Marie Smith greets people who are juggling stress, anxiety, grief, addiction, or big life transitions. She focuses on helping individuals sort priorities, build coping skills, and make steady changes that fit real life. Her style is straightforward and practical, aimed at people who want tools they can use between sessions.

With 25 years of experience, she draws on work across schools, hospitals, clinics, and correctional settings. Marie holds a Ph.D. and practices as an LMHC and an LPC. She has worked with people who have developmental or intellectual disabilities and those who received childhood diagnoses such as ADD or autism, helping them navigate later challenges in adulthood.

Her approach blends client-centered work with cognitive behavioral techniques and elements of dialectical behavior therapy. She also uses mindfulness and trauma-focused methods when appropriate. Sessions often focus on skill building - for anxiety, anger, or adjustment - and on understanding how past experiences shape current choices.

Marie pays attention to life stages and milestones like school, career changes, and relationship shifts. She helps people consider how expectations from family, peers, and work affect self-acceptance and goals. Practical planning and step-by-step problem solving are common parts of her work.

People who prefer clear, experience-based guidance may find her helpful. She encourages collaboration on goals and will suggest referrals when a different service is needed to reach a stated objective.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building a strong working relationship. The therapist follows the person’s concerns and priorities, offering empathy and direction so goals feel personally meaningful.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps identify unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and managing cravings or impulsivity by teaching practical exercises and experiments to try between sessions.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) adds concrete skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and improving interpersonal effectiveness. These skills are helpful for overwhelming emotions, impulsive actions, and relationship conflicts.

Choosing an approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss needs, goals, and preferences and then try methods that match those priorities. Adjustments are made along the way based on what helps most.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the session formats before booking so you know what is offered. Many people find online sessions easier to fit into a busy day, which helps maintain consistency. Online work can let a person complete short check-ins, practice skills between meetings, and bring home-based issues into the conversation for practical problem solving.