Kristen Smith , LMHC

Kristen Smith is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in Florida. She brings 27 years of experience to sessions and focuses on helping people facing addictions, relationship strain, trauma and abuse, and intimacy-related concerns. She also works with those coping with depression, anxiety, stress, and identity questions related to LGBT issues.

Kristen begins by listening closely to each person's story. She treats clients as the expert on their own life and builds on existing strengths. Sessions are straightforward and practical, aimed at small, usable steps rather than quick fixes.

Her approach blends client-centered care with skill-based methods. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people spot and shift unhelpful thinking patterns. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers tools for managing intense emotions and improving relationships.

Clients often seek help for sleep and eating concerns, parenting stress, grief, or career transitions. Kristen also supports people working through abandonment, attachment, codependency, and family of origin issues. She addresses complicated conditions such as bipolar mood patterns, dissociation, and neurodiversity like autism and Asperger syndrome.

Sessions focus on clear goals and practical coping strategies. Kristen offers coaching-style guidance alongside therapeutic work to help people make steady progress. She aims to create a space where people feel heard and can try out new ways of living.

How therapy approaches translate online

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building from a person's own strengths. Online sessions using this approach let the therapist and client shape goals together and move at the client's pace. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, teaches practical skills to notice and change patterns of thought and behavior; it works well for anxiety, depression, sleep and eating concerns, and stress management. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, offers tools for managing strong emotions and improving relationships, which can help with anger, self-esteem, and intimacy-related struggles.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what feels most useful, then recommend or combine methods in collaboration with the client. That way the plan fits real needs rather than a one-size-fits-all model.

Online options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls are useful for deeper conversational work and skill practice. Phone sessions can be a simpler option when bandwidth or camera time is limited. Live chat and messaging allow brief check-ins, ongoing coaching, or shorter moments of support between sessions. These formats make it easier to maintain consistency and fit therapy into a busy life.