Dr. Marie Smith , LMHC, LPC

Dr. Marie Smith brings 25 years of counseling experience to her work in Louisiana. She holds the LMHC and LPC credentials and focuses on helping people who feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, loss, relationship strain, or life transitions. Her style is direct and practical, aimed at making day-to-day life more manageable.

She has worked in schools, hospitals, clinics, and correctional settings across the age span. That background means she is comfortable talking about school and career transitions, caregiver stress, and challenges that trace back to childhood experiences. She also supports people dealing with trauma, grief, addiction, and adjustment after separation or other major life changes.

In sessions she uses straightforward methods drawn from client-centered care, cognitive behavioral tools, mindfulness, DBT skills, and trauma-focused approaches. Those methods are used to build coping skills, manage intense emotions, and change unhelpful patterns. The focus is on small, concrete steps clients can try between meetings.

She often helps people who are navigating adoption or foster care concerns, attachment issues, or the long-term effects of early abandonment. She also works with parents and young adults facing school or career planning problems.

Dr. Smith speaks English and practices from Louisiana. She offers a range of remote session formats so people can fit counseling into busy lives and schedules.

Approaches that translate well to online care

Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and building a collaborative relationship so people feel heard and understood; it helps with motivation, life decisions, and rebuilding confidence. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to reduce anxiety and depression. Dialectical Behavior Therapy teaches specific emotion-regulation and interpersonal skills to manage intense feelings and impulsivity.

Choosing the best approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, symptoms, and daily routines and then try methods that fit those needs. That process can include trying a skill in one session and adjusting course in the next so the plan keeps evolving with the client's progress.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make counseling more flexible. Video calls let people use visual cues and longer conversation. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging are useful for brief check-ins, coaching, or when a shorter exchange fits into a work break or busy day. These options make it easier to schedule regular meetings and to practice skills between sessions.