Kristen Smith, LMHC

Kristen Smith is a Florida-licensed mental health counselor with 27 years of professional experience. She focuses on helping people navigate major life transitions and persistent concerns like anxiety, depression, and relationship challenges. Kristen emphasizes practical steps and steady support as clients work toward clearer goals and better day-to-day functioning.

Her approach begins by listening carefully to each person's story and strengths. She treats the client as the expert on their life and helps them build on what already works. Sessions are collaborative and goal-oriented, with attention to immediate problems and longer-term patterns.

Kristen uses straightforward tools drawn from client-centered work, cognitive behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy. She helps people reframe unhelpful thoughts, practice new coping skills, and improve emotional regulation. These methods are applied to issues such as addictions, trauma, grief, career strain, and identity concerns.

She also addresses concerns that often accompany midlife and other major life changes, including questions about purpose, relationship shifts, and caregiving stress. Kristen supports people dealing with parenting strain, sleep or eating problems, and challenges linked to ADHD or chronic worry.

Throughout therapy she focuses on small, doable changes and on building skills clients can use outside sessions. She invites clients to set clear, realistic goals and checks progress along the way. This practical, steady style aims to make therapy feel useful from the start.

How her approaches guide online therapy

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and collaboration. It helps people feel heard and guides each session around their priorities rather than a fixed plan.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions. It teaches practical exercises to shift unhelpful thinking and reduce anxiety or depression symptoms.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, offers skills for managing intense emotions and improving interpersonal effectiveness. It can be useful for regulation, stress, and recurring relationship conflicts.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Kristen will talk with clients about their needs, goals, and preferences and together decide which methods to emphasize. That collaborative planning helps shape a clear path forward and keeps sessions focused on what matters most to the client.

Confirm the specific session options before booking, as formats are not listed here. Online therapy can make fitting sessions into a busy life easier by reducing travel time and allowing sessions during breaks or from different locations. It also makes shorter check-ins and flexible scheduling more practical when needed, helping clients keep regular momentum between sessions.