Therapist profile
Kristen Smith, LMHC
Licensed Mental Health Counselor - Family and parenting focus
Continue with KristenAbout
- Client-centered approach
- CBT strategies
- DBT skills
About Kristen
Kristen Smith is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in Florida with 27 years of experience. She addresses concerns such as addictions, relationship and intimacy issues, trauma and abuse, depression, anxiety, stress, parenting strain, grief, and sleep or eating struggles. She also works with people facing career stress, ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, and compassion fatigue.
Kristen uses straightforward conversation to help people sort through problems. She treats clients as the experts on their own lives and focuses on strengths they already have. Sessions tend to center on practical steps and clearer ways to cope rather than long lectures or abstract theory.
Her background includes many years supporting adults through life changes like divorce, adoption and foster care issues, abandonment, and caregiving stress. She also brings experience with attachment concerns, family of origin issues, and challenges related to autism and personality concerns.
In sessions she combines client-centered methods with cognitive behavioral ideas and skills from dialectical behavior therapy. That mix aims to help people change unhelpful thoughts, practice new behaviors, and improve emotional regulation. Kristin keeps language plain and uses concrete tools clients can try between meetings.
People who choose her often want clear direction paired with respect for their own perspective. She works with individual adults in English and asks new clients to describe their immediate concerns so she can suggest a plan for moving forward.
How sessions work
How her approaches translate to online work
Kristen uses client-centered therapy to listen and reflect what matters to each person. That approach focuses on understanding the client's perspective and building on existing strengths, which helps when sorting out family or parenting stress.She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to identify unhelpful thoughts and try small behavioral changes. CBT is useful for anxiety, depression, and managing patterns that affect relationships and daily routines. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills are added when emotional regulation and distress tolerance become important; these skills offer concrete ways to reduce reactivity and cope with strong feelings.
Choosing an approach is collaborative. Kristen will work with the client to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences, and she may combine elements from different approaches as needs change.
If you want to know which session formats she offers, please confirm the current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into busy days, shorten a routine check-in, or reduce time spent traveling. Many people find that meeting remotely helps them keep continuity of care while balancing work, parenting, or caregiving responsibilities.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
27+ years
Listed in
Florida
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with adults on addictions, relationship and intimacy issues, trauma and abuse, depression, anxiety, parenting strain, grief, and related concerns listed in her profile.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is practical and person-focused. She treats the client as the expert on their life and uses plain language and tools to change thoughts and behaviors.
How much experience does she have?
She has 27 years of professional experience working with adults on a wide range of life and mental health issues.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor (FL LMHC) and practices in Florida.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she see international clients?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions paid for and what does cost look like?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin a first session?
Start by selecting the See online therapy options button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling the first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.