Danielle Smith LCSW

I know it can be so tough being a teenager. Between social media, bullying, and the back and forth of virtual and in-person school due to COVID it is understandable why so many teens struggle. I am trained in working with adolescents who experience anxiety, depression and other mental health issues and will be able to provide a space to talk about anything and everything judgment free. Along with providing a safe space, I will also teach healthy ways to cope and effective communication.

If you find yourself plagued with anxiety or panic attacks, I am here to help. With training in cognitive behavioral therapy I can help you identify unhealthy, irrational thoughts and behaviors that may be triggering your anxiety. From there, I will help you challenging these thoughts to create a healthier mindset and reduce your anxiety. I am also knowledgeable on many mindfulness/relaxation techniques which are proven to reduce anxiety.

I provide a safe space to process symptoms and situations that contribute to depression. Some of these may be loneliness, isolation, excessive crying, break ups, job loss, rejection, life transitions/changes, etc. I believe it is so powerful to speak about what is triggering depression to someone who is safe and non judgmental. From there, we can come up with healthy ways to cope and improve your mood so you can live a happier life.

You are in charge of your life, so create a narrative you are happy with! I will help you in doing just this by helping you identify your values and skills so you can effectively face current and future issues. We all have a certain narrative in our head about ourselves, our past, and our future; I can help you create a narrative you are happy and proud of.

I am a firm believer that our thoughts effect our feelings so if you are thinking more on the negative side, chances are you are also feeling pretty negative, i.e. depressed, anxious, hopeless. I want to help you identify your negative (and often times irrational) thoughts and beliefs so we can work together to challenge and reframe your thinking to be more positive (or at least realistic). By doing so, this can greatly improve your mood and overall wellbeing.

There are many things in life that are hard to accept. This is understandably so, but when we hold on to these things (i.e., events or people) we tend to feel pretty poor. The goal is not to take away the negative feeling but to learn to sit with those feelings without judgment and to be present with what life brings our way without letting it knock you down.