Stephine Smith

I’m married 18 years, a mother to a 15 year old son and I've empathic, energetic and loves helping clients. Are you looking to reduce stress, feel calm, and enjoy your life again? Are you struggling with work, family, school, friendships, or self-esteem? I've worked with clients from all walks of life and assist clients develop emotional awareness, depression and anxiety management by teaching them alternative coping skills, communication and problem-solving skills so they can began to feel more in control of their emotions, feelings and behavior.

My approach

I approach therapy by listening to to understand my client's needs, wants & their concerns we then work to find solutions. I meet the client where they are, work at their pace to allow time to process feelings & gain insight into their lives & relationships. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & tools from IFS, EMDR, DBT & MI to help teach clients skills to alleviate stress, manage emotions, improve self confidence and find ways to feel stable. I provide homework to those who desire tools to work on between visits and help clients learn to understand, reframe negative self-talk, reduce excessive worry and improve your mood.

My focus

Clients seek me out for support to cope w/ anxiety, panic attacks, depression, trauma, stress & conflict management. Contact me if you need support because you're feeling overwhelmed & unsure how to cope or where to start on the journey to healing. Higher levels of stress & unhappiness can be temporary, with understanding & change. I'll provide a safe space & time specifically for you to share, explore & gain insight based on your goals.

My communication style

My approach to building a therapeutic, mutually respectful relationship involves empathy, compassion, humor, and normalize client feelings. I work to help clients know they are not alone and to tap into skills and strengths they've used in the past to manage life's challenges.

My journey to mental healthcare

I grew up in a rural community in Southeast Georgia. I felt awkward and sometimes alone because of social anxiety. After going away to college, all of those insecurities followed me, right into my first professional career opportunity. After I started therapy, I realized, that was the BEST DECISION I EVER MADE FOR MYSELF! If I could have told my younger self, its okay to feel different just keeping loving love yourself. Therapy was not what I expected; I found helped, support, unconditional understanding and was able build my confidence and develop tools to cope with life's challenges. I became a therapist to help others understand themselves and develop skills and tools to cope, find insight and self acceptance and know they are not alone.

My goals for you

I work with clients to identify goals based on their treatment needs and personal goals. I take a collaborative approach and develop goals which are realistic and helps develop skills to reach goals. Lastly, my approach is to encourage individuals to develop small, consistent changes in thinking, feeling, and behaving to help recognize their progress and gain hope that change is possible.

My first session with you

During the first session, we will meet for 60 minutes. Clients are allowed time to share openly and release the pressures of keeping things bottled up inside. I'll ask specific questions to help me gain insight about their treatment needs. The first visit is to work on building rapport and information gathering so that I know how I can best help meet your needs to develop goals.