Colleen Canfield-Smith, LMHC - Therapist in New York

About Colleen

Colleen Canfield-Smith is a licensed mental health counselor who focuses on stress, anxiety, parenting, self-esteem, and mood concerns. She offers a calm, straightforward presence so parents can talk through day-to-day challenges and big transitions. Her style is warm and practical, aimed at helping people find tools that fit their life.

She draws on 21 years of experience in schools, hospitals, community agencies, and primary care settings. That background informs how she approaches parenting struggles, blended family issues, and young adult concerns.

Background and approach

Colleen also supports people coping with grief, anger, compassion fatigue, and attention-related difficulties such as ADHD. In sessions she blends client-centered listening with cognitive behavioral therapy and solution-focused techniques. Colleen uses mindfulness and relaxation exercises when they help, and she keeps language plain so parents can use strategies right away.

She treats each person as the expert on their life and works collaboratively to set small, achievable goals. Colleen holds a Master of Arts in counseling psychology and practices as an LMHC, license MA LMHC 6945 and NY LMHC 010541. Her approach emphasizes clear steps and steady support rather than long technical explanations.

She welcomes questions about how therapy might fit into a family’s routine. Therapy sessions are offered in English and delivered online through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Colleen is based in New York and brings practical experience and a pragmatic outlook to each appointment.

Approaches that translate well to online therapy

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding the person's perspective, helping parents and individuals feel heard and respected while they figure out priorities. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, teaches practical skills to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and is often used for anxiety, depression, and stress management.

Choosing the right approach is a cooperative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals and preferences, try methods that fit the situation, and adjust the plan together over time. This collaborative tuning helps match techniques to what actually helps in daily life.

Online sessions use video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. These formats let parents fit brief check-ins or longer sessions around family schedules, and they make it easier to use skills between meetings. Licensed professionals can guide mindfulness exercises, relaxation techniques, and solution-focused planning using these remote options, so practical help is available without extra travel.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Mindfulness Therapy

Attention training: noticing thoughts and physical feelings as they arrive without being carried off by them. Much of it is practice you do yourself, so guidance over video or audio works much as it would in person.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she work with?

She supports people facing stress, anxiety, parenting challenges, self-esteem and mood disorders, including depression and ADHD. Additional focus areas include family problems, blended family issues, grief, anger, social anxiety, and young adult issues.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

Her style is warm, practical, and collaborative. She listens with a client-centered stance and helps set small, realistic goals you can use between sessions.

What is her professional background?

She has 21 years of experience working in schools, hospitals, community agencies, and primary care settings. That variety informs how she approaches parenting and family-related struggles.

Which credentials and location are listed?

She is an LMHC with MA LMHC 6945 and NY LMHC 010541 and is based in New York.

What languages are supported?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

Therapy is available via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to accommodate different preferences.

How are costs and payments handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin if I want to work together?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to the therapist's availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Stress, Anxiety
Parenting issues
Self esteem

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 21 years
Licensed: Massachusetts, New York
Languages: English

Next step

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