Jennifer Smith
Practical support for parenting and family stress
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Experience
- 23 years
- Licensed in
- New Jersey
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Jennifer
Jennifer Smith helps parents and caregivers who are worried about their children and family stress. She speaks plainly and keeps sessions focused on practical steps. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, with 23 years of experience.
Her calm, steady manner aims to make starting therapy feel less intimidating. Jennifer began with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Ithaca College and then worked in a psychiatric hospital with patients of all ages.
Background and approach
She completed a Master of Social Work at Adelphi University and spent time in the New York City Early Intervention Program before moving into community mental health settings in New York and New Jersey. Those roles involved intake work, group therapy, and psychological testing.
Her background includes leadership in a small therapeutic school for grades 6-12 in Central New Jersey where she serves as Clinical Director. That setting exposed her to a wide range of concerns, including mood disorders, self-injury, and identity questions. She draws on these experiences when shaping treatment plans.
In sessions she combines several approaches rather than using one fixed method. She uses tools from cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy alongside attachment and client-centered methods. The goal is to match techniques to each person’s needs and day-to-day life.
Messaging is usually answered in the afternoons up to about 7pm, and weekends are not available. To begin, follow the site process to complete a brief matching questionnaire and schedule a first meeting.
Approaches that translate well to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT, focuses on clarifying values and taking small steps toward them while learning to accept difficult thoughts and feelings. It can help when stress, anxiety, or life changes make it hard to move forward.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, looks at patterns of thinking and behavior and teaches practical techniques to change unhelpful habits. It is often used for anxiety, depression, and problem-solving around family and parenting challenges.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, provides skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and clear communication. These tools can be useful when anger, impulsivity, or intense mood swings create family conflict.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will listen to your goals and try different methods together to see what fits. That collaborative process helps tailor techniques to a family’s daily life and priorities.
Online therapy offers flexible options such as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These formats make it easier to fit sessions into busy schedules, check in between meetings, and use skills in real time. The variety of session types supports continuity of care when in-person meetings are difficult.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Less about arguing with difficult thoughts, more about loosening their grip and acting on what matters to you anyway. Values and committed action carry the work, which suits conversation at a distance.
Attachment-Based Therapy
Looks at how early bonds shaped what you expect from closeness, and how that plays out now with a partner, a parent, or your own children.
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.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Eating and food-related issues
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 23 years
- Licensed
- New Jersey
- Languages
- English
Next step
Talk to Jennifer
- Takes a few minutes
- Nothing to set up just to look
- Stop at any point