PuttingFamilyFirst

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TS Portrait of Timi Smart
Online therapist

Timi Smart

Practical, compassionate support for parents and caregivers

Credentials
LCSW
Experience
14 years
Licensed in
Tennessee
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Timi

Timi Smart is a licensed clinical social worker who draws on person-centered care to support people through hard moments. She uses straightforward talk, practical tools, and steady listening to address stress, anxiety, grief, depression, parenting questions, family tensions, and life changes. Timi keeps language plain and focuses on what matters to the person in front of her.

She has 14 years of direct therapy experience and many years working in social work settings.

Background and approach

Before becoming an LCSW Timi worked across health and community settings. Her background includes work with cancer care, dementia and older adults, hospice, long-term care, hospitals, and adoption and foster care situations. That variety shaped a practical approach to everyday problems and complex life transitions.

Timi blends client-centered work with evidence-based tools like cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness. She also uses motivational interviewing and solution-focused techniques when helpful. In sessions she helps people name patterns, try small changes, and build coping skills that fit their daily life.

She is experienced supporting parenting concerns, caregiver stress, blended family issues, and relationship communication problems. Other clinical focuses include trauma and abuse, sleeping problems, anger, self-esteem, ADHD, chronic illness and pain, and bereavement. Timi practices in Tennessee as LCSW TN LCSW 0007605.

She speaks English and offers therapy using multiple online formats. If a parent or caregiver is unsure where to start, she aims to make the first steps simple and clear.

Approaches that translate well to online therapy

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding the person's priorities. The therapist follows each person's lead, offers empathy, and helps clarify goals; this approach supports issues like parenting stress, grief, and relationship communication.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect. It teaches concrete techniques to test unhelpful thoughts and try small behavior changes, which can help with anxiety, depression, sleeping, and coping with life changes.

Mindfulness therapy brings attention to the present moment and simple awareness exercises. These short practices can reduce reactivity to stress and support emotional regulation in everyday life.

Finding the right approach is a shared process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals and preferences, try methods that seem likely to help, and adjust as needed. That collaborative process helps clients find tools that fit their routines and parenting roles.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. These formats let people connect from home, fit short sessions around busy days, and use written tools between sessions. For many parents and caregivers, the variety of online options makes it easier to keep progress moving while managing family responsibilities.

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 kinds of concerns does this therapist address?
She helps with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, parenting and many family or life transition concerns. Other areas include trauma and abuse, sleeping problems, anger, self-esteem, ADHD, and caregiver stress.
How would you describe the therapy style?
The approach is person-centered, with practical tools added as needed. Techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused work are used to support change.
What is her professional background?
She has 14 years of direct therapy experience and long experience in social work settings that included hospice, hospitals, adoption and foster care, and care for older adults.
Where is she licensed and practicing?
She is licensed in Tennessee as LCSW TN LCSW 0007605 and provides services from that state.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Sessions are available by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How are fees and payment handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What should I do to begin working together?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Next step

Talk to Timi

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