PuttingFamilyFirst

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VS Portrait of Vanessa Smith
Online therapist

Vanessa Smith

Compassionate, practical support for family life

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Credentials
LPC, LCSW
Experience
6 years
Licensed in
Louisiana, Texas, Virginia
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Vanessa

Vanessa Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Louisiana. She combines a human-centered approach with practical tools to help people facing stress, anxiety, addictions, grief, low self-esteem, depression, relationship and family concerns, parenting challenges, trauma and abuse, bipolar disorder, and major life changes.

Vanessa has six years of clinical experience and draws on that time to offer steady, straightforward support. She describes her style as warm and interactive.

Background and approach

Sessions focus on listening first, then working together to name small, usable steps. Vanessa helps people notice patterns, try new coping skills, and build routines that feel manageable. She also uses focused techniques when needed, such as strategies from cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing.

Parents often seek her help when routines or family dynamics feel out of balance. She talks through real-life stressors and helps create strategies that fit family life. Vanessa also supports people coping with substance use and grief, aiming to restore daily functioning and a sense of purpose.

Her approach values the person’s own goals and strengths. Clients are invited to steer sessions while the therapist offers tools, feedback, and encouragement. This collaborative rhythm guides work on immediate problems and longer-term changes.

Vanessa offers sessions through video calls, phone, live chat, and text messaging. All work is conducted in English and follows her scope as an LPC and LCSW in Louisiana.

How therapy approaches translate to online care

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and supporting the person’s own goals. In practice the therapist reflects back what matters and helps clients make choices that fit their life. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect and teaches simple skills to change unhelpful patterns; it is often used for anxiety, depression, and stress.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to see which methods feel most useful. That means adjusting techniques and pacing to match goals, comfort, and day-to-day demands rather than using a one-size-fits-all plan.

Online sessions use video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase flexibility. These options make it easier to fit sessions around parenting schedules, work, and other responsibilities. Online formats also allow quick check-ins, practice between sessions, and a way to keep steady progress when life gets busy.

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.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Vanessa commonly address?
She works with stress, anxiety, addictions, grief, self-esteem, depression, relationship and family issues, parenting problems, trauma and abuse, bipolar challenges, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue. Additional focuses include drug and alcohol addiction and life purpose work.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Her style is warm and interactive with a person-centered focus. Sessions emphasize listening first, then trying practical steps together.
What is her background and experience?
She holds two credentials, Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and has six years of clinical experience working with a range of mental health concerns.
Where is she licensed and based?
She practices in Louisiana and holds the credentials LPC and LCSW. License identifiers provided are TX LPC 92021 and TX LCSW 111588.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to match different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience
6 years
Licensed
Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas
Languages
English

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