DeAnna Smith, LMFT

DeAnna Smith is a licensed marriage and family therapist who focuses on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and related approaches. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, relationship strains, parenting challenges, and changes in life that feel overwhelming. DeAnna aims to meet each person where they are and build practical steps forward.

She brings 20 years of experience in mental health counseling. That background includes helping people cope with self-esteem issues, infidelity, multicultural concerns, and HIV/AIDS related stress. Her way of working centers on understanding what matters to the client and using that to guide therapy.

Sessions are collaborative and straightforward. DeAnna uses CBT techniques to identify unhelpful thinking and to try new behavior. She also draws on Emotionally-Focused ideas to help people notice and name emotions, and client-centered methods to follow each person's goals.

Parents who feel drained or stuck can expect concrete strategies for handling parenting stress and everyday conflicts. People worried about relationships can work on communication skills and steps to rebuild trust. The therapist focuses on small, measurable changes that add up over time.

DeAnna keeps language clear and practical in sessions. She helps clients set short-term goals and checks progress regularly. The emphasis is on useful tools people can use between sessions to manage anxiety, improve relationships, and build self-love.

How CBT and Emotion-Focused Work Translate Online

DeAnna uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice thinking patterns and try new behaviors, which can be very practical in remote sessions. Exercises like thought records, goal setting, and behavioral experiments translate well to video, phone, or messaging formats. Client-centered methods guide the pace of therapy and keep sessions focused on what the person wants to achieve.

Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people name and move through feelings that get in the way of connection and decision making. In online work this often looks like guided conversation to identify emotions, step-by-step coaching on expressing needs, and homework that builds emotional awareness between sessions. The therapist treats finding the right approach as a collaborative process and will help figure out which methods fit best for the client's goals and preferences.

Online sessions offer flexibility for busy lives. Video calls are useful for face-to-face interaction and practicing communication skills. Phone sessions can be easier when video is not possible and use less bandwidth. Live chat or text messaging work well for short check-ins, skill practice, and support between longer sessions. These options make it simpler to keep therapy consistent while fitting appointments into daily routines.