Marlene Smith, LPC

Marlene Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in West Virginia who helps people manage stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, low self-esteem, and depression. She focuses on practical steps clients can use day to day. Her tone is straightforward and encouraging for someone taking a first step toward help.

She uses cognitive behavioral ideas to help clients spot thoughts and habits that keep problems going. She also draws on attachment-based and client-centered approaches to make sessions feel collaborative and respectful. Sessions are about concrete skills, clearer communication, and small changes that add up.

Marlene has three years of professional experience as an LPC. That time has included supporting people facing life transitions, divorce and separation, and issues linked to adoption and foster care. She also works with concerns such as body image, caregiving and aging questions, and coping after natural or human-caused disasters.

In sessions she prioritizes listening first, then working with each person to set realistic goals. She uses techniques from dialectical behavior therapy and emotionally-focused work when those tools fit the client's needs. Conversations tend to focus on improving daily coping, repairing communication, and building healthier patterns.

People who want practical steps and a respectful, collaborative approach may find her style helpful. She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.

Approaches that translate well to online work

CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, focuses on identifying thoughts and behaviors that add to stress and replacing them with more helpful patterns; it often uses short exercises and homework that fit well into remote sessions. Attachment-based therapy looks at how early relationship patterns affect current connections and communication, helping people understand and change those patterns during conversations and practice exercises. Client-centered therapy emphasizes a respectful, nonjudgmental space where the therapist follows the client's lead and supports their own problem solving and self-discovery.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful, then try methods that match those needs. That collaborative process helps tailor sessions to each person's situation and can shift over time as goals change.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls make it easier to meet face to face when schedules are tight, phone sessions can fit a quick check-in or work better when bandwidth is limited, and live chat or text messaging support shorter updates and ongoing problem-solving between sessions. These options help people fit therapy into busy lives and keep momentum on the work they want to do.