Donna Smith, LMHC

Donna Smith is a licensed mental health counselor with 35 years of experience who helps people dealing with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, addictions, and relationship concerns. She works with issues around parenting, intimacy, self-esteem, ADHD, and the effects of trauma and abuse. Donna brings a calm, encouraging presence and a belief that people can change how they think and act to improve everyday life.

She trained at the University of Rochester and holds an NY LMHC license. Over decades in varied mental health settings, she chose to focus on one-on-one work that aims to raise a client's quality of life. Writing and creativity are part of her approach; she often draws on storytelling as a way to clarify values and goals.

In sessions she aims to be a guide rather than an authority. She partners with clients to set goals and pick tools that fit their lives. Techniques come from acceptance and commitment ideas, cognitive-behavioral work, mindfulness, and emotion-focused practices depending on the issue.

Donna emphasizes building a trusting, nonjudgmental relationship. She supports people coping with family of origin issues, communication problems, abandonment concerns, and complicated life transitions. Her style is practical and warm, with attention to everyday habits and thought patterns that shape feelings and behavior.

She encourages clients to treat therapy as a collaborative journey. If the timing or schedule is a concern, she asks prospective clients to message her so they can explore options together.

How therapeutic approaches guide online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that match their values. It is useful for stress, anxiety, and making changes that matter day to day.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It gives practical tools to change thinking patterns and build healthier habits for depression, anxiety, and coping with life changes.

Finding the right approach is part of the process, and the therapist will work with clients to decide what fits best. That choice is collaborative: goals, preferences, and the problems at hand shape which techniques are used and how they are blended.

Confirm the current online session options before booking so you know what formats are offered. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and let people join from a quieter location without travel time. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT and CBT techniques to work well in remote sessions while focusing on thoughts and everyday habits that influence daily life.