Arkava Smith, LPMHC

Arkava Smith is a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) based in Delaware with 16 years of clinical experience. She helps people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, and struggles with addiction. She aims to make the first step less daunting by offering steady support while people explore change.

Her approach is straightforward and person-focused. Sessions offer space to talk through difficult thoughts and feelings without judgment. She listens closely and helps people identify small, practical steps they can try between meetings.

Arkava uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy tools. That means she pays attention to patterns of thinking, helps people find clearer choices, and teaches skills to manage intense emotions. Techniques are adapted to each person’s needs rather than applied the same way for everyone.

She has worked across many common concerns beyond mood and anxiety, including relationship strain, grief, sleep problems, parenting pressures, anger, self-esteem, bipolar mood issues, and ADHD. Additional focus areas include multicultural concerns, postpartum depression, prejudice and discrimination, and young adult challenges.

Sessions are offered in English and delivered online by video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules. Arkava emphasizes collaboration, helping people set realistic goals and track progress over time.

How CB T, DBT, and Person-Centered Care Work Online

CBT focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In sessions the therapist helps identify unhelpful thinking patterns and introduces practical exercises to test new ways of thinking and acting. This approach can help with anxiety, depression, and sleep issues.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy teaches skills for managing intense emotions and improving relationships. Typical work includes learning distress-tolerance methods, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills that can reduce reactivity and improve coping.

Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a supportive, empathic relationship. The therapist follows the client's lead, offers reflection, and creates a space where people can talk honestly about what matters to them.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, listen to preferences, and recommend techniques that fit a person’s needs. Treatment plans are adjusted over time based on what helps.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more accessible. Video is useful for a full conversation and visual cues, phone calls work well when bandwidth is limited, live chat can fit quick check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to schedule appointments around work, school, or caregiving responsibilities.