Daniel Smolen, LCSW

Daniel Smolen is a California licensed clinical social worker with 30 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship concerns. He hears parents and caregivers who feel overwhelmed and supports people coping with trauma, anger, social anxiety, and self-esteem issues. He also works with clients facing LGBT-related stress and problems connected to blended families and young adulthood.

Daniel uses straightforward, skills-based work. He favors Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and change behaviors that keep problems going. He also integrates Mindfulness Therapy to teach breathing and attention skills that reduce reactivity and improve focus.

Sessions are practical and collaborative. He asks about goals, then introduces simple tools to try between sessions. Progress is tracked in small steps so people can see what helps and what needs adjusting.

His experience includes caregiver stress, communication problems, post-traumatic stress, self-harm concerns, and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) related issues. He helps people build self-love and better communication patterns while managing strong emotions.

People meet him for a mix of skills practice, talk, and short exercises. He respects each person’s story and works at a steady, realistic pace. Daniel encourages small, sustainable changes that fit daily life.

How CBT and Mindfulness translate to online care

Daniel commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a method that helps people spot unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors to reduce anxiety and depression. It focuses on small experiments and homework so progress can be measured between sessions.

He also integrates Mindfulness Therapy, which teaches attention and breathing practices to lower reactivity and improve emotional awareness. These skills are useful for anger management, trauma symptoms, and daily stressors.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Daniel collaborates with each person to decide which methods feel most useful, then adjusts the plan based on goals and feedback. Clients try techniques in real life and review what worked in the next session.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, offering flexibility for different needs. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and screen-sharing for handouts. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit a break at work. Live chat and messaging suit quick check-ins, skill reminders, or shorter exchanges between sessions. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around a busy schedule.