Nicholas Smith, LCPC

Nicholas Smith is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) with 13 years of experience. He focuses on helping people who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure how to move forward. He listens for what matters to each person and helps them take small, clear steps toward change.

Nicholas uses straightforward conversations to map how thoughts and habits affect feelings and behavior. He helps people notice unhelpful thinking patterns and try out different responses. Sessions aim to build practical skills as well as clearer sense of direction and values.

His background includes work at a student counseling center, an inpatient psychiatric unit, a drug and alcohol addiction treatment center, and private practice. Those settings shaped a flexible approach to many concerns, from addiction and mood struggles to relationship and career stress.

He draws on several well-known methods, including cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment ideas, dialectical behavior skills, existential questions, and mindfulness practices. Nicholas adapts those tools to each person's situation rather than relying on a single method.

People meet with him by video, phone, live chat, or text messaging. He works from Illinois and conducts sessions in English. Getting started involves completing a short matching questionnaire and scheduling a time that fits your availability.

How CBT, ACT and DBT can work online

CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, helps people notice unhelpful thinking patterns and try out more constructive responses. It often includes short exercises and homework that translate well to video or messaging formats. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on identifying personal values and taking committed action even when emotions are difficult. ACT uses mindfulness and practical experiments that can be practiced between sessions. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, teaches emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills in simple steps that can be introduced in sessions and reinforced with messages or worksheets.

Finding the right mix of methods is part of the work together. Nicholas will collaborate with each person to choose approaches that match their goals, daily life, and comfort with different formats. That decision is reviewed as therapy progresses so the plan stays useful and realistic.

Online therapy offers flexibility for busy schedules and varying needs. Video calls allow a face-to-face conversation, phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit a work break, and live chat or text-based messaging make brief check-ins and skill practice easier between meetings. These options help people keep momentum while fitting therapy into ordinary routines.