Rena Smith, LCSW

Rena Smith is a licensed clinical social worker with 23 years of practice in Louisiana. She combines practical tools with respectful listening to help people facing stress, anxiety, addiction, relationship trouble, and trauma. Her approach centers on clear steps people can use between sessions and on building strengths that already exist in their lives.

She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and client-centered techniques. That mix helps people notice unhelpful thoughts, choose actions that match their values, and feel heard while they work through hard things. Sessions focus on concrete skills and small experiments rather than long lectures.

Rena has worked across many concerns including grief, parenting strain, anger, career shifts, and coping with life changes. She also addresses issues such as codependency, family of origin problems, substance use, eating concerns, and obsessions or compulsions. Her work draws on practical strategies aimed at everyday problems.

People who come to her often want clear steps to manage anxiety, reduce cravings, or repair relationship patterns. She combines straightforward coaching with empathic listening to help people move forward. Progress is tracked with simple goals and short assignments between sessions.

Therapy can involve talk, skill practice, and goal setting tailored to each person’s situation. Rena conducts sessions in English and works with adults seeking help with the concerns listed. She bases treatment on what each person wants to change and how they prefer to work.

How evidence-based approaches translate to online care

Rena commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in online work. CBT helps people recognize unhelpful thoughts and practice new behaviors to reduce anxiety or manage cravings. ACT focuses on values and committed action so people can move toward what matters even when feelings are uncomfortable.

Finding the right method is part of the process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and try techniques to see what fits best. That collaborative approach means techniques can be adjusted as needs and preferences become clearer.

Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make care more flexible. Video sessions allow for deeper conversation and visual cues, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, chat is useful for shorter check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing exercises between meetings. These options make it easier to fit sessions into work, caregiving, or travel schedules while keeping treatment focused on practical steps and measurable progress.