Shelley Smith, LPC

Shelley Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Georgia. She brings thirteen years of clinical experience to her work and focuses on practical help for common struggles like stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, grief, and trauma.

Shelley sees each person as the expert on their own life and starts by listening. She aims to make the first sessions feel simple and clear, helping people set small goals and find steps they can try between meetings.

Her work uses approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, client-centered methods, and dialectical behavior therapy. She draws on different tools to match what a person needs, switching between skills practice, gentle exploration of past patterns, and short-term problem solving.

Shelley also supports people coping with relationship and intimacy questions, parenting stress, self-esteem struggles, and life changes. She works with issues tied to adoption and foster care, attachment, and family of origin concerns among others.

Sessions are available through video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging. Shelley helps people figure out which format fits their routine and goals so therapy can be practical and easier to keep up with.

To begin, a short matching questionnaire is used to schedule sessions according to therapist availability. Shelley aims to create a calm, straightforward space where people can try new skills and make steady progress.

How therapy approaches and online sessions work together

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and supporting a person's own goals. The therapist follows the person's lead, reflects what matters to them, and helps them clarify what they want to change. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thinking and behavior and teaches practical skills to reduce symptoms like anxiety or low mood. Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, builds skills in distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and better communication for people who struggle with intense feelings.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Shelley collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and daily life. That means trying skills-based exercises if those are helpful, or using more reflective work when past patterns are getting in the way. The plan can change as progress is made.

Online formats make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life. Video calls let people have a deeper conversation face to face. Phone sessions can be simpler when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging offer shorter check-ins and flexible ways to share thoughts between meetings. These options make it easier to practice skills and keep momentum over time.