Donna Smith, LMHC

Donna Smith is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) trained at the University of Rochester who brings 35 years of clinical experience to her practice in New York. As a master's-prepared clinician, she has worked across a variety of mental health settings and focuses her energy on one-on-one work that aims to enhance quality of life for individuals facing stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, grief, depression, addictions, trauma, parenting challenges, and many other life transitions.

She blends a compassionate, client-centered stance with practical therapeutic skills drawn from approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Emotionally-Focused Therapy. Creative writing is a parallel passion that she integrates into her work when appropriate, viewing personal stories as a way to illuminate values, patterns, and the hopes clients carry forward. Donna describes her role as a guide who partners with people to clarify goals, explore options, and move toward the future they imagine.

Donna offers a genuine, open, trusting, and hope-filled connection and is committed to walking alongside clients while sharing the experience and skills she has developed over her career. If posted appointment times do not match a client’s needs, she welcomes a message to discuss alternative scheduling and will do her best to accommodate requests.

Therapeutic Approaches for Online Sessions

Donna Smith draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which helps people clarify personal values and take committed actions even when difficult thoughts and feelings arise. This approach can be useful for clients coping with anxiety, grief, or major life transitions because it focuses on meaningful direction rather than symptom elimination alone.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a structured method that addresses unhelpful thinking patterns and teaches practical skills for managing mood, stress, and behaviors. CBT is often applied to issues like depression, anxiety, and coping with change. In addition, Donna incorporates Client-Centered Therapy principles, offering a warm, nonjudgmental partnership that emphasizes empathy and the client’s own capacity for growth.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process; Donna collaborates with each person to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences. Licensed professionals and therapists can adapt these approaches for remote work, tailoring techniques to the individual. Online sessions by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging provide flexibility and accessibility, making it easier to fit therapy into daily life and maintain continuity of care from different locations.