Marlene Smith, LPC

Marlene Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in West Virginia with three years of clinical experience. As an LPC she holds a professional license to provide counseling and mental health support, and she focuses on helping people navigate stress, anxiety, relationship challenges, motivation struggles, low self-esteem, building self-confidence, and symptoms of depression.

Marlene takes a collaborative approach, working with each person to create an open, nonjudgmental space where thoughts and feelings can be expressed and explored. She aims to understand the situations that bring people to therapy and to tailor conversations and strategies to each individual’s needs and goals.

Beginning therapy can feel difficult, and Marlene acknowledges the courage it takes to start. She supports clients through those first steps and through ongoing work, offering practical guidance and empathetic listening as clients work toward greater resilience, clearer communication, and improved emotional well-being.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns of connection and trust formed in early relationships and explores how these patterns show up in current relationships. This approach can help people who struggle with closeness, separation, or recurring relationship conflicts by increasing understanding of emotional needs.

Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a supportive, empathic relationship where the therapist follows the client's lead and helps people find their own solutions. It is useful for addressing concerns such as low self-esteem, motivation, and life transitions by fostering self-exploration and personal growth.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers practical tools to identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors that contribute to anxiety, depression, and stress. CBT provides structured strategies for coping and problem solving, often pairing insight with concrete skills.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the work and Marlene will collaborate with each client to determine what fits best based on their needs, goals, and preferences. This collaborative process helps tailor sessions and techniques so the care feels relevant and effective.

Online therapy with a licensed professional offers flexibility for different schedules and life demands. Sessions can take place by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, making it easier to access consistent support from home, work, or on the go. The variety of formats allows clients to choose the communication style that feels most comfortable while staying connected to regular therapeutic progress.