Dr. Sonia Smith, LCSW

Dr. Sonia Smith is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-R) practicing in New York who brings a compassionate, advocacy-driven approach to clinical social work. She combines formal training as a certified Family Life Educator (NAD), informed therapist in Complicated Grief Treatment from the Center for Complicated Grief, an Empowerment Facilitator with 4 Real Women International Organization, Inc., and experience as a relationship life coach to support individuals, couples, and families facing complex life challenges.

With more than two decades of clinical experience, Dr. Smith has worked across a wide range of settings addressing prevention of child abuse and neglect, grief and bereavement, domestic violence, adolescent gang involvement, community violence, and trauma. Her practice focuses on family therapy, psychotherapy, and mental health counseling designed to help clients restore balance in relationships and overall wellbeing. She draws on skills that support healing from trauma, rebuild intimacy, manage stress and anxiety, and navigate life transitions including divorce, adoption and foster care, and end-of-life concerns.

Dr. Smith is an active advocate against social injustices that affect women, children, and families, and she centers that commitment in her clinical work. Guided by the motto "Mending the Broken and Healing the Wounded," she aims to create practical, strengths-based pathways toward recovery and resilience and looks forward to working with clients seeking meaningful change.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care with Dr. Sonia Smith

Dr. Sonia Smith uses client-centered therapy to prioritize the client's own experience and perspective, offering an empathetic, nonjudgmental space that helps people explore relationships, self-esteem, and life purpose. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is employed to identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, offering practical tools that can reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and addictive patterns. Motivational Interviewing supports clients who are ambivalent about change by building intrinsic motivation and setting achievable goals, which can be especially helpful for addiction and behavior change.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and will be decided collaboratively. Dr. Sonia Smith works with each client to assess needs, goals, and preferences and then tailors interventions to fit those priorities, adjusting strategies as progress is made.

Online therapy with Dr. Smith is available via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, providing flexible options to fit different schedules and life situations. These formats make it easier to maintain continuity of care, attend sessions from home or work, and access support when mobility, distance, or time constraints make in-person visits difficult.