My Approach to Helping
Lisa Smith, LCSW. I offer a safe familiarity to open possibilities to life's issues. I am practical yet push a shared agenda to fray the stuck, transitional or chronic issue. I work with PTSD, SUD, process addictions, end of life, disassociation, depression and LGBTQIA+ to make it normal for you to be on your path.
I practice Problem Solving, Cognitive Behavioral, Internal Family Systems, complementary alternative medicine, harm reduction and integration for support psychedelics. I will introduce what is key features in these paradigms until we find what resonates with you. You showing up in a therapeutic milieu is an exciting step. We will work for you to feel better from our first session together. We will have an agreed upon take away for you to consider in between sessions. Your commitment to yourself will grow outside of the time we spend together.
I enjoy the entrenched over thinker. I invite you to find wiggle room in the super powers of ADHD. I enjoy the mature client who is carrying a medicine bag of life's tools and needs confidence to practice. All clients who are ready to prioritize and coordinate finding their "self" is an appreciated persona. I am unapologetic to offer harm reduction and integration for psychedelic medicines. Many are trying to follow the science of these illegal substances and I want to offer a space for discussion of harm reduction and integration.
Being heard in a safe, nonjudgmental space gives you a stable platform for guided healing. My voice is warm and direct. I have 30 years experience of walking through our shadow selves. Selves we can reconnect with love, humor and grace.
I was raised in a family of privilege with a strong sense of right and wrong. Foibles, depression, and anxiety were sources of blame and shame. Negative voices of other people's failure were normal. Support came at a cost of guilt at weakness. I discovered being supported and making small steps keep a little thing from lingering and growing. I am especially encouraged by the alternative therapies emerging. I feel antidepressants and mood stabilizers are not effective for everyone. I want to give access and information for individuals and couples to enjoy life.
Goals are easy to set because they represent what brought you to therapy. At the end of each session, we make a list of what the week will look like working towards your goal.
The first session is to get to know you and start a dialogue. It's the start of therapy and there will be suggestions for you to try to feel better.