About Me
I am a licensed marriage and family counselor, practicing in the state of California. My focus is with individuals and couples. I have a bachelor's in Psychology, and a Master's in Clinical Psychology. I have 6 years of experience working with clients of varying ages, sexual orientations, ethnicities, and socioeconomic status. I work well with, but am not limited to; clients struggling with anxiety, depression, bipolar, and PTSD. I use a client centered, existentialist approach, which essentially means that I work with you to help you be the way you want to be. I listen to your needs, and work with you to set your own goals. I am not here to "fix" people, and I am not focused on changing people. Instead, I hope to assist you in your path toward life satisfaction, and to not be overwhelmed by your symptoms.
Specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
Addictions , LGBT , Family conflicts , Grief , Intimacy-related issues , Parenting issues , Anger management , Self esteem , Coping with life changes , Compassion fatigue , ADHD , Avoidant Personality , Read more...
Clinical approaches:
Client-Centered Therapy, Existential Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Focused Therapy
Services Offered
Messaging
Live Chat
Phone
Video
Licensing
LMFT #124809 (Expires: 2023-03-21)
Reviews
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Steven Smith. We don’t pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
I really like Steven a lot. I wanted someone who had an understanding and sympathy for alternative lifestyles, and he is very supportive an understanding. And he is very good at relating to you in a way the ayncs up with your own mental space. He's awesome.
Wonderful
Steven has always allowed me the space to vent & is very perceptive on when to step in & ask me to dig into something a little deeper to get to the root of the issue. He’s been vital to my mental health since I started meeting with him 7 months ago
I feel comfortable being myself with him. He provides a very comfortable non-judgemental space which gives me the ability to articulate well., and that's very important to me. He also seems like a very genuinely kind person, and I could not appreciate that more.
Steven is possibly one of the finest therapists I've encountered in my sixteen years of counseling and therapy. He is genuine, he listens, and he doesn't try to tell you how you should be living your life, or dish out positive-sounding but ultimately empty platitudes. I come away from my sessions grateful for having been able to speak myself, free of any judgment. I appreciate and respect his approach to therapy immensely.
Steven is a thoughtful person, who brings an immense amount of understanding and empathy — all while doing so in a way that that never exceeds his bounds as a professional. Rarely do you meet someone who manages to juggle an extremely proficient grasp on his field of expertise, while presenting it in a way that allows for anybody, especially those of us who are going through tough times and may not have the best frame of mind in the moment, to completely understand the points he’s trying to get across. His solutions are simple and un-intrusive to anyone’s lifestyle; he will only be as informed as you want him to be, all while doing his best to help you find a solution.
One of the first things he told me was a message of reassurance that we’d only expound upon my trauma as much as I would like to, and instead focus on finding a solution that would allow me to live a better life. That sums him up quite well: a solution finder, and a human being.
Great!
I appreciate that he checks how I'm doing in regards to progress and does check about areas I'm less confident on in terms of my progress. I also like that he encourages me to pursue activities I enjoy vs discouraging them because they may not lead to some of my primary goals.