Jessica Smith

(she/her)

LCMHC, 17 years of experience
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New to Grow

VirtualAvailable

While I enjoy using humor in therapy, my leading characteristic is curiosity. According to researchers, it is impossible to feel angry or anxious when you are also feeling curious. Using that curiosity together, I seek to collaborate with my clients as they begin a self reflective journey to explore themselves and the ways they became stuck with those issues they bring to therapy. I use evidenced-based practices to support my clients through this journey where they gain insight into themselves as they work to achieve their goals.

Get to know me

In our first session together, here's what you can expect

In our first session, we complete a diagnostic assessment which allows me to understand the clinical part of the puzzle. Afterwards, I talk with clients about the more personal perspective of the issues that motivated them to come to therapy. With these discussed, we then consider how to tackle those problems using methods from my clinical toolbox. In the first session, clients will have an idea of how we will move forward in treatment to achieve their goals.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

Clients describe me as straightforward, fun, caring and knowledgeable. Honestly, I want all of my clients to live the life that is truly fulfilling for them.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

Clients who work best with me are motivated to explore themselves through experiential activities both in session and outside of the session. My clients are open to being curious about themselves and seek to identify the barriers to living the life they want. My clients enjoy being collaborative and teaming together with me to explore creative ways of overcoming the identified barriers and achieving their treatment goals.

Specialties

Top specialties

Addiction

Trauma and PTSD

Other specialties

Anxiety

I identify as

Serves ages

Licensed in

Accepts

Location

Offers in-person in 315 1st Ave NW, Hickory, NC 28601, 203

Virtual

My treatment methods

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i)

I have successfully been treating insomnia and other sleep disorders using CBT methods for the previous 8 years. Sleep disturbances negatively impact every single area of your life and the good news is that it doesn't have to be a problem any longer. While I cannot treat sleep disorders that are medically motivated, I can successfully treat those, including insomnia, that don't have a medical basis. For those sleep disturbances that do have a medical foundation, I can work alongside your medical provider to ease the negative impacts the medical condition may have on your ability to get a good night's rest.

Acceptance and commitment (ACT)

I have been using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help my clients with a variety of mental health and substance related issues for the past 10 years. This treatment is an experiential treatment, meaning it is active and engaging for both you and me. We will work together to explore those areas of your life where you are struggling most and identify the barriers to overcoming those struggles. It is important to me that my clients reach their goals in therapy and I have successfully used ACT to help my clients live the lives they have been wanting to live instead of the limited lives they feel they are forced to live because of their struggles.

Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)

Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) is widely used for OCD, phobias and Panic Disorder. I often use ERP to help my clients overcome the suffering that is inherent with these anxiety disorders.

Prolonged Exposure Therapy

I spent the previous decade working primarily with first responders and military veterans using Prolonged Exposure (PE) to treat a variety of traumatic experiences those who serve experience regularly. This treatment is straightforward and effective at alleviating the profound mental and physical suffering PTSD causes.

Brainspotting

Brainspotting is commonly considered a variation of EMDR and is used to treat a variety of issues, including trauma, mood disorders and compulsions. Brainspotting is effective for clients who experience a heightened degree of physical symptoms resulting from their mental health struggles. However, it can be used even if there are not any physical symptoms present.

New to Grow
This provider hasn’t received any written reviews yet. We started collecting written reviews January 1, 2025.