LMHC, 10 years of experience
New to Grow
Welcome! I would like to take a moment and commend you for taking the first step towards improving yourself. My name is Nona Smatrakaleva and I am a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida. For the past decade, I have worked with adults who have experienced difficulties with mental health and/or substance use issues. I would like to invite you into a safe and compassionate environment where you can feel heard and supported. My goal is to empower you and guide you towards personal growth, self-compassion, and a more fulfilling blissful life. Together, we will explore where you would like to be in the next chapter of your life and what makes your life worth living. I look forward to guiding you on your journey to a better self.
As we embark on this journey together towards a better you, it's important that we get to know each other. During our first session, we will discuss the nature of therapy, what your expectations may be, and the role I will play as your therapist. You will have the opportunity to share challenges you are currently facing and information about your life. This will allow us to build a rapport and work on identifying goals you want to work on during this process.
My greatest strength as a therapist is meeting you where you are and helping you get to where you want to be. I aim to empower my clients to be active participants in their therapeutic journey, while providing them with realistic tools to manage life's challenges. I believe that people get stuck and therapy helps them find new ways to move forward in their journey. I will provide you with guidance, while we work together to explore the root cause of your challenges, increase your self-awareness, and strengthen your coping skills.
In my experience as a therapist, I have often encountered clients who express that they are broken and need to be fixed in order to move forward with their life. You may even feel the same way. However, I have never believed any person to be broken; rather, people may become stuck in cycles that negatively impact their lives and need help getting unstuck. My approach to therapy is being honest and transparent with clients in a caring and compassionate way. I value the importance of the client-therapist relationship and the role it plays in the therapeutic process. I offer a warm, nonjudgmental space where we’ll slow things down, clarify what’s most important to you, and build on your strengths. Through my ten years of experience, I have helped adults struggling with depression, anxiety, mood swings, trauma, substance use, grief and loss, self-esteem, and relationship issues. If you’re ready for support, I’ll meet you where you are and help you take the next step.
My main approach to therapy is mainly based on cognitive behavioral therapy. As Shakespeare wrote, "there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so," which captures how I see the connection between thoughts and experience. I focus on the relationship between feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and actions, and I work with my clients to explore small, practical shifts in any of these areas to help them move toward their goals.
I am a DBT-informed therapist. I draw on DBT to teach practical core skills that help clients manage intense emotions, tolerate distress, and navigate challenging situations with confidence. I support clients in accepting where they are and empower them to make positive changes by practicing new skills and behaviors.
I use Solution-Focused Brief Therapy to identify and build on the client's existing strengths while setting clear, measurable goals. I believe clients already have the resources and skills to create meaningful change, and I partner with them to notice, strengthen, and use those resources to move toward their preferred future.
I utilize Motivational interviewing to help the client explore ambivalence about change, therapy, and to increase their motivation for making positive lifestyle modifications as the outcome of their treatment depends largely on the client's willingness to engage in this process.