Jacquie Smith
I bring over 25 years of experience as a medical LCSW, with a background in palliative care and oncology social work. Throughout my career, I have supported individuals navigating complex medical challenges, significant life transitions, loss, and uncertainty. In more recent years, my work has expanded into providing therapy that integrates a range of approaches, including relational therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Interpersonal Neurobiology, Polyvagal-informed care, and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) (offered outside of Grow). My approach is holistic and responsive, drawing from these modalities to meet each client’s unique needs and support meaningful, lasting change.
First session
In our first session, I focus on getting to know you and understanding your background, current concerns, and the challenges you’ve been navigating. We’ll explore what strategies or tools you’ve used in the past to cope with difficult experiences, as well as what has or hasn’t been helpful. This initial meeting is also an opportunity to begin building a trusting therapeutic relationship. Together, we’ll collaborate on a care plan that reflects your needs, values, and goals, with the intention of supporting meaningful progress and personal growth.
Strengths
My greatest strengths are compassionate listening and supportive problem-solving. I offer a space where clients can bring their full emotional experience, including the most difficult and painful feelings, and be met with presence, understanding, and validation. I believe that being human is inherently complex, and that healing happens most effectively in connection with others. No one is meant to navigate life’s challenges alone. My role is to walk alongside you, helping you feel heard, supported, and empowered as you move through your experiences.
Ideal clients
I work with adults and older adults navigating periods of transition and change in their lives. This may include adjusting to new life stages, shifting roles, health changes or facing uncertainty about the future. I support individuals experiencing challenges such as grief, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and existential concerns, offering a space to process, reflect, and move forward with greater clarity and resilience.
Treatment methods
Compassion-Focused
Compassion-focused therapy helps people who struggle with shame, self-criticism, or low self-worth. It teaches skills to cultivate self-compassion, emotional regulation, and a sense of inner safety. Techniques often draw from psychology, neuroscience, and mindfulness practices to help clients respond to themselves with kindness rather than judgment.
Relational
Relational therapy focuses on how a person’s relationships—past and present—shape their emotional life and patterns of behavior. The therapeutic relationship itself is a key tool, used to explore trust, connection, and interpersonal dynamics. Clients gain insight into how they relate to others and develop healthier ways of connecting.
Grief Therapy
Grief support therapy provides a safe space for individuals coping with loss—such as the death of a loved one, relationship endings, or major life changes. It focuses on processing emotions, honoring the loss, and gradually adjusting to life afterward. The approach is typically gentle and client-led, recognizing that grief has no fixed timeline.
Solution-Focused Brief Treatment
Solution-focused therapy is a goal-oriented, future-focused approach. Rather than dwelling on problems, it emphasizes strengths, resources, and what’s already working. Clients are encouraged to identify small, practical steps toward their desired outcomes, building momentum and confidence through achievable change.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
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Licensed in
- CaliforniaLicense 101515