Welcome! My name is Megan Smith, I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and have been in practice as a psychotherapist since 2018. My career in psychotherapy was sparked by her curiosity about how a person becomes who they are and what influences their trajectory in life, and has been driven by a passion to help others heal from afflictions and reclaim their lives. I specialize in treating trauma, complex trauma, PTSD, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and emotional dysregulation. I have specialized training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Polyvagal-Informed Therapy (PVT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Through working with a diverse array of populations and environments including Veterans, sexual assault survivors, domestic violence survivors, adults, adolescents, inpatient crisis stabilization, and outpatient therapy, I feel privileged to have gained the insight and tools to help people navigate through their healing journey, and work towards of a fulfilling life. My approach has been described as genuine, personable, and authentic. I prioritize creating a safe space that is necessary for self-exploration and work as a teammate with the client to meet them wherever they are in their journey. I like to take the time to understand what is important to the client, assessing the big picture, and developing a therapeutic plan to reach long-awaited recovery.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our initial sessions we begin by establishing a therapeutic relationship built on trust and explore the nature of the difficulties that bring you to therapy. I tend to preface the initial session with the statement, "if there is anything that I ask about that you don't want to get into today, that is perfectly fine and just let me know." I stand by that as I aim to respect where each client is at. Towards the end of the first session, I can provide my initial observations and introduce treatment options that may be most appropriate. We then work together to develop a therapeutic game plan to develop skills and address the underlying source(s) of the problems.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I believe my greatest strengths would likely be my ability to listen carefully and to tailor my approach based on what’s most helpful or relevant for you. I’d also say I’m adaptable and can meet you where you’re at, adjusting my tone and approach to fit your needs in the moment. Being non-judgmental and open to a wide variety of perspectives is a quality that is core to myself inside and outside of therapy. It is important to me that clients can feel comfortable sharing whatever’s on their mind, without fear of criticism. Some positive feedback that I have received from clients is that authenticity and warmth is conveyed in my approach. Clients have also found the structure of therapy helpful in seeing measurable progress and changes in their lives. I am grateful for the feedback that I have received, but I am a committed life-long learner and always strive to improve.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
Clients typically come to me with concerns such as, “I feel stuck and can’t get out of this cycle”, “I always seem to be in survival mode”, “I have no idea where to even start”, "will things every get better?", and more. Many issues such as traumatic or negative life events and hardships can leave clients struggling with self-doubt, low self-esteem, feeling unsafe, difficulty connecting with others, cycles of negative emotional and behavioral patterns, and relationship problems. I aim to serve as a guide to help clients embark on self-exploration, understanding, and healing. I enjoy working with clients at any stage of their healing journey- from having no idea where to begin, to having tried other therapy before, and anywhere in between. I believe I am a good fit for clients who desire some sort of structure in their therapy, and also allow flexibility. Although stress and hardship cannot be entirely avoided in life, there can be growth and a brighter future ahead. I would be honored to be a part of your journey.
About Megan Smith
Identifies as
Specializes in
Serves ages
Licensed in
Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
EMDR
EMDR has been extensively researched for its benefits in healing and recovery. I use EMDR to address a variety of clients issues impacting my clients' lives including past traumatic events, complex trauma, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and emotional dysregulation. It can be used to reduce distress surrounding past events and current-day triggers, as well as reframe negative thoughts that impede recovery. I have additional training and experience in using EMDR for nervous system dysregulation, PTSD, and recent traumatic events.
Cognitive Processing (CPT)
I was trained in CPT during my career with the Department of Veteran Affairs. CPT is extremely beneficial in addressing emotions and thoughts that keep clients stuck from recovering from traumatic events, long-term anxiety, depression, and more. I find CPT helpful particularly when a client is struggling with feelings such as guilt or shame. CPT also helps clients build the necessary skills to disrupt negative thought patterns and behavioral patterns. CPT is especially a great fit for clients that tend to be more analytic-type thinking.
Polyvagal Therapy
Polyvagal therapy is a framework for understanding and treating the dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS is directly involved in any type of emotional or somatic difficulties. I have used polyvagal therapy to help clients better understand their emotional responses, build skills to teach the nervous system to regulate again, and get out of survival or shutdown modes.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I have used CBT to help clients learn about themselves including their thought patterns, underlying sources of emotions, and behavioral patterns. By identifying the thoughts that lead to feelings and behaviors, we can learn to notice errors in thinking and change those thoughts, improving emotions and how we respond to them. CBT can be extremely helpful in treating anxiety, depression, and self-esteem.