Brett Smith, LMFT

Brett Smith is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with 22 years in the field. He helps people who are overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship and intimacy concerns, and addiction-related problems. He also works with issues like jealousy, infidelity, body image, and parenting strain. His background includes military service and law enforcement work, which shaped his understanding of trauma.

Brett came into counseling after addressing his own PTSD following combat. That experience led him to focus on how trauma changes behavior and how symptoms can linger. Much of his clinical work has involved trauma symptoms and personality struggles, and he has carried those interests through emergency psychiatric assessment work in hospital settings.

His style in session is direct and practical. He often uses dialectical behavior therapy to teach emotion regulation and coping skills, and he adapts methods when a case calls for a different approach. Brett also incorporates hypnosis informed by Ericksonian and transformational ideas when appropriate.

He describes diagnostic skill as a strength informed by years doing emergency assessments. That experience contributes to clear treatment planning and straightforward conversations about what to work on next. He aims to help people untangle difficult patterns and find concrete ways to move forward.

Outside of work he sails, backpacks, kayaks, and trains dogs with his wife. He also shares educational videos on a public YouTube channel that illustrate topics he covers in session.

How Brett’s approaches translate to online care

CBT helps identify unhelpful thoughts and test them with real-life experiments. It is useful for anxiety, depression, stress, and behavior change. DBT teaches practical skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and clearer communication, which is helpful for intense emotions and interpersonal conflict.

Brett also uses hypnotherapy with Ericksonian and transformational ideas to access imagination and change how people respond to memories or strong feelings. That approach can be combined with talk-based work when a client wants a different route to shift habits or reactions.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. Brett will talk with each person about symptoms, goals, and preferences and then recommend which methods to try first. He adapts over time based on what helps most, so the plan often changes as progress is made.

Session formats are not specified here, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments around work, travel, or caregiving by cutting down commute time and allowing more flexible scheduling. It can also let sessions focus on skill practice between meetings and make follow-up check-ins simpler to arrange.