Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Depression
How Deborah works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LMHC
- Licensed in
- Florida
- Years in practice
- 22
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Deborah
Deborah Smart is a licensed mental health counselor with more than two decades of experience. She trained first in education and school counseling, then completed a master’s degree in mental health counseling. She brings warmth and steady guidance to sessions and focuses on helping people make practical changes.
She has worked in many counseling settings and focuses on stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, relationship and family concerns, grief, anger, and parenting challenges.
Background and approach
Deborah also supports people facing career shifts, midlife questions, and caregiving strain. She includes faith-based, Christian counseling when a client prefers that perspective. Her style is collaborative and direct.
Deborah helps people communicate from the heart and listen to understand. She teaches skills to manage strong feelings and to reduce conflict in day-to-day life. Sessions often include tools drawn from cognitive behavioral approaches, mindfulness, and emotion-focused work.
She also uses attachment ideas to help people understand how past patterns shape present reactions. In practical terms this means learning small steps that add up to steadier mood and clearer choices. Deborah aims to make scheduling flexible and to work around clients' routines.
She meets with adults who want honest conversation, practical strategies, and steady support through life changes and emotional pain.
What Deborah works with
Everything Deborah lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Deborah's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Intimacy-related issues
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Mood disorders
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Deborah lists
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Therapeutic approaches that translate well online
Deborah uses cognitive behavioral techniques to help people spot unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors. CBT often involves short exercises and homework that work well between video or phone sessions. Emotionally-Focused Therapy focuses on identifying and naming strong emotions, then shifting patterns of interaction and response to increase emotional connection and regulation. This approach helps with relationship-related distress and strong feelings that get in the way of closeness.Choosing the right method is collaborative. Deborah will listen to each person's goals and preferences, then suggest an approach or blend of approaches. Together they decide what to try first and adjust as progress is made, so therapy fits real life and real needs.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more convenient. Video is useful for longer work and skills practice, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and text or chat can support brief check-ins or ongoing coaching between sessions. These options let people fit counseling into busy days and maintain momentum during life transitions.
Questions people ask about Deborah
What kinds of concerns can be addressed here?
Deborah helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, anger, relationship and family issues, parenting challenges, career questions, bipolar mood concerns, and coping with life changes.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her approach is warm and collaborative. She focuses on clear communication, teaching practical skills, and helping clients take tangible steps forward.
How long has she been practicing?
She brings 22 years of experience working in a variety of counseling settings and with many different concerns.
What credentials and location information apply?
She is a Florida licensed mental health counselor, LMHC, and practices from Florida.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English only and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.
How does billing and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin therapy with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.