What's My Approach to Therapy?
Heather N. Smith, M.Ed., is a licensed professional counselor supervisor in the state of Texas. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in counseling with a minor in psychology through Texas A&M-Commerce University. Heather continued her training and earned a master’s degree in community counseling from the University of North Texas (UNT) in August of 2007. She completed her postgraduate internship at Psychiatry and Counseling of Denton under the supervision of Dr. Wallace Townsend-Parchman, adult psychiatrist, and Dr. Brandy Schumann, licensed professional counselor supervisor. During this time, Heather successfully helped individuals with depression, anxiety, grief, anger, obsessive-compulsive (OCD), relationship concerns, bipolar, and personality conditions, among other presenting concerns.
In the summer of 2009, Heather obtained specialized training in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) by attending Dr. Aaron T. Beck's training seminar at the Beck Institute in Philadelphia, PA. In 2013, she obtained a supervisory license, which allows her to teach and oversee the development of licensed professional counselor associates.
In talk therapy, Heather takes a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach, which is a short-term therapy based upon scientific research. She aids her clients in talking through their concerns while helping them find the meanings behind their thoughts and how these meanings affect their feelings, decisions, and behaviors. During each session, Heather listens to her clients' concerns and actively helps them in discovering what changes they want to make and how to go about making those changes in their lives. Heather also teaches her clients how to work through their concerns outside of counseling, so that long-term counseling is rarely needed.