Joel Schmidt, MA, Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Tama, Florida

VerifiedTelehealth Available

Professions: Mental Health Counselor

Languages: English

My Approach to Therapy

I help people who feel held back by anxiety—whether that’s fear of flying, driving, specific situations, or the everyday worries that never seem to let up. My style is straightforward and supportive. I use evidence-based approaches that give you practical tools for real life, and I’ll walk alongside you as you face the things that feel overwhelming. Together, we’ll work on building confidence, loosening anxiety’s grip, and creating space for the life you want to live.

My Practice & Services

Having done the work to overcome my own anxiety, you can be sure that if you're working with me, I get it, and I'll approach whatever you're dealing with with zero judgment. I'll start by getting to know you and getting a full assessment of what's going on. From there, we'll develop an individualized plan for tackling this issue and for getting out of fear, worry, and back into your life. The work can be a little hard at times, but we'll move at whatever pace is comfortable for you. I'm solution-focused in nature and use gold-standard approaches for treating anxiety (cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy). You'll learn new coping skills and new ways of interacting with unhelpful thinking that will allow you to gradually expose yourself to situations that might now feel too overwhelming.

Specific Issue(s) I'm Skilled at Helping With

I help people with specific fears, agoraphobia (fear of places or situations that causes you to avoid), social anxiety, intrusive thoughts (scary and unwanted thoughts), excessive worry, and panic attacks. Fear of flying, heights, driving, and enclosed places included! Aside from anxiety, I also help people moderate drinking and work on issues with relationships (dating, conflict in established relationships, communication difficulties, and so on).

My Role as a Therapist

When dealing with anxiety, my role as a therapist can take on many forms. I first listen to understand...and then plan, educate, coach, and provide some accountability. I provide structure and a safe and private environment for sharing things that you're afraid other people might not understand. Regardless of how long you've been struggling with anxiety, you're not broken - you just haven't figured this thing out yet...and that's where I come in.

The Duration and Frequency of Therapy

Typically, therapy takes place once per week for 50 minutes - 1 hour. Because I take solution-focused approach, I typically recommend attending sessions weekly (at least in the beginning) so we can start making progress as quickly as possible. The amount of sessions varies from person to person, but is ultimately up to you and when you feel you have all of the tools you need. I've worked with people who feel ready to complete in as little as a couple weeks and others who feel like they need a few months (or longer)...but average is somewhere in the 10-12 session range total.

Expertise & Specialties

Age Groups I Work With

TeensAdults

Groups I Work With

I most often work with adults who are are successful on the surface, but feel stuck when it comes to anxiety, relationship struggles, finding a healthy balance between career and personal life, or maladaptive coping (such as unhealthy levels of drinking). Many of my clients are professionals—executives, entrepreneurs, attorneys, business leaders, actors, athletes, and other high-achieving individuals who "have it all together" on the outside, but struggle with certain aspects on the inside. They often have a hard time knowing where to start or where to go, and are looking for a non-judgmental and private space to sort through some stuff.