Barrett Smith LMSW

My primary therapeutic approach is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) because I have found a personal home there. I've spent so much time wrapped up in my head. Swimming deeply in thoughts of what was, could've been, or could be that I couldn't live a fulfilling and meaningful life in the moment. ACT has helped me find the courage and skills to embrace the present, even when it's not pretty, and live into the person I want to be now and in the future.

I am deeply client-centered, so I help each of my clients explore what is most important to them (their values) and goals that help mark their journey towards deeper embodiment of their values.

Progress is a tricky concept. Age may be linear, but living well is not. We all go through cycles, stepping forward and backward countless times in life. It's utterly universal. Work with me doesn't mean that symptoms disappear and you're always happy. In fact, that would probably be a sign of dissociation from reality and suppression of emotions! Feeling sad or angry is sometimes essential to good living! Instead, I mark progress by the ability of clients to avoid avoidance and improve their ability to make values-driven decisions amidst whatever emotions or circumstances they find themselves in.

• Georgia, LMSW, MSW010227

With ten years of social work and nonprofit experience, I have come alongside people with diverse backgrounds, challenges, and values to help develop meaningful and lasting individual, community, and system change. As a clinical social worker, I seek to embody anti-oppression, affirm all identities, and prioritize sustainable, just, and holistic system change.