Larissa Smith LCSW

I like to think of myself as an emotional engineer - I don't just follow a script to walk you through a set program. I evaluate your experience, your needs, and your goals for your life and tailor my approach to exactly that. Therapy with me is deeply personal, a little intense, very intentional toward your future, and we'll laugh quite a bit along the way. No matter what you're dealing with, I'm not intimidated nor stumped. Bring it on. I already think you're great and that whatever has you in distress does not affect your worth at all. We just need to get it off your back so you can reclaim your self.

I tend to be a bit playful, so we don't take things too seriously, but at the same time, stay focused on where we are heading. I believe that hard things and good things always come hand-in-hand, so I make sure we have plenty of good while we tackle the hard. I am a very visual thinker and am always coming up with imagery to convey a concept, so I'll use lots of that, which makes me good at helping you understand things in a new way.

• Texas, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, 65056

I got my degree in social work to help children in the foster care and adoption system, which I did for a few years, but always felt the pull to be more of a direct resource when an individual was emotionally struggling. I ended up getting additional training, thinking I would do therapy with children, but discovered a passion for helping women WHO WERE THOSE CHILDREN, and have ended up trying to navigate adulthood effectively despite having been shortchanged in their earlier years. For this reason, I have focused on understanding how early experiences shape us, what insight can actually help things to change, and on learning tools to make those changes really take place. So now, I know what to do.