About Brian
Brian Smerdon is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with 11 years of experience. He focuses on stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, self-esteem, and coping with life changes. He frames clients as the experts in their own stories and looks for strengths to build on.
He encourages people who take the first step toward therapy and recognizes that starting can feel hard. In sessions he uses approaches that include client-centered work, cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and psychodynamic ideas.
How Brian works
He blends practical skills with chances to talk about patterns and feelings. This can mean learning small behavior changes, practicing awareness skills, or reflecting on how past experiences shape reactions. Brian has worked across multiple settings over his career and brings that variety into a straightforward, supportive style.
He often helps people address both immediate problems and longer-standing concerns. That includes working through grief, questions about life purpose, and stress that comes from caregiving or major life transitions. People can expect clear language, direct skill-building, and a focus on what matters to them.
He adapts sessions to each person’s needs and preferences. The goal is to make therapy feel useful and manageable rather than overwhelming. He offers sessions in Florida and conducts work in English.
His practice includes video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.
Brian lists 7 ways of working on the entry:
What Brian works with
The areas below are the ones Brian selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Personality disorders
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
Training and background
| Register | LMHC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 11 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Florida |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How his approaches translate to online therapy
Client-centered therapy centers the person and their goals, so sessions focus on listening and responding to what matters most to the client. This helps when someone needs empathy, validation, and a collaborative plan for change. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches concrete skills to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, making it useful for anxiety, stress, and coping with life changes. Mindfulness Therapy trains awareness of thoughts and sensations, which can reduce reactivity and help with grief, trauma symptoms, and everyday stress.Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. He works together with each person to choose techniques that match their goals, energy, and preferences. That could mean emphasizing skill practice one week and reflective conversation the next. The plan adjusts as progress is made.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls allow face-to-face interaction and visual cues. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be easier during a busy day. Live chat and text messaging offer brief check-ins and ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a schedule and keep momentum between meetings.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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