About Lance
Dr. Lance Smith is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 25 years of clinical experience. He helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and family problems, addiction, trauma, grief, and a wide range of intimacy and parenting concerns.
He also supports work on ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, anger, self-esteem, and coping with life changes. Dr. Smith aims to create a calm, respectful space where people feel heard and understood.
How Lance works
He listens closely and uses clear, practical steps to help people talk through what’s most troubling. Sessions focus on small, doable changes and clearer patterns in thinking, feeling, and relating. His approach blends Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy among other methods.
That mix lets him address relationship patterns, personal goals, and thought habits that get in the way. He also pulls from the Gottman Method and Solution-Focused Therapy when those tools fit the person’s goals. Dr.
Smith holds the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist credential. He practices in California and has practiced for many years across settings. He brings long experience supporting people through trauma and abuse, grief and end-of-life concerns, multicultural issues, and complex family-of-origin dynamics.
People who choose him can expect straightforward conversation, collaborative goal-setting, and practical strategies to try between sessions. He works in English and offers several remote session formats to fit different needs.
Lance lists 7 ways of working on the entry:
What Lance works with
The areas below are the ones Lance selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intimacy-related issues
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LMFT |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 25 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | California |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Approaches that translate to online work
Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns shape current bonds and trust. Online sessions using this approach can help people notice recurring patterns in relationships and try new ways of connecting. Client-Centered Therapy centers what matters to the person in front of the therapist and follows their pace. That approach supports people who need a respectful, listening space to sort feelings and priorities. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches practical skills to shift unhelpful patterns.Choosing the right approach is part of the process. The therapist collaborates with each person to match methods to their goals, needs, and preferences. Together they try different techniques and adjust the plan as progress is made.
Online therapy offers options that fit different schedules and needs. Video calls let people work face to face when a longer session is helpful. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a simpler check-in is needed. Live chat or text-based messaging can be used for brief updates, reflections between sessions, or when writing feels easier than talking. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, caregiving, or busy days, while still focusing on the same therapeutic work as in-person sessions.
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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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