About Steven
Steven Smith is a licensed marriage and family therapist working in California. He helps people coping with stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, trauma and abuse, mood disorders, addictions, and questions around identity and intimacy. He listens and partners with clients to set clear goals and practical steps.
He prefers a straightforward, collaborative style. Sessions focus on what matters most to the individual or couple - symptoms, daily patterns, and decisions that get in the way of feeling better.
How Steven works
He emphasizes short-term skills and longer-term meaning work depending on what the person needs. Steven draws from client-centered therapy to follow each person's priorities and from existential therapy to discuss values, choice, and purpose. He also uses mindfulness practices to help with emotional regulation and elements of the Gottman Method when relationship communication needs strengthening.
Motivational interviewing is used for changes people want to make around substances or behavior. Over ten years of practice shapes his practical orientation. He frames problems in everyday terms and uses simple exercises you can try between sessions.
He helps people work through grief, parenting strain, codependency, control issues, dissociation, and co-occurring concerns like addiction and mood disorders. Sessions are offered in English and held online by video, phone, live chat, or text messaging.
Steven is licensed in California as an LMFT and works with adults and couples on a range of life challenges, from commitment and intimacy concerns to ADHD and compassion fatigue.
Steven lists 7 ways of working on the entry:
What Steven works with
The areas below are the ones Steven selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Avoidant personality
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trichotillomania
Training and background
| Register | LMFT |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 10 |
| 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 and Online Work Together
Client-centered therapy focuses on following the person's lead and building goals that matter to them; it helps when someone needs a nonjudgmental place to sort priorities and make plans. Existential therapy looks at values, choice, and meaning and is useful for people who feel stuck or want clearer direction in life. The Gottman Method offers practical communication tools and exercises that can help when couples want to reduce conflict and improve connection.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Steven will discuss options with each person and together decide which methods match the client's goals and preferences. That collaborative planning can shift as needs change during therapy.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video works well for face-to-face conversation and skills practice. Phone sessions can be easier when video is not possible or bandwidth is limited. Live chat or text messaging can be useful for quick check-ins, brief problem-solving, or people who prefer writing over speaking. These options let people fit sessions into busy days and keep continuity when schedules change.
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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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