- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- DBT skills
About Dora
Dora Smith is an LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor with nine years of clinical experience licensed in Virginia and South Carolina. She works with adults who are carrying guilt, shame, anxiety, depression, or stress and helps people navigating life changes, relationship concerns, grief, and addiction-related struggles. She practices in English and accepts international clients.
Dora focuses on practical conversations that help people name what they feel and try different ways of coping. Sessions often look like talking through recent events, noticing patterns that keep someone stuck, and practicing small skills to reduce overwhelm. She draws on client-centered methods to follow what matters most to the person in the room.
Her work also uses cognitive behavioral techniques to spot unhelpful thoughts and test new responses. For people dealing with intense emotions, she uses elements of dialectical behavior therapy to teach emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills. Mindfulness and motivational interviewing are woven in to support clearer choices and steadier attention to goals.
Dora has particular experience with issues tied to family of origin, adoption and foster care, abandonment, and attachment concerns. She also helps people facing chronic illness or caregiver stress, body image and self-esteem struggles, and navigating separation or divorce.
Her approach is faith-informed when relevant and the focus stays on what the client wants to change. To start, people complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session through the site's online options. Costs vary by location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
Approaches used in online sessions
Many clients find client-centered work helpful because it starts with the person's priorities and lets the conversation follow what matters most. This approach focuses on listening, reflecting, and supporting the client to choose next steps that feel doable.Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps track thoughts, feelings, and actions to test whether usual assumptions are accurate. It is useful for anxiety, guilt, low mood, and repetitive unhelpful thinking by offering simple experiments and practical exercises.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills offer concrete tools for managing strong emotions and reducing impulsive reactions. These skills can be used to build distress tolerance, improve emotional regulation, and strengthen communication habits.
Finding the right fit is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and practical needs together and recommend which approaches to emphasize. That decision is collaborative and can change as the work unfolds.
The original biography does not list specific online formats, so confirm available session types before booking. Online sessions can make scheduling easier, allow shorter check-ins during busy days, reduce travel time, and let people connect from different places when needed. Licensed professionals can adapt CBT and DBT exercises to an online setting to focus on skills practice and problem solving.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
9+ years
Listed in
Virginia, South Carolina
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
Dora works with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and family concerns, self-esteem, addiction issues, and related topics such as abandonment and attachment worries.
How would she approach guilt or shame?
She uses client-centered conversations alongside cognitive behavioral techniques and DBT skills to help people notice unhelpful thoughts, practice emotion regulation, and try new responses.
What is her clinical background and experience?
She is an LPC with nine years of experience working with adults on life transitions, caregiver stress, addiction-related concerns, and identity questions.
Where is she licensed to practice?
She holds LPC credentials in Virginia and South Carolina and practices with a Virginia location listed.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and she also accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify session formats; please confirm the current session options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Costs vary with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session through the site.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.