Dr. Bette Smyth

Experienced crisis-informed LPC guiding practical coping

LPC Texas

Experience: 35 years in practice
Focus areas: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief
Approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Languages: English

About Bette

Dr. Bette Smyth offers support to people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, trauma, compassion fatigue, and other life challenges.

Background and approach

With a 35-year background in crisis intervention, she focuses on helping clients develop practical skills to manage difficult thoughts and emotions and to build greater resilience in daily life. Her practice emphasizes a collaborative, nonjudgmental atmosphere where new ways of relating to oneself and to others can be explored.

She integrates evidence-informed methods including cognitive behavioral techniques alongside mindfulness and values-based work to help people navigate change, chronic health challenges, relationship struggles, and issues of self-worth. Her experience spans correctional settings, emergency rooms, crisis hotlines, and government agencies, a trajectory that shaped a calm, listening-centered style and a focus on actionable strategies.

Dr. Smyth holds an LPC and provides services from her Texas practice while accepting clients internationally in English.

She invites prospective clients to share their stories and to work together toward clearer coping, renewed purpose, and increased emotional ease.

Therapeutic approaches and online care

Dr. Smyth commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in her work. CBT focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors so that practical skill-building reduces distress and improves daily functioning. ACT emphasizes willingness, values clarification, and mindful action to help people live in line with what matters despite difficult emotions.

Choosing the right approach is treated as a collaborative process. She works with each client to consider goals, preferences, and the ways different methods may fit their situation, adjusting strategies over time as needs evolve and new priorities emerge.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, providing flexibility for scheduling and for how clients prefer to communicate. These formats make it easier to maintain continuity of care across busy routines or geographic distance while still engaging in structured therapeutic work and skills practice.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does this therapist address?

Major areas include stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, compassion fatigue, and coping with life changes, along with related issues such as attachment, body image, chronic illness, and mood disorders.

What is the therapist's general approach in sessions?

Her style blends cognitive behavioral techniques with acceptance-based and client-centered practices, emphasizing skill-building, values work, and collaborative problem solving to address unwanted thoughts and behaviors.

How much clinical experience does she have?

She brings 35 years of professional experience, much of it in crisis intervention and settings like emergency rooms, correctional institutions, and hotline services.

What credentials and location are listed for this clinician?

The clinician is an LPC with licence TX LPC 13621 and practices from Texas.

Can someone who lives outside the U.S. work with this therapist?

Yes, she accepts international clients and conducts sessions in English.

Which session formats are available for ongoing care?

She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different communication preferences.

How are fees and payment handled for sessions?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

What are the steps to begin working together?

To get started, select the Start Therapy button, fill out a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, Anxiety Trauma and abuse Grief Depression Coping with life changes

Also works with

Relationship issuesSelf esteem Compassion fatigue

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAttachment issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCommunication problemsControl issuesDivorce and separationForgivenessGuilt and shame Impulsivity Isolation / lonelinessLife purposeMoney and financial issuesMood disordersNarcissismPanic disorder and panic attacks Post-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesWorkplace issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Existential TherapySolution-Focused Therapy

Experience

35+ years

Licensed

Texas

Languages

English