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SS Portrait of Shanua Smith

Shanua Smith

Helping people build resilience and clarity

LPC-MH South Dakota

Experience
19 years in practice
Focus areas
Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Trauma and abuse
Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
Languages
English
Continue with Shanua

About Shanua

Shanua Smith is a licensed therapist (LPC-MH) practicing in South Dakota with 19 years of clinical experience supporting people through a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, addiction, and life transitions.

Background and approach

She also addresses areas like ADHD, attachment and abandonment struggles, body image, caregiver stress, and coping after natural or human-caused disasters. Her work extends to practical topics such as sleep, eating, career challenges, and managing anger or compassion fatigue.

Her style centers on a compassionate, client-focused stance that emphasizes personalization and practical skills. She blends evidence-based methods to help clients build resilience, improve communication, and reframe unhelpful thinking patterns.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the approaches she uses alongside client-centered techniques, trauma-focused interventions, EMDR, and motivational interviewing to tailor care to each person’s needs. Shanua’s aim is to create a nonjudgmental space where clients can explore their inner experience, develop clearer coping strategies, and work toward meaningful change.

She frames therapy as a collaborative process and supports people navigating workplace stress, relationship difficulties, parenting demands, and broader emotional growth.

How Shanua's Methods Translate to Online Therapy

Shanua uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can be useful for concerns like anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and stress. She also integrates Client-Centered Therapy to create a supportive atmosphere where the client’s goals and perspectives guide the work, helping with issues such as self-esteem, communication, and relational struggles. When trauma is a central concern she draws from trauma-focused approaches and EMDR to address distressing memories and their emotional impact in a paced way.

Choosing an approach is a collaborative process; the therapist works with each person to explore goals, preferences, and responses to different methods so the plan evolves based on what proves helpful. Shanua frames treatment as a partnership and adjusts techniques to align with the client’s needs and pace.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, making it easier to fit sessions into a busy life and to access consistent support from South Dakota. These formats allow for ongoing skills practice, check-ins between sessions, and access to a licensed professional without needing to travel to an office.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does this therapist commonly address?
Shanua supports a wide range of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy concerns, grief, addictions, parenting challenges, and ADHD among other focus areas.
What is Shanua's therapeutic style like?
Her approach is compassionate and client-centered with a focus on personalization and practical strategies to build resilience and improve emotional patterns.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She brings 19 years of experience working as a licensed therapist in South Dakota and has helped people navigate a variety of emotional and life challenges.
What credentials and location should I know about?
She holds the LPC-MH credential with licence detail SD LPC-MH 30699 and practices in South Dakota.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
In what formats are sessions offered?
Clients can meet via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on preference and availability.
How are fees and payment arranged?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are involved in getting started?
To begin, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesTrauma and abuseGriefDepression

Also works with

AddictionsFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAttachment issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeBody imageCancerCaregiver issues and stressCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceEmptinessForgivenessGuilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingImpulsivityIsolation / lonelinessLife purposeMidlife crisisMood disordersObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPersonality disordersPost-traumatic stressSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSexual assault and abuseSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesWorkplace issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Motivational InterviewingTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

19+ years

Licensed

South Dakota

Languages

English