Marlene Smith
Practical, compassionate help for everyday challenges
LPC West Virginia
- Experience
- 3 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Self esteem
- Approaches
- Gottman Method, Attachment-Based Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Marlene
Marlene Smith is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) who focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, relationship concerns, and depression. She writes simply and meets people where they are, offering straightforward support when life feels overwhelming.
Background and approach
Marlene aims to make starting therapy a less stressful step by listening first and building trust slowly. In sessions she creates a calm space where clients can talk through thoughts and feelings without judgment.
She uses practical tools from cognitive behavioral therapy to spot unhelpful thinking and to build new habits. She also draws on attachment-based ideas to look at how early relationships shape current patterns.
Marlene brings skills from client-centered therapy, which means she follows each person's pace and priorities rather than pushing a set agenda. Dialectical behavior therapy skills are available when people need concrete techniques for managing intense emotions or improving coping skills.
Her work includes attention to specific life contexts such as adoption and foster care, aging concerns, body image issues, cancer-related stress, and parenting challenges like fatherhood and commitment issues. She also supports people dealing with family conflict, divorce or separation, and the emotional aftermath of disasters.
Marlene practices in West Virginia and offers sessions in English. She aims to help people build steady routines, clearer communication, and more confident decision-making as they move forward.
Approaches that translate well to online care
Gottman-influenced work looks at how people communicate and repair conflict, focusing on concrete behaviors that can be practiced between sessions to improve connection and reduce fighting. Attachment-based therapy explores patterns of closeness and trust formed in early life and helps people notice how those patterns show up in their current relationships.Marlene uses client-centered listening alongside CBT and DBT tools to meet each person where they are. The therapist will collaborate with the client to decide which approach fits best, adjusting methods as goals and needs become clearer. This is a team process that values the client's feedback and pace.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make care more flexible. Video lets people work face to face when that matters. Phone calls are useful when bandwidth is limited or a quick check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging provide shorter, more frequent touchpoints for skills practice and brief support between longer sessions.
These options help people fit therapy into busy lives, keep continuity during moves, and choose formats that match their comfort with talking or writing.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of issues can I bring to sessions?
What is her general therapy style?
How much clinical experience does she have?
What credential and location information should I know?
Which languages are supported and can international clients join?
Which session formats are available for online work?
How is payment handled and what does therapy cost?
What steps do I take to begin working together?
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
3+ years
Licensed in
West Virginia
Languages
English