Shana Smith, LCSW, LICSW

Free yourself of the burden of your past while learning how to look towards the future with joy.

Shana Smith, LCSW

Hi I’m Shana and I’m here to help you work through anxiety, trauma, and ADHD.

Listen, I completely understand that therapy can be a great undertaking. It’s an investment of your time, money, and mental resources.

I get it! You need a therapist that fits your needs and style. So that’s why I offer a free consultation for you to get to know a little bit about me and me to get to know a little bit about you to see if we’re a good fit. I want you to be 100% comfortable with the therapist who you choose, whether it’s me or someone else.

Some things to know about me are many of my clients feel extra safe sharing hard things with me because we share a sense of humor. Therapy isn’t all tears and at times we’re going to laugh together. I believe it is important to get vulnerable but it’s also important to balance that out with some light heartedness.

 

Am I Your Therapist?

I am your therapist if:

  • you want to make changes

  • you have or don’t mind a dark sense of humor

  • you’re tired of doing the same thing

  • you understand sarcasm

  • something is wrong and you’re wanting to either figure it out or work on it

  • you’ve tried other traditional therapists and it didn’t work the way you wanted

I’m not your therapist if: (please read with the dark humor tone I intend)

  • you’re not willing to be vulnerable (you don’t have to be 100% ready, just willing)

  • you’re coming to therapy because someone is making you, not because you’re ready to do the work

  • you’re more comfortable with a therapist who functions as a friend rather than a guide

  • you don’t want me to push you in therapy to reach your goals

  • loud people scare you (or people who use their hands a lot)

  • your life is perfect

There is no judgment here if you read this list and you think to yourself “she’s not my therapist.” First of all, I probably won’t know you even read this but secondly, I’m just proud of you for recognizing that I’m not your people. It’s ok! If you’re having a hard time finding your people feel free to drop me a line and I’ll see if I can find someone who would be a better match for you.

Look At Your Needs

Where are you at in your journey? Are you ready to dive deep or would a few skills be enough right now because you’re just needing to survive? Whatever your need, I can meet you where you are and honor the space you’re in right now.

What Do You Want For Your Future?

What is in your future? Do you want to still be dealing with this? Are you wanting to do more in-depth therapy? If you close your eyes and imagine yourself in 1, 5, or 10 years, what does your world look like? This will give us a great starting point to see what goals you want to reach in therapy and ensure I’m the right fit for you.

Decide Your Next Steps

Ok, you’ve evaluated what you need right now and where you want to be in the future. Now you just need to decide - is now the right time for you? Do you want to do a full overhaul or are you just needing a tune-up? Either way, let’s talk so we can figure out where you’re going from here.

What 1st Degree of Change Means To Me

 

I named my practice 1st Degree of Change because I once had a pilot explain to me that if their calculations were off by one degree they could end up in a completely different location than where they wanted. For instance if you went east from Phoenix, AZ and flew around the world with your compass off by one degree then you would end your journey in Rocky Point Mexico instead of back at Phoenix.

I believe that therapy can be like this in a positive way. We can work on making small changes, just one degree, and you can end up months or years down the road in a completely different place.

I often have clients tell me that they could never have expected to end up where they did upon closing services. That is my goal. To help you make small changes and end up in a better place than you anticipated.

Training & Education

  • Bachelor of Science - The University of Arizona

  • Masters of Social Work - Arizona State University

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - currently in the certification process

  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Gestalt Therapy

  • Gottman Level 1 & 2 Trained

  • And many many more trainings because I like learning new things!