Therapist listings are provided by BetterHelp. We will earn a commission at no additional cost to you if you use our links to purchase.

Rena Smith

Therapist profile

Rena Smith, LCSW

Louisiana

Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Anger, Addiction

Continue with Rena

Key details

  • CredentialsLCSW
  • LicenseLCSW, Louisiana / 5663
  • NPI1851586663
  • Experience23 years
  • LanguagesEnglish
  • LocationLouisiana

About

  • ACT and CBT methods
  • Motivational interviewing
  • Values focused work

About Rena

Rena Smith is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Louisiana with 23 years of professional experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, addiction concerns, relationship strain, trauma and abuse, grief, parenting pressures, and anger. Her practice also addresses career questions, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue.

Rena starts from the view that each person knows their story best. She listens for strengths clients already use and helps make those strengths more useful. Sessions focus on practical steps people can try between appointments, not on jargon or long theory talks.

Her background includes long-term work with addiction and trauma-related issues. That experience shapes how she notices patterns in thinking and behavior that keep problems going. She uses straightforward tools to help people notice those patterns and test small changes.

Rena uses approaches that aim to increase psychological flexibility, clarify values, and build skills for real situations. She often mixes acceptance-based ideas with cognitive-behavioral techniques and motivational interviewing to support change. Sessions can include short, goal-focused problem solving when someone needs clear next steps.

People who come for help with anger often leave with concrete ways to manage strong feelings, communicate differently, and repair relationships strained by outbursts. She encourages practical practice between sessions, so new habits can form in everyday life.

How sessions work

How therapeutic approaches shape online work

Rena commonly draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people clarify what matters to them and take small, values-based steps even when feelings are uncomfortable. ACT focuses on noticing thoughts and emotions without getting stuck in them and then choosing actions that match personal values.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to identify thinking patterns and behavior cycles that keep anger and anxiety active. CBT offers practical skills for shifting unhelpful thoughts and testing new ways of responding in everyday situations. Motivational Interviewing is used when change feels difficult or when someone is unsure; it helps people find their own reasons to try something different.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will review goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked before, and then suggest approaches to try. That decision is collaborative and can be adjusted as needed.

Confirm current session options before booking because specific formats are not listed in the biography. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules demand it. The focus is on practical tools and steps that can be practiced between meetings to help with anger, anxiety, addiction, and relationship concerns.

Areas of focus

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Also works with

Family conflictsEating disordersParenting issuesAnger managementCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigue

Additional focus areas

Avoidant personalityCodependencyDependent personalityDivorce and separationDrug and alcohol addictionFamily of origin issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameHIV / AIDSInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessLife purposeMulticultural concernsObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPersonality disordersPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Self-harmSelf-loveSmoking / vaping cessationSocial anxiety and phobia

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Motivational InterviewingSolution-Focused Therapy

Experience

23+ years

Listed in

Louisiana

Languages

English

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she help with related to anger?

She works with adults on anger alongside stress, relationship conflict, addiction struggles, trauma, grief, and parenting pressures.

What is her general approach in sessions?

She uses acceptance and commitment ideas, client-centered listening, cognitive-behavioral tools, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused steps to help people try new responses.

How much experience does she have?

She has 23 years of professional work experience, including long-term work with addiction and trauma-related concerns.

What are her credentials and where is she based?

She is an LCSW licensed in Louisiana and practices there.

Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?

Sessions are offered in English. She is not currently accepting international clients.

What session formats are available?

Confirm current session options before booking, as the biography does not list specific session formats.

How much do sessions cost?

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

How do I begin working with her?

Begin by selecting the See online therapy options button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling a first session.

Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.

Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is unsafe, use the crisis numbers.

Back to all therapists

Rena Smith

Continue with Rena