- Client-centered approach
- Cognitive behavioral methods
- Motivational interviewing
About Rayna
Rayna Smith is a Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical (LCSW-C) practicing in Maryland with ten years of post-licensure experience. She focuses on relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related problems, depression, anxiety, stress, grief, parenting, and work and career challenges. Rayna works with young adults facing the pressures of early adulthood, including relationship questions, identity shifts, and career starts.
Rayna approaches sessions by listening first and following the client's lead. She uses client-centered methods to understand what matters to each person. Sessions tend to emphasize practical steps people can take between meetings, not just talking about problems.
Her work also draws on cognitive behavioral strategies to spot unhelpful thinking and try small behavior changes. Motivational interviewing helps when someone feels stuck or unsure about making changes. Psychodynamic ideas are used to look at repeating patterns that affect current relationships.
Clients often bring complex histories such as abandonment, adoption and foster care issues, attachment concerns, blended family stress, codependency, and caregiver strain. Rayna also supports people dealing with trauma, domestic violence aftermath, first responder stress, and bipolar-related life adjustments.
Sessions aim to clarify goals, strengthen coping skills, and improve communication. The approach is practical and collaborative - Rayna works with each person to find what helps them make clearer choices and steady progress.
How Rayna applies therapy approaches online
Rayna uses client-centered work to understand each person's priorities. That means she focuses on the client's concerns and preferences, asking questions to clarify goals and listening for strengths to build on. This approach is helpful for people who need space to make sense of changes in relationships or identity.She also draws on cognitive behavioral therapy, which breaks down problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. CBT offers concrete exercises and small experiments to test new ways of thinking and acting, useful for anxiety, depression, and stress. Motivational interviewing is used when someone feels stuck; it helps people weigh options and find their own reasons to change.
Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Rayna will talk with each person about what seems likely to help and adjust methods based on goals and preferences. This collaborative process helps tailor sessions to real-life needs like improving communication or managing mood.
The exact online session formats are not listed here, so confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy around work or school, reduce travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises and homework to work well in remote sessions, focusing on practical progress rather than lengthy theory.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
10+ years
Listed in
Maryland
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What issues does she help with for young adults?
She works with relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, intimacy issues, depression, anxiety, stress, grief, parenting and career questions. Young adults navigating life transitions are explicitly listed among her focus areas.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is client-centered and collaborative. She listens first, then uses practical steps and tools to address problems between sessions.
What is her clinical background and experience?
She holds an LCSW-C credential and has ten years of experience at the level stated. Her work includes trauma, family conflict, and related concerns.
Where is she based and licensed?
Her credential is LCSW-C in Maryland and her practice is located in Maryland.
What languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How does payment work and what does it cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin sessions?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy through BetterHelp is for adults aged 18 and over and is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Find someone else by name.