Practitioner record · Checked 10 Oct 2026
Jerry Smith has been in practice 38 years and is licensed in Georgia. Jerry lists stress, Anxiety, addictions and relationship issues among 45 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.
Everything below is either quoted from Jerry's own BetterHelp listing, taken from public licensing records, or written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such. Nothing here is an availability promise, a review, or a rating.
01 · Who Jerry works with
Jerry lists 17 specialisms and 28 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Jerry chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.
02 · In Jerry's own words
Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.
Hello and welcome to my profile! I have been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Georgia for almost 30 years (since 1993) working in all areas of Mental Health. I’ve worked with foster-care families as well as with families who had children with various developmental disabilities. In addition, I have worked with geriatric clients residing in Assisted Living Facilities. In between these two populations, I have also worked in psychiatric hospitals, acute Mental Health outpatient facilities, Alcohol and Drug outpatient facilities as well as both jails and penitentiaries with clients who had both addictions and mental health issues ranging from Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia and Major Depressive Disorders, just to name a few. I have extensive experience working with clients with both relationship and self-esteem issues, along with being an Adjunct Professor of Psychology for twelve years. My approach to therapy is always “Client-Centered” which means that I meet you where you are and assist you in identifying your stuck points and your goals that YOU want to accomplish with therapy. Remember, this is your life and not mine, therefore only you know what is best for you! As your therapist, my role is simple and yet complex – to hold up a mirror and allow you to identify both your needs and wants and assist you in developing the best course of action for you to take with the least amount of resistance. By the way, I do give homework assignments and completion is critical to your therapeutic progress. Come – take my hand and let us walk and talk together for a little while, because there is indeed a bright and shiny light at the end of your tunnel!
Jerry Smith, on the BetterHelp listing · read 10 Oct 2026
03 · How Jerry works
These are the clinical methods Jerry lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Jerry's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Jerry runs a session.
04 · What happens next
Jerry practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Jerry's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.
BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Jerry at this point.
BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Jerry is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Jerry.
You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.
A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.
Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.
05 · Before you commit
Built from what Jerry actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Jerry's - Jerry has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.
“You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”
Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.
“How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”
Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.
“With 38 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”
Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.
“How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”
On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.
06 · Practical details
07 · Provenance
Jerry's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 10 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.
The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.
Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Jerry. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.
Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.
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