01 · Who Nicholas works with

Nicholas works with stress, Anxiety, self esteem and coping with life changes

Nicholas lists 14 specialisms and 10 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Nicholas chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Nicholas's own words

What Nicholas says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

If you’re feeling stuck, unmotivated, frustrated, hopeless, lost or ready for a life pivot; you’ve come to the right place. I can help you find a way to live in accordance to your values and goals, by helping manage your emotions more effectively. Sessions will provide insight into how your own thought processes work and identification of where some of your thought processes begin, and how to challenge them for growth.

From practicing in the student counseling center at Moody Bible Institute, hospital inpatient psychiatric unit, private practice, and a drug & alcohol addiction treatment center, I bring dedication alongside my strong and varied experiences to help you or your loved one. Being a counselor means more to me than a job, it is an interest in the psychology and philosophy, but most of all, helping my clients.

Whether life seems difficult right now or you are noticing an area that needs addressed or explored, my goal is to walk alongside in your journey with compassion and professional insight. I use a variety of theories and approaches to fit each individual, and look forward to working with you as you start your pivoting journey.

Nicholas Smith, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Nicholas works

The 5 approaches Nicholas lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Nicholas lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Nicholas'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 Nicholas runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Also listed

• Existential Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Nicholas 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 Nicholas's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   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 Nicholas at this point.

2. Naming Nicholas specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Nicholas 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 Nicholas.

3. If the caseload is full

   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.

4. The first conversation

   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.

5. If the fit is wrong

   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 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LCPC

Licensed in

Illinois

Licence

IL LCPC 180010190

Licence number

180010190

Licence expires

31 Mar 2027

NPI

1003155656

Years in practice

13

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

9 Jun 2026

06 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Nicholas'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 9 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 Nicholas. 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.