Practitioner record · Checked 9 Oct 2026

Theresa Smith has been in practice 20 years and is licensed in Oklahoma. Theresa lists stress, Anxiety, addictions and trauma and abuse among 40 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.

Everything below is either quoted from Theresa'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.

20years in practice
40subjects listed
10approaches listed

01 · Who Theresa works with

Theresa works with stress, Anxiety, addictions and trauma and abuse

Theresa lists 12 specialisms and 28 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Theresa chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

Specialisms
  • Stress, Anxiety
  • Addictions
  • Trauma and abuse
  • Anger management
  • Depression
  • Relationship issues
  • Family conflicts
  • Grief
  • Intimacy-related issues
  • Career difficulties
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Coping with life changes
Also experienced with
  • Abandonment
  • Attachment issues
  • Codependency
  • Communication problems
  • Control issues
  • Divorce and separation
  • Domestic violence
  • Drug and alcohol addiction
  • Emptiness
  • Family of origin issues
  • Family problems
  • Forgiveness
  • Guilt and shame
  • Isolation / loneliness
  • Life purpose
  • Men's issues
  • Midlife crisis
  • Mood disorders
  • Narcissism
  • Panic disorder and panic attacks
  • Postpartum depression
  • Post-traumatic stress
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
  • Self-love
  • Sexual assault and abuse
  • Social anxiety and phobia
  • Women's issues
  • Workplace issues

02 · In Theresa's own words

What Theresa says about the work

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

I have been a licensed professional therapist for 19 years I received my Masters degree from Oral Roberts University in 2008. I have vast experience with many behavioral, social and emotional issues. I started my career working with women who were victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. That transitioned into working with male victims and also perpetrators. This taught me how to help men with their emotional issues. Working in this field I came in contact many people who had substance abuse issues so I studied and pursued education and experience with alcohol and drug counseling. I worked in drug court and private substance abuse counseling for the last 9 years, In my practice I have gained experience helping people with depression, anxiety, trauma, abandonment, PTSD, grief, attachment, shame and anger issues. My approach is client centered therapy incorporating cognitive behavioral therapy, compassion therapy and motivational therapy. I am a Christian. If my clients want spiritual help I will utilize Biblical counseling and prayer. If it will help my patients recover I will utilize it. People who contact counselors for help want to feel safe and respected never shamed or marginalized. I believe they want to be listened to and understood. I treat everyone with compassion . I am looking forward to working with you and helping you discover healthier mental health and a happier life.

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

03 · How Theresa works

The 10 approaches Theresa lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Theresa lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Theresa'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 Theresa 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.
Attachment-Based Therapy
Reads present-day relationship difficulty through the lens of how safety and closeness were learned early on. The therapeutic relationship itself is treated as part of the work, because it is where the pattern tends to show up first.
Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian
The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.
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.
Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT
Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.
The Gottman Method
A couples approach built on decades of observational research into what distinguishes relationships that last. Structured and assessment-led: it maps friendship, conflict and shared meaning, then works on the specific mechanics of how the two of you argue.
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.
Narrative Therapy
Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.
Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT
Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.
Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed
CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Theresa 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 Theresa'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 Theresa at this point.

  2. Naming Theresa specifically

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

  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 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Theresa

Built from what Theresa actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Theresa's - Theresa has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

  • “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Attachment-Based 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 20 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

Credentials and licensing

Credential
LPC
Licensed in
Oklahoma
Licence
OK LPC LPC04351
Licence number
LPC04351
Licence expires
30 Jun 2027
NPI
1396977724
Years in practice
20
Gender
Female
Languages
English
International clients
Accepted
Listed since
15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Theresa'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 Theresa. 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.

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