About Brian
Brian Smerdon is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) who blends straightforward care with practical skills. He focuses on stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, self-esteem, and coping with life changes. Brian speaks English and practices in Florida, and he brings eleven years of experience to his work.
He centers sessions on the person in front of him and treats clients as the experts in their own stories. Sessions usually involve listening first, then offering tools that fit each person's situation.
Background and approach
He uses proven methods to help people manage symptoms and handle real-life problems. Clients can expect help with everyday struggles like feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of purpose. Brian also works with issues such as abandonment, attachment issues, codependency, caregiver stress, and substance concerns.
He addresses feelings of guilt, shame, emptiness, and the challenges that come with aging or end-of-life care. His approach draws from client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and psychodynamic ideas. That mix allows for both short-term problem solving and deeper reflection when needed.
Sessions can be tailored to meet immediate needs or support longer-term change. Brian offers sessions by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging. Therapy uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
To begin, use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.
How these approaches work in online therapy
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding the person's perspective. The therapist offers empathy and reflects back what matters to the client, which helps people feel heard and more able to notice options for change.Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, teaches practical skills to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It is useful for stress, anxiety, and coping with life changes because sessions include concrete exercises and small experiments to try between meetings.
Mindfulness therapy brings attention to the present moment through simple practices. It helps reduce reactivity to stress and supports emotional regulation when grief or trauma feels overwhelming.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will ask about goals, daily life, and preferences, then suggest a mix of methods that fit. Clients and therapist check in together and adjust the plan over time if something isn't working.
Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video lets people use visual cues during a session, while phone calls can work better on low bandwidth or when a person prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging are useful for shorter check-ins, day-to-day support, or when someone needs to fit therapy into a break at work. These options make it easier to keep up with regular sessions and practice new skills between meetings.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Personality disorders
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 11 years
- Licensed
- Florida
- Languages
- English