About Colleen
Colleen Canfield-Smith helps people facing stress, anxiety, parenting challenges, depression, ADHD, and relationship or family strain. She provides straightforward support for grief, anger, low self-esteem, compassion fatigue, and big life changes. Colleen is based in New York and brings 21 years of professional experience to her work.
She holds an MA and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC. Colleen aims to make therapy practical and readable. Sessions focus on identifying strengths and simple steps clients can use between visits.
Background and approach
She mixes hands-on strategies with a listening approach that centers each person’s goals. Her methods often include cognitive behavioral techniques to spot and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. She also uses solution-focused strategies to set small, achievable goals and track progress.
Mindfulness and relaxation practices are introduced when they fit a client's needs. Over two decades Colleen has worked in schools, hospitals, community agencies, and primary care settings. She has also drawn on life experience raising three children while balancing work and home demands.
That background informs her practical, down-to-earth style. Clients can expect a calm, approachable presence in sessions, with occasional use of humor and concrete tools. Colleen partners with people to name priorities, try interventions, and refine what helps.
The work is collaborative and paced around each person’s needs.
Approaches for online counseling and practical change
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and understanding each person’s perspective. The therapist follows the client’s lead, reflects what she hears, and helps people discover their own solutions; this suits those who want a gentle, respectful space to talk.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It teaches concrete skills to test beliefs and change reactions, which can help with anxiety, depression, and attention challenges.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Colleen will collaborate with clients to pick methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences, and she adjusts plans as progress is made.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits. Video calls let people have longer, face-to-face sessions when visual connection matters. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to use video. Live chat and text-based messaging provide short check-ins, quick skills coaching, or a way to keep momentum between longer sessions. These formats make scheduling more flexible and help therapy fit into busy routines.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
Also works with
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Blended family issues
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Grief
- Mood disorders
- Relationship issues
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 21 years
- Licensed
- Massachusetts, New York
- Languages
- English