- Grief support
- Managing shame
- Panic and anxiety
About Elizabeth
Elizabeth Smith is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Illinois and a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) in Iowa with five years of social work experience. She focuses on grief and coping with life changes, and also addresses caregiver stress, forgiveness, guilt and shame, isolation, mood disorders, panic, and social anxiety. Elizabeth works with adults who are carrying regret or hard feelings about themselves or their choices.
Her sessions are straightforward. She listens to the story a person brings and helps name the feelings underneath. Conversations aim to make intense emotions more manageable and to find practical steps a person can try between sessions.
Elizabeth uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques to help people process loss and adjust to change. She draws on approaches that include methods for managing panic, reducing social avoidance, and addressing persistent shame or guilt. These tools are explained in everyday language during sessions so people can try them on in their daily life.
She pays attention to the roles people carry, such as caregiving responsibilities, and how those roles affect mood and stress. Practical coping strategies and small behavioral steps are common parts of the work, alongside talking through the underlying emotions.
Clients learn skills for handling panic symptoms, for easing social fears, and for moving toward forgiveness when that is a goal. Elizabeth aims to create a clear plan together so progress feels trackable and grounded in everyday routines.
Approaches used and how online sessions work
Elizabeth uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques to address grief, panic, social anxiety, and persistent feelings of guilt or shame. One common approach focuses on learning practical skills to reduce panic and manage anxiety symptoms, such as grounding and breathing techniques paired with gradual exposures to feared situations. Another approach helps people examine unhelpful thoughts and self-judgments, practice alternative ways of thinking, and test those ideas in real life to lessen shame and self-blame.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist and client work together to identify goals and try methods that fit the person’s preferences and daily demands. Techniques can be adjusted over time based on what helps most and what feels workable in the client's routine.
If you are considering online sessions, confirm the current session options before booking since specific formats are not listed here. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. The therapist will discuss practical arrangements and help match session length and style to what you need.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Experience
5+ years
Listed in
Illinois, Iowa
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She focuses on grief and coping with life changes and also works with caregiver stress, forgiveness, guilt and shame, isolation, mood disorders, panic, and social anxiety.
How does she approach feelings of guilt and shame?
She helps people name the feeling, understand where it comes from, and try practical steps to reduce its impact on daily life.
What is her clinical background and experience?
She has five years of social work experience and uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques in her practice.
What credentials and location does she hold?
She is an LCSW in Illinois and an LISW in Iowa and practices from Illinois.
Does she work with people who speak other languages?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
She is not currently accepting international clients.
How are sessions arranged and what formats are used?
Please confirm current session options before booking by checking the therapist's booking flow, as formats are not specified here.
How does payment and scheduling work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time; to begin, use the See online therapy options button and complete the short matching questionnaire.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.