Arkava Smith

Arkava Smith is a licensed mental health counselor in Delaware with 16 years of experience. She helps people manage stress, anxiety, addiction concerns, trauma, depression, anger, and related struggles. Her approach focuses on creating an open, nonjudgmental space where clients can speak honestly about what they are feeling.

She works collaboratively with each person to set clear, practical goals. Conversations in sessions are straightforward and aimed at real-life change. She draws on Client-Centered Therapy to listen deeply and build a trusting working relationship.

Arkava also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot unhelpful thinking patterns and try small, testable changes in daily routines. When emotional regulation or intense emotions are central, she incorporates skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy to teach grounding, distress tolerance, and emotion management strategies.

Her practice covers a wide range of concerns beyond mood and anxiety, including grief, intimacy-related issues, parenting stress, sleep problems, ADHD, bipolar concerns, and compassion fatigue. She also attends to multicultural and identity-related difficulties such as prejudice and discrimination.

Beginning therapy with Arkava involves a simple first step: she will listen to what matters most, help set priorities, and tailor practical tools that fit a person’s life. Sessions are focused on steady progress, one manageable step at a time.

Therapeutic approaches and what online work can look like

Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening and building a respectful working relationship. The therapist focuses on understanding a person’s experience and reflecting it back so goals feel personal and clear.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions interact. It teaches straightforward techniques to test unhelpful thoughts and try small behavior changes that can reduce anxiety, depression, or anger over time.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers specific skills for managing intense emotions and reducing impulsive reactions. It includes grounding, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation tools useful for strong anger or crisis moments.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their needs, goals, and preferences. That decision is revisited as progress is made so the plan stays useful and realistic.

Confirm current session options before booking to learn which formats are offered. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, or allow for shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It also lets people practice new skills in everyday settings and bring concrete examples into session for real-time problem solving.