Alexandra “Ally” Smith

Hi! My name is Ally Smith, and I am a Counseling Intern at Dayspring. I seek to help others navigate neurodiversity, manage emotions and behaviors, and work through life’s challenges and opportunities for growth. I work with children (ages 7+), teens, and adults, and I have several years of experience in volunteer and professional work with each of these age groups.

MY APPROACH TO COUNSELING

I am passionate about meeting people where they are in life by fostering a therapeutic relationship that allows people to feel seen, heard, and supported. I seek to offer a space where people feel safe to talk about the messiness of life without fear of judgment, as I believe this helps empower people to move towards accomplishing their goals.

When working with me, people can expect a collaborative therapeutic process – a team effort. I recognize that each person is unique, and I believe that effective therapy reflects that uniqueness. Thus, I largely follow a person-centered orientation, meaning that I offer space, empathy, and respect to others, as well as see them as the experts of their own lives. Additionally, I lean towards the modalities of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) because they seek to help people identify the dysfunctional thoughts/feelings that are present in daily life and allow them to have agency in deciding what their next steps towards wellness will be.

MORE ABOUT ME

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my loved ones and taking the time to personally recharge by reading, being outdoors, and listening to or playing music.