My focus is helping clients with stress and anxiety, parenting challenges, motivation, depression, ADHD, confidence and several other issues we face in today's world. I believe that everyone experiences life in their own unique way and that helping requires respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will customize our treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs and goals with the understanding that it is an evolving process. I recognize that you are investing time and money in your mental health and want to make sure you are seeing impactful progress and real life impact of the work we do together.
I am licensed in Missouri with 10+ years of professional work experience with children and 5 years of clinical work with adults with both moderate and significant mental illness. In addition to my work in schools with parents and students with disabilities which provides an in-depth understanding of parenting challenges, I work with adults facing a range of life challenges. If this sounds relevant to you, I would love to connect and see if this is a good fit!
Additional areas of focus: Addictions, LGBT, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Trauma and abuse, Grief, Sleeping disorders, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Coping with life changes, Compassion fatigue, Adoption and foster care, Antisocial personality, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Body image, Caregiver issues and stress, Communication problems, Control issues, Family problems, Gender dysphoria, Hoarding, Impulsivity, Isolation / loneliness, Life purpose, Mood disorders, Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD, Personality disorders, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-love, Social anxiety and phobia, Women's issues, Young adult issues
Clinical approaches: Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Gottman Method, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
MO LCSW 2024010996
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Willow Wakeley-Smith. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
She's incredible and absolutely the most helpful therapist I've had.
Written on Mar 20, 2025 after therapy with Willow for 2 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, parenting issues, and self esteem
Best therapist I've ever had. Builds a rapport quickly and makes you feel seen.
Written on Dec 19, 2024 after therapy with Willow for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, sleeping disorders, self esteem, career difficulties, coping with life changes, compassion fatigue, and adhd
Willow has offered perspective and has helped me through my toughest point in my life. She’s sweet and open minded while also managing to offer me healthier outlooks.
Written on Dec 17, 2024 after therapy with Willow for 8 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, and grief
I feel like she really listens and gives me tools and strategies for my mental health.
Written on Oct 10, 2024 after therapy with Willow for 4 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, self esteem, coping with life changes, and adhd
Willow Wakeley-Smith definitely listens with a sympathetic ear, allows me to stray from my own conversational path and still remembers to pull me back on task and challenges me when it is most impactful and relevant to my goals.
Written on Oct 06, 2024 after therapy with Willow for 4 months on issues concerning family conflicts, grief, self esteem, anger management, and coaching
So thankful for finding Willow. In just a few short weeks she immediately got into pushing me to do the work. I have truly been in therapy MULTIPLE times and I typically tell my therapist first thing, I need someone to push me, to help me dig deeper, to get to the root of the problem, life is busy & hard & no one wants to quit what their doing & dig into trauma, it’s always I’ll do it later., & Willow from the jump has pushed me, given me multiple resources, she challenges me in good ways, challenges me to challenge myself and my thoughts which is so important. So needless to say, I absolutely recommend & am very thankful I found her.
Written on Aug 01, 2024 after therapy with Willow for 3 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, self esteem, coping with life changes, and adhd