About Nathaniel Smith, LPC — Cognitive Therapist in Plano, TX
20+ years of clinical experience. Specialized in cognitive therapy for adults navigating anxiety and depression — in Plano, TX and via telehealth across Texas.
Nathaniel SmithLPC, NCC · Licensed Professional CounselorTexas License No. 19525Credentials & Advanced CBT Training
- Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior TherapyExtensive training in cognitive behavioral therapy — Beck Institute, Philadelphia, PA
- Feeling Good InstituteAdvanced training in TEAM-CBT — Feeling Good Institute, founded by David Burns, MD
- Licensed Professional CounselorState of Texas · License No. 19525
- National Certified CounselorNational Board for Certified Counselors
- 20+ Years in PracticeFocused exclusively on CBT for anxiety and depression in adults
This practice serves adults only (18+). I do not provide therapy for children or adolescents.
Credentials & Training
Rigorous training and two decades of clinical practice — focused entirely on evidence-based cognitive therapy for adults. Beyond licensure, Nathaniel has pursued extensive training through the Beck Institute in Philadelphia, PA and the Feeling Good Institute, founded by David Burns, MD.
Licensed Professional Counselor
Licensed by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors. Meets all requirements for independent clinical practice in the state of Texas.
National Certified Counselor
Credentialed by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) — a voluntary national certification attesting to national standards for counselor education, examination, and supervised experience.
Years of Clinical Experience
More than two decades of direct clinical work with adults navigating anxiety, depression, and related conditions — in private practice and clinical settings.
Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Extensive training in cognitive behavioral therapy through the Beck Institute in Philadelphia, PA — the organization founded by Aaron Beck, the originator of CBT.
Feeling Good Institute
Advanced training in TEAM-CBT through the Feeling Good Institute, founded by David Burns, MD — a highly structured, evidence-based evolution of cognitive therapy.
Why cognitive therapy — and why this approach
I became a cognitive therapist because I kept watching the same thing happen: people who were intelligent, motivated, and genuinely trying to feel better — stuck. Not because they lacked insight, but because insight alone rarely changes the automatic patterns that drive anxiety and depression. Cognitive therapy works at that level. It targets the thinking structures underneath the symptoms, not just the symptoms themselves.
My approach is structured but warm. Sessions have direction and purpose — we follow an agenda, track progress, and work toward specific, measurable goals — but that structure exists in service of a genuinely collaborative relationship. You are not a passive recipient of treatment. You are a full partner in understanding what is happening and deciding what to do about it. I explain the clinical reasoning behind everything we do, so the work stays transparent rather than mysterious.
Psychoeducation is central to how I work. Understanding the cognitive model — how situations trigger automatic thoughts, how those thoughts produce emotions and behaviors, and how all of it traces back to deeper core beliefs — is what gives the work its leverage. The aim is that the framework stays useful after therapy ends, not just during it.
This approach fits best with thoughtful, capable adults who want structured work rather than open-ended conversation, and who are willing to practice between sessions as well as during them. Engagement with between-session work is one of the better predictors of how much people get out of CBT, so it is worth knowing up front that this approach asks for it.
What working together looks like
Therapy here has structure and direction from the very first session. The process is transparent — where we are, what we're working on, and why.
Initial consultation
We begin with a thorough consultation. I want to understand your history, your goals, and what you have already tried. By the end, most people have a clear sense of whether this is the right fit and what the work would look like.
Free 15-min phone consultation · No pressureConceptualization & goal-setting
Early sessions are dedicated to building a cognitive conceptualization — a map of how your automatic thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and core beliefs connect. This isn't just assessment; it's the foundation of everything that follows. We set specific, measurable goals together.
Collaborative · Evidence-based frameworkActive CBT work with measurable outcomes
With a clear conceptualization in place, we move into active CBT work: thought records, behavioral experiments, belief-level restructuring, and between-session practice. Progress is tracked with validated measures — the PHQ-9 for depression and GAD-7 for anxiety — so change is something we can actually see, not just hope for.
Structured sessions · Tracked progressReady to get started?
Reaching out is often the hardest part — and the most important. Send a note and I'll respond personally to schedule a consultation.
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