Dr. Smith is a licensed clinical psychologist whose work focuses on wellness, healthy aging, and lifespan development, with particular expertise in supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including dual-diagnosis (co-occurring mental health disorders) and managing co-occurring medical conditions such as epilepsy, hydrocephalus, and cerebral palsy.

Her practice also serves people facing a broad range of psychiatric and developmental challenges. She’s committed to care grounded in evidence-based research such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), offering thorough evaluations alongside treatment that combines medication management with psychotherapy. She also helps students and young adults build executive functioning and organizational skills to navigate transitions from elementary school through college and graduate school (e.g., law school, medical school, doctoral programs, etc.).

Areas of Specialization

• Specialty Psychological Evaluations

• Diagnostic Clarification & Differential Diagnosis Evaluations

• Psycho-Educational/Psychological Evaluation

• Executive Functioning Coaching & Skills Attainment

• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD)

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

• ADHD

• Severe Behavioral Challenges/Behavior Modification & Behavior Therapy

• Grief Counseling

• Anxiety and Depression

• Schizophrenia and Schizo-Affective Disorders

• Personality Disorders

• Wellness, Lifespan Development, Aging, Dementia, Health and Health Anxiety, and Longevity

Dr. Smith earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Louisiana State University (LSU), where her research centered on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, dual diagnoses, and severe behavioral challenges. She completed her clinical internship at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, specializing in autism and developmental disabilities.

After earning her doctorate, Dr. Smith worked in Nebraska, where she provided assessment, treatment, and staff training for adults with developmental disabilities at a state center, while also seeing children and families in private practice. She then spent a decade as a clinical psychologist with the Louisiana Department of Health’s Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, retiring from that role in 2020. She is currently licensed to practice in Louisiana and now focuses her work on private practice.