Jennifer Smith

EXPERIENCE

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Jennifer Smith is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, CEO of a group practice, and Professional Speaker based in Newport Beach, California. Jennifer has been in private practice since 1996 and has worked in multiple settings with a broad variety of populations including children and adolescents in the foster care system and group homes, business groups, families, celebrities, and executives. 

 

With a particular interest in crisis management, she has developed programs and provided emergency services for at-risk youth in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. She has also provided case management and mental health services, including group therapy, to Kaiser Permanente members. One highlight of her career has been treating busy, overwhelmed executives needing unique and individual attention while staying at a private high-end residential treatment program called Privé-Swiss. 

 

PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER

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Jennifer speaks to a variety of business and community groups about the topic of mindfulness and its link to our mental health. Jennifer’s background in psychotherapy allows her to help these audiences understand the importance of developing sophisticated interpersonal skills, becoming active listeners, recognizing body language and voice nuances, and establishing good connections with their audiences. 

 

She enables them to recognize that balancing their own mental health is an important first step to improving their work performance. 

 

Jennifer is a frequent podcast guest, enjoys public speaking and has shared her knowledge with audiences including PTA groups, sports teams, realtors, business professionals, and entrepreneurial women’s groups. 

 

 

SMITH PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP

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In 2017 Jennifer founded the Smith Psychotherapy Group to allow her expanding client list to explore their thoughts and feelings in a safe and trusting environment. Her hand-selected team of licensed marriage and family therapists helps equip couples, families, individuals, adolescents, and children with the skills they need to better their overall happiness and quality of life. 

 

The practice focuses on concerns including relationship dissatisfaction, depression, anxiety, fatigue/sleep disturbances, behavioral concerns, social issues, and work stress. In addition to these more common concerns, Jennifer has designed individual and group sessions that address many life issues including health and wellness; mindfulness and stress reduction; becoming an effective communicator; learning about true self care, and how to regulate emotions. 

 

Giving back to her profession is a passion of Jennifer’s, and she does this through providing supervision and mentoring to associate therapists.  She provides clinical training and opportunity for growth, as well as business development and coaching. Jennifer is also trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Mindfulness and enjoys helping people build life skills to improve their quality of life. 

 

The Smith Psychotherapy Group is in the process of expanding and will be adding more therapists to their roster in the coming months.

 

EDUCATION

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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN PSYCHOLOGY, 1992

 

CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY, ORANGE
MASTER OF ARTS IN PSYCHOLOGY, EMPHASIS IN MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPY, 1996

 

 

RECENT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

 

2022
Prime Volleyball Group, Rancho Mission Viejo, Ca
Stress Resilience & the importance of managing stress

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2021
Women in Entrepreneurship: Passion to Business, Costa Mesa, Ca 
Personal Wellness for the Modern Working Woman

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2019
KIP Conference (Knowledge is Power), Newport Beach, CA        

Keeping Depression and Anxiety at bay, for young women transitioning from high school to college. 

 

2018
Surterre Properties, Newport Beach, Ca
The importance of mindfulness – for you and your clients

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Room and Board, Costa Mesa, CA                                                                          

The Importance of Self Care for the CEO of the family, Mom’s!

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College Ready (college counseling service)
Presentation to group of high school juniors, seniors and their parents
Preparing for college – the mental health perspective

 

Ongoing guest speaker
Newport Harbor High School PTA & Ensign Middle School PTA
Parenting, mindfulness, and stress management for teens, coping with the pandemic