Willow Wakeley-Smith, LCSW
Compassionate therapist focused on parenting and daily life
Book with Willow- Years in practice
- 5
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- Missouri
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Parenting issues
- Focus
- Bipolar disorder
About Willow
Willow Wakeley-Smith is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who focuses on stress, anxiety, parenting concerns, mood disorders, and attention-related challenges. She frames therapy around respect and compassion, aiming to tailor each plan to a person’s goals. Her tone is straightforward and practical, for parents who need clear, useful help now.
Willow draws on five years of clinical work with adults and more than a decade of broader professional experience with children in school settings.
Background and approach
That background gives her familiarity with parenting stress, special education needs, and common day-to-day struggles caregivers describe. She combines that experience with a focus on real-life changes rather than abstract ideas. In sessions she uses client-centered conversations to listen first, then adds tools from cognitive behavioral therapy to spot and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
Mindfulness practices are used to build calm and focus, while motivational interviewing helps when making changes feels hard. Willow adapts these methods to fit each person’s situation and goals. She works with adults facing depression, bipolar mood concerns, addictions, grief, trauma, and identity-related issues including LGBT and gender concerns.
Willow also helps people manage sleep problems, self-esteem, career stress, compulsive behaviors, and caregiving strain. She pays attention to how parenting pressures affect everyday functioning. Willow practices in Missouri as an LCSW.
Sessions are offered in English and provided through a mix of video calls, phone, live chat, and text messaging. If a practical, flexible approach matters, she helps people set clear steps and track progress.
What Willow works with
Everything Willow lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Willow helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Parenting issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- ADHD
- 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
Approaches Willow lists
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Gottman Method
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Approaches that inform online parenting support
Willow blends client-centered therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy to help people with parenting stress and related challenges. Client-centered therapy begins with listening and respect, helping a person feel understood while they name goals. Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at thoughts and behaviors, offering concrete steps to reduce anxiety, manage mood, and change unhelpful patterns.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Willow treats your needs, goals, and preferences as a guide and adjusts methods over time. She collaborates with each person to try strategies, review what helps, and shift course when something isn’t working well.
Online sessions make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life. Video calls let you use face-to-face time for coaching and demonstrations, phone sessions are useful when bandwidth or screen time is limited, and live chat or text messaging can keep momentum between appointments. These options allow for flexible check-ins, follow-ups, and short coaching moments that can be scheduled around parenting demands.
Questions people ask about Willow
What kinds of concerns does Willow address?
She works with stress, anxiety, parenting challenges, depression, bipolar mood issues, ADHD, addictions, grief, trauma, sleep problems, self-esteem, and related life changes.
What is her approach in sessions?
Willow starts with client-centered listening and pairs that with cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing to build practical coping strategies.
What background and experience does she have?
She brings five years of clinical work with adults and over ten years of professional experience working with children in school settings, which informs her understanding of parenting challenges.
What credentials and location are listed for this therapist?
Willow is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, licensed in Missouri.
In which languages are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with Willow?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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