Shanua Smith, LPC-MH
South Dakota · 19 years in practice
Shanua Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship struggles, and life transitions.
License and registration
- LPC-MH, South Dakota
- 30699 · expires November 2026
- NPI
- 1225498041 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 19
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.
About Shanua
Shanua Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship struggles, and life transitions. She works with concerns that include grief, addiction, anger, parenting strain, attention challenges, and intimacy-related issues. Shanua practices in South Dakota and brings 19 years of experience to each conversation.
Her approach is warm and straightforward. Sessions focus on what feels most pressing right now. Shanua uses simple tools to reduce overwhelm and help people take small, manageable steps.
Background and approach
She listens first, then offers strategies rooted in practical therapy methods. Shanua draws from client-centered therapy to follow each person’s pace and priorities. She also uses cognitive behavioral techniques to identify unhelpful thought patterns and build new habits.
EMDR is part of the toolbox when trauma and painful memories are a focus. Motivational interviewing helps when clients want change but feel stuck, and trauma-focused practices guide work on deep wounds. Shanua adapts methods to match a person’s goals rather than applying one fixed style.
Sessions balance listening, skill-building, and real-world practice. People who come to Shanua often want clearer boundaries, less reactivity, or better coping with major life events. She helps parents address parenting stress and supports people coping with caregiving, cancer-related stress, or career shifts.
Her style aims to make change feel doable rather than overwhelming.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Shanua lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Depression
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Approaches Shanua names
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How Shanua’s approaches translate to online therapy
Shanua uses client-centered therapy to follow each person’s pace and priorities, focusing conversations on what matters most and building trust through listening and reflection. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, helps identify unhelpful thoughts and teaches practical exercises to change behaviors and mood. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, EMDR, can be used when trauma memories cause ongoing distress and involves processing painful memories in a structured way to reduce their emotional hold.Deciding which approach to use is part of the work together. Shanua will talk with clients about goals, symptoms, and preferences, then suggest an initial plan. That plan can change over time based on what’s helping and what isn’t, so the process stays collaborative.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and real-time skill practice. Phone sessions can work when lower bandwidth or hands-free conversation is needed. Live chat and texting are useful for brief check-ins, coaching-style support, or when a written method helps someone process thoughts between sessions. These options aim to make therapy easier to fit into daily life and to keep consistent progress.
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Questions people ask
What kinds of problems does Shanua address?
She helps with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy concerns, grief, addictions, parenting strain, sleep and eating issues, anger, self-esteem, bipolar challenges, and coping with life changes.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is warm, direct, and practical. She listens first, then uses tools and homework to help clients make small, steady changes.
How much experience does she have?
Shanua has 19 years of professional experience working with a wide range of emotional and behavioral concerns in South Dakota.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds the credential LPC-MH, which stands for Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health, and practices in South Dakota.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging so clients can choose what fits their routine.
How does cost and starting therapy work?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability and uses a subscription that can be canceled at any time; to begin, select the Start Therapy button, fill a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a time.
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