Alison Smith is a provisionally-licenced Mental Health Counselor in the State of New York. She earned her Masters of Science in Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY and completed a Master’s level internship at Albany Medical Center’s Department of Pediatrics – Albany, NY in June 2024. Alison previously earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Siena College – Latham, NY in May of 2021.
Alison has clinical counseling experience with children, adolescents, and young adults between the ages of 7 and 25. Alison is particularly interested in working with adolescent and young adult clients experiencing familial challenges, chronic and/or acute medical conditions, identity challenges, anxiety, and grief and bereavement. She practices through the lens of an Adlerian perspective, focusing on understanding an individual’s lifestyle and social interests, examining past experiences and family dynamics, and encouraging positive behavior changes to overcome perceived barriers and foster a sense of belonging and purpose. In addition to this perspective, Alison utilizes interventions from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) from a trauma-informed approach to adhere to all of the client’s presenting needs. Alison prioritizes the client-counselor relationship to enhance and promote empowerment and autonomy of each individual client.
Before becoming a professional counselor, Alison worked as a children’s care manager at a local care management agency assisting families meet their children’s individual needs and goals. In her free time, Alison spends copious amounts of time with her two cats, friends and family. Alison enjoys reading suspense, thriller, and mystery novels, as well as watching an excessive amount of reality television.
