A Bit About Me
Hello! My name is Dr. Atiya Smith (She/Her). I am a licensed clinical professional counselor with over 15 years of experience working with toddlers, children, adolescents, college students, and graduate students.
My therapeutic approach is integrative and holistically incorporates evidence-based techniques from Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Transactional Analysis to best meet the needs of my clients. With clients and families, I work collaboratively to create an environment that feels safe to learn and grow. Culturally responsive and affirming care where client experiences, systems, and identities are respected is at the core of my work as a counselor.
Whether focusing primarily on talk therapy, utilizing assessment instruments, practicing new skills during sessions, incorporating expressive arts techniques (e.g. music, journaling, photography, play, and role plays), or taking a moment to sit with difficult feelings, the goal is to create a trusting environment where clients can: increase self-awareness, ask questions, explore their emotions, enhance coping skills, build and maintain healthy relationships, confront challenges, and expand their sense of resilience, self-confidence, autonomy, and self-advocacy.
I look forward to meeting you and supporting you on your journey!
Dr. Atiya Smith
My Clinical Practice Areas
- Anxiety
- School Counseling and School-related Stress
- Identity Development
- Self-esteem
- Depression
- College Student Mental Health
- Student Athletes & Student Musicians
- Disenfranchised Grief and Ambiguous Loss
- Neurodivergence (ADHD, Autism, Learning Differences, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Executive Functioning Support
- Mental Health for Black Women and Black Girls
- Racial Trauma/Race-based Stress
- Relationship Challenges
- Life Transitions
- Career and Vocational Counseling
My Education & Training
I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Hood College, a Master of Science in Applied Psychology: Counseling Track from the University of Baltimore, and a Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education from the University of Rochester. I completed my doctoral internship at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Counseling Center in Rochester, New York. I completed training experiences during my master’s program at the Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital’s Behavioral Health Program, the University of Baltimore’s Counseling Center, and the John Hopkins School-Based Mental Health Program.
Prior to joining the practice, I was the inaugural Program Director for the master’s in School Counseling Program at Hood College and taught a range of core and elective courses over six years, including Counseling Youth, Basic Counseling Techniques, Theories of Counseling, Group Counseling, Tests and Measurements, Practicum in School Counseling, Internship in School Counseling, and Consultation, Collaboration & Supervision in Schools. I also worked as an executive functioning coach in the Spectrum Support Program at the Rochester Institute of Technology, an academic success coach through the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the University of Rochester, and a school counselor at the Baltimore Lab School.
I serve on the Board of Directors for the Maryland School Counselor Association (MSCA) and the Executive Committee for the Maryland Counseling Association (MCA). I actively participate in research and scholarship, presenting at professional conferences, and am committed to training the next generation of counselors.