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RS Portrait of Rilda Smith

Rilda Smith

Systemic therapist blending practical skills and empathy

LMFT Oklahoma

Experience
22 years in practice
Focus areas
Stress, Anxiety, Grief, Sleeping
Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
Languages
English
Continue with Rilda

About Rilda

Rilda Smith is a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in Oklahoma with 22 years of clinical experience. She approaches concerns through a systemic lens, helping clients understand how personal difficulties are tied to relationships with family, friends, and colleagues.

Background and approach

Rilda emphasizes collaboration and respects each person's knowledge of their own life while offering tools to navigate anxiety, stress, grief and loss, and life transitions. Her work also addresses caregiver strain, sleep problems, communication and anger, self-esteem, career and financial stress, compassion fatigue, and challenges such as ADHD, eating concerns, and depression.

Rilda integrates cognitive behavioral techniques alongside client-centered and mindfulness strategies to help people reframe unhelpful patterns, build practical coping skills, and increase present-moment awareness. Motivational interviewing and narrative approaches inform how she supports change and the crafting of more helpful personal stories.

Rilda welcomes international clients and offers a range of remote session formats to fit varied schedules. She encourages those taking the first step toward therapy to rely on their strengths while she provides guidance and structure through the therapeutic process.

Approaches that translate well to online therapy



Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It often includes practical exercises and skill-building that clients can apply between sessions to address anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and stress-related difficulties.

Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy, active listening, and validating the client’s perspective so they can explore concerns at their own pace. This approach supports self-discovery and can strengthen motivation for change when paired with other techniques.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together; the therapist will collaborate with each person to tailor methods to their needs, goals, and preferences. That means blending structured strategies like CBT with client-centered or mindfulness elements as appropriate and adjusting as progress unfolds.

Online formats including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to maintain continuity when schedules or locations change. These options allow for flexible timing, ongoing support between live sessions, and access for people who live outside the therapist's immediate area while working with licensed professionals.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she commonly help with?
She works with a wide range of issues including stress, anxiety, grief, sleep struggles, life transitions, caregiver issues, compassion fatigue, relationship and communication problems, anger, self-esteem, career and financial concerns, depression, and ADHD.
What is her therapeutic style?
She combines a systemic, client-centered stance with practical methods such as cognitive behavioral strategies and mindfulness to help clients identify patterns and develop coping skills.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She brings 22 years of experience as a practicing therapist, with long-term work supporting people through grief, transitions, caregiver stress, and multicultural concerns.
What are her credentials and location?
She is a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist with the credential OK LMFT LMFT00853 and practices from Oklahoma.
Can nonlocal or international clients work with her?
Yes, she accepts international clients and conducts sessions in English for people outside the local area.
Which session formats does she offer?
Sessions are available via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to accommodate different preferences and schedules.
How are fees and payment handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What is the first step to begin working together?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling a session according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyGriefSleeping disordersCoping with life changesCompassion fatigue

Also works with

Relationship issuesEating disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesDepressionADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAttachment issuesCaregiver issues and stressCommunication problemsCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDivorce and separationForgivenessGuilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingLife purposeMoney and financial issuesMulticultural concernsSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSexualityYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

22+ years

Licensed

Oklahoma

Languages

English