About Daniel
Daniel Smolen is a licensed clinical social worker in California who focuses on stress and anxiety. He draws on 30 years of experience to help people facing worry, tension, and low mood. He writes plainly and listens carefully so people feel heard from the first session.
Clients come with different challenges such as relationship tensions, parenting strain, anger, and issues around identity and self-worth. Daniel works with people dealing with trauma and abuse, post-traumatic stress, social anxiety, and self-harm concerns.
Background and approach
He also supports those struggling with blended family dynamics, caregiver stress, and communication problems. Daniel uses straightforward methods to help people make practical changes in daily life. He commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thoughts and build new habits.
He also draws on Mindfulness Therapy to help people notice reactions and respond differently in stressful moments. Sessions aim to clarify what matters most and create small, doable steps. Daniel treats clients as the expert in their story and looks for strengths to build on.
He encourages people to take the first steps while offering steady guidance along the way. People who prefer work by phone or video can meet in those formats, and messaging options are also available. Daniel practices in California and conducts sessions in English only.
To begin, a short matching questionnaire helps align goals and preferences before scheduling the first session.
How CBT and Mindfulness work online
CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, helps people spot unhelpful thoughts and habits and replace them with more helpful ones. It is often used for anxiety, depression, and social anxiety by breaking problems into concrete steps and practicing new skills between sessions. Mindfulness Therapy focuses on present-moment awareness and learning to notice reactions without immediately acting on them. It can reduce reactivity to stress and help with rumination and emotional ups and downs.Finding the right approach is part of therapy. Daniel will work with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. That decision is collaborative and may change over time as needs evolve.
Online sessions offer flexibility and practical benefits. Video calls let people meet face-to-face without commuting. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging support quick check-ins, brief coaching between sessions, or a way to communicate when schedules are tight. These options make it simpler to fit consistent therapy into a busy life.
Questions people ask
What kinds of concerns does Daniel help with?
What is his general therapeutic style?
How much clinical experience does he have?
What credential does he hold and where does he practice?
Which languages are available for sessions?
Can international clients work with him?
What session formats does he offer?
How are costs and scheduling handled?
What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also listed
- Anger management
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- LGBT
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 30 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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