Branden Smith, MA, LPCC

In 2017, Branden graduated from North Dakota State University with his bachelor’s degree in psychology with an emphasis on social sciences. He participated in and presented research regarding nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior and how it relates to emotion dysregulation. He then attended Regis University in Denver, Colorado f0r his master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and graduated in 2021.

Branden attended his internship at Peak to Peak Counseling in Nederland, Colorado where he focused on rural mental health. He is now a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in Minnesota. Branden worked in a private practice called Integrity Counseling in Perham for three years before joining Solutions. This is where he received his supervision to become an LPCC.

Mr. Smith is officially trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and merge concepts from both traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). His focus in school was learning ACT, though the majority of his experience comes from DBT. He prefers to work with adults and older adolescents with a variety of issues such as borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, severe and persistent mental illnesses, as well as depression, anxiety, and people struggling with life stressors. He has experience helping those struggling with suicidal ideation and self-harm.

Branden loves working with individuals who are motivated and willing to try something new or view life differently. He likes working with clients who want to be the center of change in their lives while accepting the things they cannot change. He finds his work the most meaningful when he can see client’s minds open and change to new perspectives and then carry on modifying what they’ve learned to better fit their lifestyles. He says seeing how emotions can change so dramatically simply through an alteration of thought is powerful and invigorating; simultaneously watching how a client’s life outwardly changes after they make internal changes is amazing.

He prioritizes honesty, integrity, and ethical balance in his work. he also pushes for clients to understand and bolster their own autonomy, both in session and in their lives.