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Serving the communities along the I-80 corridor in Solano County and Yolo County including Suisun, Cordelia, Fairfield, Vacaville, Winters, Dixon, Davis, Woodland and West Sacramento, Dr. Tom provides doctoral-level counseling and psychological services in the areas of sexual addiction, couples and relationships, personality disorders, post-traumatic stress, family dysfunction, emotional and physical abuse, children and adolescents, and with pastors who have been implicated in professional misconduct. I also consult with churches and congregations on issues of conflict, growth, and transition.
No one 'gets' the problem he or she can handle -- this is why it's a problem! We are all in transition. Becoming a healthy, assertive adult with good boundaries is hard work. We need mentors or guides to help us achieve success, balance and joy in life. Allow Dr. Tom to join you in your journey as a guide. Using family systems as a framework, he combines existential and psychodynamic approaches to help people clarify where they are, who they are, and where they want to be. There are different kinds of therapists. Most are good listeners and many are discerning and perceptive. Dr. Tom is more directive than most because he believes that challenge is an important component of emotional growth. If you are looking for a comforting, 'there there' type of psychotherapist, you won't find this with Dr. Tom.
The problem with our parents is that they had parents! And no one gets it completely right. No one has a manual. Becoming whole takes practice and time. Approaching problems in a safe and nurturing yet challenging way, Dr. Tom helps people figure out how to navigate the way forward. Yet choosing a psychotherapist is daunting! Most people have little experience in making such a choice. Many therapists talk about this or that therapy or theory as being the best but the truth is that all theories work and all theories don't work depending on the quality of the relationship between therapist and patient. It's this 'fit' that you should seek when you choose someone with whom you will likely share deeply personal and profoundly scary elements from your life.
Although careful not to impose a value system on another person, Dr. Smith is also an ordained Presbyterian minister (M.Div.) in addition to being a licensed clinical psychologist (Psy.D.) in the State of California. He is a member of the California Psychological Association and an associate member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. He is on the Advisory Council of the Sacramento Adult Rehabilitation Center of the Salvation Army and teaches graduate courses at the Professional School of Psychology in Sacramento. He regularly consults with minister groups on systems principles and leadership, and with local church leadership boards and councils on strategic planning, conflict, and issues of transition.
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