Landyce Smith, LCSW, RPT ™
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist™. I have a Master of Science in Social Work with a clinical concentration from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Oklahoma. I am also a registered provider with the Association for Play Therapy. I hold a certificate in School-Based Social Work and I am passionate about social and emotional learning, child brain development, and health concerns and losses in children and adolescents. I have provided clinical services since 2019. Before opening Kindling Therapy, I worked with kids, teens, and young adults at a group practice for 6 years.
Through previous experience, I obtained diverse exposure to individual and group counseling in medical and school social work. As a medical social worker, I worked in the pediatric dialysis and cystic fibrosis clinics to meet the social and emotional needs of these chronic health conditions.
As a master’s candidate, I interned at Austin Discovery School, where I provided individual counseling and facilitated support groups such as social anxiety, mindfulness, and art therapy. Additionally, I implemented nurture groups: a short-term intervention that focused on emotional development and communication for kindergarten-2nd graders.
Prior to completing my degrees, I worked at a faith-based summer camp where I counseled girls ages six to fourteen on their faith and the difficulties of life outside of camp.
Knowing every client has individual needs, I have been trained in the following modalities to tailor each session to best suit my clients:
Animal-Assisted Therapy with my therapy dog, Layla (see below)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Internal Family Systems
Making Sense of Your Worth Facilitator
Play Therapy
Solution-Focused Therapy
Trust-Based Relational Interventions
Layla, Certified Therapy Dog
Hi! My name is Layla and I am an 8 year old Goldendoodle. I have been training to be a therapy dog since I was 6 months old. After many long days filled with lots of pets, I officially became a certified member of the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. I love fluffy toys, long walks, and milk bones. I often get a case of the zoomies, but nothing lots of pets can’t fix. I work with my mom and to help kids and families by providing comfort and increasing safety in sessions.
My mom, Landyce Smith, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist™. We both received special training before we could start working with our friends at Kindling Therapy. One of my biggest responsibilities is to provide comfort, affection, and psychological support. Studies show that petting me in session helps reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, and can even improve overall mood. I can help break down emotional barriers, improving communication and encouraging social engagement early on in our time together.
Dogs like me sometimes visit places like hospitals, schools, and nursing homes. We are encouraged to interact with all kinds of people. I am so pumped to be at Kindling Therapy everyday! Unless my mom thinks I need to rest, I am available for pets and hugs anytime.
