Smithson Counseling, Andy Smithson, LCSW

01/08/2026

🌟 We Are Stronger Together! 🌟
Mini‑Cassia’s Annual Mental Health Seminar is back — and this year is going to be powerful.

🗓 March 14
⏰ 9 AM – 3 PM
📍 Historic Wilson Theatre
💵 Only $5 — lunch included

Join us for a full day of connection, learning, and hope with Andy Smithson, LCSW, who will be teaching evidence‑based tools you can use right away to strengthen your own mental health and support the people you love. Andy and others will also be performing his original mental health–focused music!

Mental health is not a solo journey — it’s something we build together.
If you live here, you belong here.

A huge thank‑you to our MAJOR sponsors:
Minidoka County State of Idaho, Intermountain Health, and Urgent Care of Idaho.
And gratitude to our supporting sponsors: Stoke's Grocery Stores, Berkeley Construction, Inc., IV Oasis, and Gary Bliss of Farm Bureau Insurance.

Come learn. Come connect. Come feel supported.
Mini‑Cassia is stronger when we show up for each other. 💚

Tickets will be available shortly!

01/08/2026

Jesus Taught This 1 Rule to End Relationship Conflict

https://youtube.com/shorts/30gwzp_Z1ag

Jesus Taught This 1 Rule to End Relationship Conflict (The Beam in Your Eye)The secret to ending relationship conflict isn't about blaming others—it's about following this core principle of self-awareness. Jesus taught to remove the beam from your own eye before pointing out the speck in another's.
This short unpacks the uncomfortable truth: attributing our unhealed issues to a partner is a major driver of continuous conflict. When you get triggered, that is the moment to ask: "What is this revealing about me?"
Growth begins with self-reflection, not blame. Watch to learn how to apply this profound rule to your life and finally find peace in your relationships.
Subscribe for more insights on principled therapy and spiritual psychology!
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Jesus Taught This 1 Rule to End Relationship Conflict (The Beam in Your Eye)The secret to ending relationship conflict isn't about blaming others—it's about ...

01/08/2026

Stop Intrusive Thoughts (Rewire Your Brain Now)

https://youtu.be/Ca1mxhm13tU

Stop Intrusive Thoughts (Rewire Your Brain Now). Ruminating? Unstick Your Brain with This Simple Neuro-Hack
Are your intrusive thoughts sticky? It's not because they're true, but because your brain is practicing them. I’m a therapist, and this video explains the "neurons that fire together, wire together" principle: rumination is simply rehearsal in the wrong direction.
But you have the power to stop the loop! Learn the proven formula for intentional rewiring your brain for calm and clarity. The process is simple: Emotion + Attention + Repetition. Use this powerful mental health tip to practice in a new direction and literally unstick your negative thought patterns.
What thought are you ready to unstick first?

Stop Intrusive Thoughts: 3 Rules of Neuroplasticity to Rewire Your Brain.Your brain is rewiring itself every day, but are you letting it carve a canyon of ne...

01/07/2026

Stop Intrusive Thoughts 3 Rules of Neuroplasticity to Rewire Your Brain

https://youtu.be/Ca1mxhm13tU

Stop Intrusive Thoughts: 3 Rules of Neuroplasticity to Rewire Your Brain.
Your brain is rewiring itself every day, but are you letting it carve a canyon of negative, intrusive thoughts? As a licensed therapist, I'll show you exactly how intrusive thoughts stick around (it’s not because they’re true!) and how to use the guiding principles of neuroplasticity to get rid of them once and for all.
In this full-length video, you will learn:

• The 3 Fundamental Rules of Neuroplasticity that govern brain change and how to apply them immediately.

• The 4-Step ACT Framework—a simple, practical method to implement neuroplasticity and stop negative thought loops (Acknowledge, Change Body, Think Well, Take Action).

• Why imagination and attention are the "glue" that creates new, positive neural habits faster than simple repetition.

This science-backed practice can help you replace anxiety, fear, and intrusive thoughts with calm, truth, and mental clarity. Hit subscribe for more principled, science-backed tools for anxiety and everyday mental health.

12/30/2025

Calm Anxiety Instantly The 3 Step Body Fix

https://youtube.com/shorts/6hlNXLQlsXc

When you feel yourself going "offline" due to anxiety or a panic attack, your intelligent brain is effectively cut out—what Psychologist Dan Siegel calls 'Flipping Your Lid.' The fix isn't in your thoughts, it's in your body.
Use these 3 simple body steps to regain calm instantly:
1. Drop your shoulders.
2. Breathe out slowly.
3. Feel your feet on the ground.
Calm body, clear mind. That’s the principle of self-regulation. Click the linked video below for the complete guide!

When you feel yourself going "offline" due to anxiety or a panic attack, your intelligent brain is effectively cut out—what Psychologist Dan Siegel calls 'Fl...

12/29/2025

Stop Anxious Emotional Spirals Fast

https://youtube.com/shorts/5TH2kfr5zBU

Stop Anxious Emotional Spirals Fast — if your mind hijacks you the moment you’re triggered, this therapist-approved tool can help immediately.

When stress hits, your brain doesn’t search for truth. It grabs the most rehearsed thought — which is why willpower alone fails during anxiety and emotional overwhelm.
In this short, I show you how to use back pocket thoughts to calm your nervous system, slow racing thoughts, and stop anxiety spirals before they take over.

Regulate your body first. Then gently guide your mind.
Practice this when you’re calm so it’s ready when you’re not.

Save this — your future self will need it.

Stop Anxious Emotional Spirals Fast — if your mind hijacks you the moment you’re triggered, this therapist-approved tool can help immediately.When stress hit...

12/29/2025

5 Truths to Tell Your Depression Today

https://youtube.com/shorts/xRkbi6KJnmw

I’m a licensed therapist, and these are 5 truths you can tell your depression when it starts lying to you.
If depression tells you that you’re alone, broken, or without purpose — pause.
Others experience this too, and connection is possible.
Even in darkness, light still exists.
Your purpose hasn’t disappeared — you just don’t feel it right now.

It’s okay to not be okay.
It’s okay to ask for help.
And while depression isn’t your fault, you still have power over what comes next.

👉 Subscribe and check out our most recent video below to learn how to keep responding to depression with clarity, strength, and self-compassion.

You are not failing — you’re healing.








Welcome to Principled Therapy: Your trusted guide to actionable psychology for emotional wellness and self-mastery.

I’m a licensed therapist, and these are 5 truths you can tell your depression when it starts lying to you.If depression tells you that you’re alone, broken, ...

12/29/2025

Therapist's 10 Best Nervous System Regulation Tools

https://youtu.be/VvWU0JbTxUY

Licensed Therapist Andy, from Principled Therapy, reveals the most effective tools to calm your body and mind right now—and the daily habits to expand your emotional capacity over time.
Emotional self-regulation is the hinge upon which mental health swings. In this video, we share 10 essential practices to help you intentionally shift your emotional state, grow your range of tolerance, and feel safe again. We cover both quick resets for in-the-moment relief and long-term habits to literally reprogram your nervous system.
You must calm your body to calm your mind. Learn the "Calm Body Principle" and the cutting-edge science behind why these tools work, including Polyvagal Theory and the impact of breathing on Heart Rate Variability (HRV).
Which of the 10 practices are you going to start this week? Let me know in the comments!

12/23/2025

Calm Anxiety Fast Using Your Body

https://youtube.com/shorts/FWzzrKpctE4

When anxiety spikes, your nervous system is in charge. Trying to “think calm” won’t work until your body feels safe first.

In this Short, you’ll learn the physiological sigh — a powerful breathing technique using two short inhales through your nose and one long exhale through your mouth.
This breath directly activates your vagus nerve, helping regulate your nervous system and switch your body out of fight-or-flight.

Within 30 seconds, your heart rate slows, tension releases, and your brain gets the message: you’re safe.

If you deal with anxiety, panic attacks, stress, or feeling overwhelmed, save this video so you can use it anytime — at work, at night, or when anxiety hits unexpectedly.

Because self-regulation starts in the body, not the mind.

When anxiety spikes, your nervous system is in charge. Trying to “think calm” won’t work until your body feels safe first.In this Short, you’ll learn the phy...

12/23/2025

Stop Burnout: Find Your Optimal Stress Level!

https://youtu.be/R7npgkwYhN4

You can Stop Burnout by finding your optimal or right level of stress! What’s the Right Amount of Stress?
Most people believe better mental health means less stress — but that idea may be keeping you stuck. In this video, I explain how to find the right amount of stress, the zone where challenge fuels growth instead of burnout.

I’m Andy, a licensed therapist, and I’ll walk you through the Goldilocks principle of stress — a psychology-backed framework showing why too little stress leads to numbness, too much leads to anxiety, and the middle zone creates focus, motivation, and flow.

You’ll learn:
Why stress itself isn’t the real problem
How performance and mood follow a stress curve
A powerful stress reframe that changes your body’s response
How to raise your stress tolerance without burning out
The difference between real stress and imagined stress
Why doing hard things on purpose builds resilience

This approach doesn’t remove stress — it teaches you how to use stress skillfully so it works for you, not against you.

👉 For more therapist-led mental health tools, stress practices, and nervous system insights, like and subscribe so you don’t miss future videos.

12/23/2025

The Uncomfortable Truth About Mental Health Healing (From a Therapist)

https://youtube.com/shorts/f7KTxLilyEI

If you’re struggling with your mental health and feel like nothing is working, this is the uncomfortable truth you need to hear.

I’m a licensed therapist, and real mental health healing doesn’t come from one tip, one video, or one breakthrough moment. Healing takes time, consistency, real effort, outside support, and yes—some voluntary discomfort.

The tools you see online do work. But they’re only one small piece of a much bigger puzzle. When you practice small tools consistently and stack them with healthy changes, progress happens—slowly, steadily, and sustainably.

If healing feels frustrating right now, that doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re doing something hard—and meaningful.

Save this if you needed the reminder. ❤️

If you’re struggling with your mental health and feel like nothing is working, this is the uncomfortable truth you need to hear.I’m a licensed therapist, and...

12/22/2025

One Question That Makes ALL Criticism Useful

https://youtube.com/shorts/Kzt0oRp3Vfs

One Question That Makes ALL Criticism Useful
Harsh criticism can shut you down — unless you ask this one question. In this Short, you’ll learn how to filter feedback for what’s actually true, own even 10% of it, and turn criticism into growth instead of defensiveness.



Welcome to Principled Therapy — where true principles meet real practices for a sound mind.
I’m Andy, an LCSW/licensed therapist with over 20 years of experience helping people manage anxiety, stress, relationships, and emotional overwhelm. On this channel, I teach timeless truths and evidence-based therapy tools that help you think clearly, feel deeply, and live intentionally.

Each video combines practical psychology, mindfulness, and spiritual wisdom so you can strengthen your emotional health, resolve conflict, and build peace from the inside out.

One Question That Makes ALL Criticism UsefulHarsh criticism can shut you down — unless you ask this one question. In this Short, you’ll learn how to filter f...