Rhett Smith, Marriage and Family Therapist

Rhett Smith, Marriage and Family Therapist Face your anxiety with courage, and experience meaningful connection to self and others.

I'm a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in working with individuals and couples around a wide variety of issues...most people these days are coming to see me with their anxiety issues. I'm the author of The Anxious Christian: Can God Use Your Anxiety for Good? (Moody Publishers), What it Means to be a Man: God's Design for Us in a World Full of Extremes (Moody Publishers), and 4 Reminders for Men Who Love God (Moody Publishers)

You can read more of my writing at my blog at www.rhettsmith.com

What a beautiful book that captures a life well lived. I have always admired the work of Dallas Willard and the way that...
10/19/2025

What a beautiful book that captures a life well lived. I have always admired the work of Dallas Willard and the way that he lived his life. This book only increases that admiration.

I first met Dallas Willard sometime around 2005-2007. I don’t remember the exact date, but I remember one of my college students from USC inviting him to come speak to the college group at Bel Air Presbyterian where I was the college pastor. I remember him showing up in his suit and tie and taking a seat on the front row, worshipping along with all the students from USC, UCLA, LMU, and those college aged kids pursuing acting and music in Los Angeles.

And when he got up and spoke, you could hear a pin drop.

He lived a deeply rooted spiritual life, and it oozed out of him in a way that made you want to know more about how you could experience that deep life. It was contagious.

This last Friday, our little book club sat around talking about how deeply the book impacted us personally, and how important the deeply formed spiritual life is needed in our frantic churches and communities and lives today.

To see one’s theological development and spiritual practice take place over a long period of time, has been a good reminder of that “long obedience in the same direction” that Eugene Peterson so eloquently wrote about.

Thanks for the reminder Dallas.

As the recipient of deep forgiveness and restoration in my own life, I was excited to plumb the depths tonight with marr...
10/16/2025

As the recipient of deep forgiveness and restoration in my own life, I was excited to plumb the depths tonight with married couples ReEngage ministry. It’s a topic that is messy and I think really misunderstood in our culture, and especially in the Church.

We named and addressed the divine dynamics of justice, love and power (i.e. the work of theologian Paul Tillich) at work in relationships, and how they become complicated to navigate on a forgiveness journey. And why they all have to be addressed in a balance that brings peace. I utilized the model by my Restoration Therapy colleagues Lance and Jennifer Ahl to help couples identity where they are in this process.

And then we connected the messy interplay of these dynamics towards the pathway of forgiveness in the Restoration Therapy model.

It’s a very hard and difficult journey for couples to not bury, and sweep things under the rug in their relationship, but to instead bravely address justice, love and power in a way that couples can experience deep forgiveness. Deep in your bones forgiveness.

And I am reminded that in our marriage we must continually hold in tension the truth that our partners are created in God’s image, redeemed by Jesus, and have the power of the Spirit at work in their life. (i.e. I love the work of the pastors theologian Deborah van Deusen Hunsinger and her application to theologian Karl Barth’s Trinitarian theology).

Ultimately, I am thankful for the work of Dr. Terry Hargrave and his model of Restoration Therapy. There is no better model in my opinion, and his work on forgiveness is far and above any work that I have seen. Thankful for his mentorship and friendship over all these years, and helping me navigate some deep waters in the area of forgiveness, both personally and in my work professionally.

What a powerful evening together…

It seems as if we are living in a cultural moment where reactivity is at an all time high, and people are struggling to ...
09/29/2025

It seems as if we are living in a cultural moment where reactivity is at an all time high, and people are struggling to emotionally self-regulate — leading to all kinds of issues personally and relationally.

We thought it was a good time to bring on the founders of the Restoration Therapy and Relate Strong models — Terry and Sharon Hargrave. They are dear friends and mentors and very wise in how to navigate the tension around us.

In this episode they discuss how people, when emotionally dysregulated, move from reactivity to polarization to eventually entitled extremism. You see this arc in online political discussions, cultural wars, and more.

It’s an important discussion — and it’s important to ask hard questions of one’s self and where along the continuum one currently is. It’s worth looking even at what you posted on social media in the last few weeks.

Check out our conversation on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, etc. All the links are in the bio above.

We recently moved our daughter into college almost 2000 miles away. And I have done a lot of reflecting over the last ye...
09/03/2025

We recently moved our daughter into college almost 2000 miles away. And I have done a lot of reflecting over the last year on this transition. And how the understanding of transition is critical for a change to “take” — in the words of author William Bridges.

“Our society confuses them constantly, leading us to imagine that transition is just another word for change. But it isn’t. Change is your move to a new city or your shift to a new job. It is the birth if your new baby or the death of your father. It is the switch from the old health plan at work to a new one, or the replacement of your manager by a new one, or it is the acquisition that your company just made.

In other words, change is situational. Transition on the other hand, is psychological. It is not those events, but rather the inner reorientation and self-redefinition that you have to go through in order to incorporate any of those changes into your life. Without a transition, a change is just a rearrangement of the furniture. Unless transition happens, the change won’t work, because it doesn’t ‘take’. Whatever word we use, our society talks a lot about change; but it seldom deals with transition. Unfortunately for us, it is the transition that blind-sides us and is often the source of our troubles”. (Transitions by William Bridges)

It’s been a beautifully disorienting season and I cherish this journey we are all on, and I hope my latest post on my Substack is helpful and hopeful to you.

All links in the bio above.

“Practice is the only pathway to change.” — Dr Terry Hargrave | Founder of Restoration TherapyIt has been a very busy se...
08/10/2025

“Practice is the only pathway to change.” — Dr Terry Hargrave | Founder of Restoration Therapy

It has been a very busy season, but we are carrying on each week with new episodes of the RT Dialogue.

and I are so thankful to have Terry Hargrave not only as a mentor — but to be able to call him friend…is such a gift.

In this episode we cover a lot of topics, and a lot of focus is on the nature of therapy itself, and the importance of moving insight into practice…otherwise, nothing changes.

I encourage you to check all the episodes in our first season so far of RT Dialogue. You can find us on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube and Substack. All the links are in the bio above.

We hope you find these conversations insightful and inspiring, and that the practice we encourage leads to change in your life and others.

“Being dependent on your partner to regulate your emotions or meet your needs is called emotional coregulation…But as we...
07/19/2025

“Being dependent on your partner to regulate your emotions or meet your needs is called emotional coregulation…But as we grow, maturity demands that we learn to self-sooth and emotionally stabilize ourselves…You see, emotional coregulation, while totally appropriate for children, is not a great strategy for married adults…This kind of emotional dependency and connection is much more like parenting that it is partnering.” (The Mindful Marriage: Create Your Best Relationship Through Understanding and Managing Yourself)

This morning I spoke at Preston Trail Community Church’s marriage conference, and I had the opportunity to encourage them to think on how they approach marriage — from a coregulating/parenting dynamic, or from an emotionally self-regulating/partnering dynamic?

Many of the popular relationship books we read, the podcasts we listen to, the sermons we hear, the advice our friends give (especially in Christian communities) often promote coregulation.

In the Restoration Therapy community we believe there is a better, more empowering way to show up in your marriage, and so it was fun to help couples this morning identify their pain and peace cycles and put them into practice in the audience and on stage.

I am so grateful to be a part of the Restoration Therapy community who has taught me so much about love and trust and restoration, and has imparted the importance of ongoing practice in our personal lives and the work we do professionally.

In the Fall a few guys and I started a “book club”. We’ve been working our way through books (all kinds of topics) and m...
05/31/2025

In the Fall a few guys and I started a “book club”.

We’ve been working our way through books (all kinds of topics) and meeting once a month over coffee to discuss.

To discuss the book and how it impacted us. What we learned. What was challenging. How it informed our work. Our relationships. All kinds of things.

This book left a huge impact on us, and stirred up a lot of things in our life and how we want to move forward. Not a surprise since I read book Endure three times over a 4-5 year period. Each time learning new things that shaped my life.

So I picked his new book for our “book club” and it didn’t disappoint. And beyond my “book club” I’m in an ongoing discussion with and about this book.

Thanks Alex for your work and your contribution to helping us live a more meaningful life.

It was a big joy this last Sunday to read a passage of scripture for my daughter’s high school baccalaureate. I got to r...
05/20/2025

It was a big joy this last Sunday to read a passage of scripture for my daughter’s high school baccalaureate.

I got to read from a bible (and share the story) that my college ministry leaders from UCLA, USC and Loyola Marymount gave me back in 2008. They were in the process of graduating and we were moving from Los Angeles to Dallas, and transitioning from being a minister to being a therapist.

In the bible my students highlighted their favorite passages that helped them navigate through that season of college, and it’s beautiful these days to talk to them (some in their late 30’s and early 40’s) and see how that journey shaped them into the people they are today.

So excited for my daughter and all the high school graduates who are about to embark on this exciting new transition in life.

If you are a Christian woman, struggling with anxiety — this retreat is for you!My great friends and colleagues  and .ma...
04/17/2025

If you are a Christian woman, struggling with anxiety — this retreat is for you!

My great friends and colleagues and .mayer are leading a 3 day anxiety intensive with 6 women, in the beautiful mountainous town of Julian, CA.

I believe in the power of Restoration Therapy to change lives, and the anxiety intensive model we developed and have honed over the last few years has helped individuals experience huge breakthroughs with their anxiety.

I’ve been leading intensives for 15 years and I honestly don’t know any therapeutic context that shifts one’s life as quickly and powerfully. So I hope you can join my friends for this great opportunity to transform your anxiety.

Link for registration: meghaneakentherapy.com/anxietyintensive

Had the privilege to speak tonight at ReGen at my home church  — it’s a ministry I’m intimately familiar with, and ultim...
04/01/2025

Had the privilege to speak tonight at ReGen at my home church — it’s a ministry I’m intimately familiar with, and ultimately thankful for.

When life falls apart we are in a hurry to fix it as quickly as possible. But what we soon learn to our own dismay is that God is not in a hurry.

On this journey through life it will involve many stops along the way while in the wilderness (Exodus 17:1; Numbers 33, etc), and while we want to rush from captivity to promise, God is more concerned about the type of people we are being shaped into. And that’s a longer process than we would like. A lifetime really.

Or as Eugene Peterson says in his book of the same title…it’s “a long obedience in the same direction”.

The challenge is to hold in tension both our hope for the healing that awaits our restorative work, while being present to the hope around us each day.

Thanks for the beautiful worship tonight

It is crazy that it was 10 years ago today that I launched my podcast. It has been a slow labor of love, often done in s...
03/25/2025

It is crazy that it was 10 years ago today that I launched my podcast. It has been a slow labor of love, often done in seasons.

Felt like I had a lot to say those first few years, but then found a more even pace for me, trying to not retread on the same topics.

It’s still up and running, but these days it’s reserved for the times when I have new things I want to explore with guests. And I am really loving co-hosting the RT Dialogue podcast with right now. So much synergy there, especially around a model of therapy we love — Restoration Therapy.

Special thanks to my great friend being my first guest back in 2015. He has been with me through a lot 💪

Cheers to new and engaging conversations in the years to come.

If you haven’t had a chance to tune in yet — our new RT Dialogue podcast is up on Spotify and Apple (links in the bio). ...
03/24/2025

If you haven’t had a chance to tune in yet — our new RT Dialogue podcast is up on Spotify and Apple (links in the bio). We are 6 episodes in with many to come.

My Restoration Therapy colleague and I are co-hosting the show, and engaging lots of Restoration Therapy therapists, as well as exploring a variety of topics.

It’s often an inside look into what happens in the therapy room and the different interventions and practices that help clients thrive.

We hope you check us out and if you have a particular topic you would like us to explore, let us know.

Address

5300 Town And Country Boulevard Suite 240
Frisco, TX
75034

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+14693049022

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Rhett Smith, Marriage and Family Therapist posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

My Work With Clients

I believe that it is my job to create an emotionally safe and open environment so you are free to be yourself. In this environment I hope to help you not only gain insight about your life, but help you develop and implement skills and tools you can practice. It is this insight + practice that leads to transformation.

I love working with a variety of issues and most often specialize in relational issues (i.e. marriage, dating, family, , etc.), anxiety and depression (identifying root causes, managing symptoms, and reframing as an opportunity for growth), issues around faith, grief, and personal development and wellness.

One of the things that makes my practice unique is that I'm not just a therapist, but I speak at conferences, teach workshops, lead marriage intensives, and record a weekly podcast. I'm also author of The Anxious Christian & What it Means to be a Man.