Glencairn - Dr Smith

Susan G. Smith, Ph.D., LMFT

Hello! My name is Dr. Susan Grey Smith and I am an Eastern Kentucky native and founder and president of the Glencairn Marriage & Family Therapy Center Inc. in Lexington. I have been in private practice at Glencairn since receiving my doctorate from Texas Tech University in 1996.

Texas Tech is one of about 12 CO-AAMFT accredited Marriage & Family Therapy doctoral programs in America. My 1988 masters degree from the University of Kentucky is in Family Studies and my 1973 bachelors degree from Eastern Kentucky University is in Sociology. From 1990-1992 I attended the Family Therapy post-graduate program at the University of Louisville where I received certifications in Juvenile Sex Offender Treatment and Family Sensitive Residential Treatment for adolescents incarcerated in Kentucky's juvenile justice system.

I am part-time faculty at the University of Kentucky in the Family Studies and Marriage & Family Therapy Programs and Eastern Kentucky University, Department of Family and Consumer Science. I teach a variety of classes including human sexuality, family development, adolescent development, family stress, children and adolescents in therapy and marital therapy. I am an AAMFT-approved supervisor and mentor interns in my private practice.

My background in human development and systems theory informs my work with children, adolescents, and adults and my marriage and family therapy background has prepared me to work relationally as well as contexually with couples and families. I have over 20 years of experience providing mental health services and nearly 30 years working in human services.

I treat a wide array of problems including mood, thought and behavioral problems. I have had extended training in marital therapy, family sexual and physical violence, child maltreatment, sexual orientation, and racial and ethnic diversity. My theoretical approach is systemic with a competency-based focus. I am comfortable working with multiple family members and believe that people and families know what is best for them and have the strength and resources to change. I listen closely to your voice and your concerns and tailor my work to fit the unique needs of each person, couple, and family.

As well as my therapeutic work, I have extensive experience working with the courts. My Forensic Family Therapy practice allows me to conduct evaluations and report to attorneys and judges in a variety of venues using my expert knowledge.

Garnie Nickell

Ms. Nickell graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Eastern Kentucky University with a Masters of Arts in Mental Health Counseling and as a member of the professional mental health honor society, CSI Sigma Iota. She completed a graduate internship with the Department of Juvenile Justice working with adolescents and their families. She is currently a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Associate (LPCCA) in Kentucky.

Ms. Nickell approaches counseling from an eclectic standpoint using knowledge from several theoretical psychology models. She focuses on understanding the needs of her clients while activating their strengths toward the resolution of problems. Her emphasis is to provide a safe space and healthy structure for clients to do their work.

Overall, she sees her role as a therapy partner, a facilitator of a process that may feel foreign, uncomfortable, or confusing, while the client pursues their goals. Ms. Nickell uses her knowledge, training, and life experience to help each client achieve clarity. She uses her expert knowledge as a mirror to help each person gain an honest, reality-based perspective of their world.

Specific areas of interest include anger management, depression and anxiety, and sexual issues. Ms. Nickell enjoys working with adolescents and their families to aide in facing the many challenges that today’s social contexts present in keeping adolescents on track developmentally.