Every helper has doubts and we all want to do better. Understanding how psychotherapy works is the best way for helpers to find their way.

Dr. Jeffery Smith is a psychiatrist, author, and educator devoted to one question: how does psychotherapy actually work in real life, and how can we use that knowledge to help patients change? Drawing from decades of clinical practice, he brings seemingly incompatible therapeutic approaches under one roof and translates complex theory into clear, actionable tools for clinicians of all kinds and levels of experience.

As Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at New York Medical College, past President of the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI), and leader of the Psychotherapy Caucus of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Smith is uniquely positioned at the intersection of science, clinical experience, and innovation. He combines the warmth of a seasoned practitioner with the clarity of an original thinker whose science‑based views are always fresh and clinically grounded.

Signature talks

Each presentation is customized to your audience, whether they are psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, trainees, or interdisciplinary mental health teams.

Talk 1

How Psychotherapy Works: Five Science‑Based Clinical Objectives

All therapies may look different on the surface, but when you look closely, they accomplish the same few core objectives. In this keynote, Dr. Smith clarifies five science‑based clinical objectives that underlie any effective therapy, helping clinicians see what truly drives change across modalities. Participants leave with a unifying framework they can use to match techniques to the unique individual in front of them and to improve outcomes with the therapies they already practice.

Audience takeaways 

• Recognize five core clinical objectives that cut across therapeutic schools.
• Map their current techniques to each objective and identify gaps in their work.
• Use the framework to sharpen case formulation and treatment planning. 

Talk 2

 Three Change Mechanisms at the Heart of Psychotherapy

 Behind every intervention lie just three core change mechanisms. Dr. Smith unpacks the underlying mechanisms that power psychotherapy and shows how to put them to work deliberately instead of implicitly. Through case examples, he demonstrates how understanding these mechanisms clarifies why some patients change and others stay stuck, and how subtle shifts in the therapist’s stance can reopen the path to progress.

Audience takeaways 

• Identify three key change mechanisms present in most therapies.
• Spot when each mechanism is blocked in the therapeutic relationship.
• Adjust interventions to restart stalled treatments and deepen ongoing work.

Talk 3

Making Friends with the Unconscious: How the Inner Mind Thinks and Changes

“If I have a specialty, it’s making friends with the unconscious.” Dr. Smith offers a clinically vivid tour of the unconscious mind: how it thinks, how it gets stuck, and how it can change in psychotherapy and in life. He translates contemporary theory about unconscious processes into language and techniques any clinician can use, without requiring allegiance to a single school.

Audience takeaways 

• Understand how unconscious mental processes shape symptoms and relationships.
• Detect unconscious patterns as they emerge in sessions, including subtle enactments.
• Use practical strategies to engage the unconscious safely and productively.

Optional “clinical applications” cluster

Dr. Smith brings his long experience as a private psychiatrist to a variety of clinical situations of intense concern to lay people, therapists, and other psychological change agents.   

• "Adolescent development and the “failure to launch” challenge." Developmental arrest is too often given diagnostic labels and treatments that fail to address the underlying problems.
• "Dealing effectively with narcissistic personalities." Working with family members has honed the rules for those who remain in a relationship with a narcissistic person.
• "Treating addictions through a unified psychotherapeutic lens" A unique perspective on the nature of addiction that explains clinical experience and points towards what works.
• "Little‑known secrets about shame and how to work with it." The keys to shame are the value systems that shape inner critic's judgments. Understanding the source leads to better treatment.
• "From dissociative identity disorder to dysfunctional families: seeing the underlying dynamics in their unique detail is the key to psychotherapeutic success."

Formats, audiences, and customization

 Dr. Smith presents keynotes, plenaries, podcast interviews, workshops, and grand rounds for: psychiatric and psychological associations, hospital and clinic systems, residency and fellowship programs, psychotherapy training institutes, audiences of change agents such as counselors or coaches, and interdisciplinary mental health conferences. Sessions can be tailored from 60‑minute keynotes to half‑day or full‑day trainings, with ample time for live case discussion when appropriate.

• 60–90 minute keynote or plenary
• Podcast Guest
• Half‑day or full‑day interactive workshop
• Grand rounds or departmental seminar
• Virtual talks and series for ongoing education

 About Jeffery Smith, MD

Jeffery Smith’s earliest memories are of trying to understand how things work, especially the mind. As a freshman at Stanford, he already knew he wanted to become a physician‑therapist, a path that led him through UCLA Medical School and psychiatry residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where his favorite subjects were psychological development and therapeutic theory.

Since his first publication on psychotherapeutic action in 2004, Dr. Smith has devoted his writing and teaching to helping therapists improve results with any therapy by understanding the basic science and workings of the unconscious mind. He has presented at national and international conferences, written books for professionals and lay readers, and created the “HowTherapyWorks” blog, Substack, and a training podcast, which has surpassed 50,000 downloads.

Dr. Smith serves as Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at New York Medical College, leads the Psychotherapy Caucus of the American Psychiatric Association, and is Past President of the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI). Bilingual in French, he and his wife maintain a second home in Provence, where he continues to write, think, and refine a unified understanding of how psychotherapy works.

Books, podcast, and resources

For attendees and organizers who want to deepen their learning, Dr. Smith offers a range of ongoing resources.

• Upcoming book: How Psychotherapy Works: Navigating the Therapeutic Space with Confidence (Due out, late summer 2026)
• Interview hosted by Jennifer Kelley, past president of the American Psychological Association.
• “How Therapy Works” podcast (50,000+ downloads)
• “How Therapy Works.com" blog and website.
• Substack: Psychotherapy Lab: Solving the Tough Cases
• Recent peer reviewed article:  "Psychotherapy Integration from the Bottom Up"

For event organizers

• Brief Introduction:  “Jeffery Smith, MD, is a psychiatrist, author, and international thought leader on how psychotherapy works in real life, known for integrating diverse approaches into a clear, practical framework clinicians can use immediately.”