About Me

Therapy can be many things. It is a safe place, a place of growth, a place to be challenged, heard, to grieve or find healing and hope. Branden believes that therapy is a professional relationship where you collaborate to meet goals, not where a professional prescribes change. Too often people’s voices are minimized and their goals are not addressed in therapy. That is why Branden believes in working together to meet your goals. He found the profession through his own battles with substance use in adolescence and mental health issues in adulthood. This led him to obtain his Master’s of Social Work degree from Eastern Michigan University and get special training in therapy for trauma (EMDR and Prolonged Exposure).

Branden M. Smith, MSW, LISW-S, LICDC, is a behavioral health leader and therapist with more than 10 years of experience serving underserved individuals in the Toledo, Ohio region and private practice clients. He is the owner of Enlighten Counseling Center, a group private practice where he provides therapy and supervises multiple clinicians. His background includes leadership of multimillion-dollar behavioral health programs spanning mental health and substance use services, including case management, inpatient and outpatient treatment, recovery housing, group homes, and grant-funded initiatives. Branden has specialized training in EMDR, Gottman Method Couples Therapy, trauma-informed care, and clinical supervision, and is known for a practical, growth-oriented style in therapy, consultation, and leadership.