About Joel Schmidt

Joel Schmidt, Therapist, Anxiety Counselor

How Can I Help?

Anxiety, Depression, Career Counseling, Grief Counseling, Low Self-Esteem and more...

 

About Joel Schmidt, MA, LMHC

My name is Joel and I’m a husband, a dog dad, and Navy Veteran.  I specialize in helping people overcome anxiety disorders and also work with people struggling with relationship problems, problematic drinking, career difficulties, anger/irritability, and major life transitions to name a few.  Entrepreneurs, professionals, students, and recent retirees are among some of the individuals I work with.  I started Float on Counseling as a small one-person operation in 2017 and have since grown the practice into a multi-office group practice in order to have a greater impact on our community. I’m from Nebraska originally, but have been in Florida for about 14 years and Tampa for about 5 years.  A lot of what drew my wife and I to Tampa was everything that it has to offer: good food/drink, entertainment, sporting events, and easy access to the beaches.  I love travel, college football, coffee, learning new things, listening to podcasts, Florida Winters, and spending time with family, friends, and our Greyhound named Dean.

 

Why I became a Counselor?

I knew I wanted to be a Counselor from an early age.  I had my first experience in Counseling when I was about ten years old as my family was dealing with some difficulties and I found the experience to be so helpful…Having a neutral person to open up to and to provide perspective outside of my bubble of friends and family was powerful and really helped me deal with some of the hard things I was going through.  I remember thinking then that I someday wanted to be able to provide the same kind of space for people.

As someone who has had to figure out anxiety from first-hand experience, I'm extremely knowledgeable and passionate about helping others overcome the same struggles. If you're dealing with specific fears/phobias, panic attacks, excessive worry, social anxiety, or general anxiety issues, living a more fearless life is possible and I can help! 

Education, Experience, and Approach
Float on Counseling, LLC – Owner & Counselor

I am Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida. I received my Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling in 2013 and have a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Nebraska. Before launching Float on Counseling in July of 2017, experience included: Supervising a clinical team at DACCO’s  Felony Drug Court Program, providing therapy services in a residential setting at Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, and working as a Therapist at “A Counseling Center” in Melbourne, FL. My approach for therapy is collaborative and solution-focused. This means I work with people to identify problem areas, establish goals, and make a plan for moving forward and getting unstuck. 

I utilize mindfulness-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy strategies that allow us to interact more effectively with unwanted and unhelpful thoughts. As it relates to anxiety disorders, I use an evidence-based and structured approach to help people understand their anxiety and learn the most effective strategies for coping and expanding the experiences they are able to take on in life.  When it comes to issues surrounding excessive or problematic drinking, I take an alternative approach rooted in harm-reduction and moderation instead of traditional abstinence-based models that lean heavily on AA/12-step philosophies.