Dr. J Thomas Smith will be a guest speaker at the 2018 So You Live Community Conference on Saturday, July 28, 2018. This 2nd annual community event is free and open to the public. Dr. Smith will present on the opioid epidemic in our community. The conference will be held at the Bethany Baptist Church SBC, located at 7304 Homestead Rd, Houston, TX 77028. Registration and breakfast will begin at 8 am. The conference will start at 9 am and lunch will be provided.
J Thomas Smith, J.D., Ph.D., NCC, MAC, CCMHC, ACS, DCC is a mental health and substance abuse professional. He is licensed in Texas and Georgia as a professional counselor and licensed in Texas as a marriage and family therapist, childcare administrator and chemical dependency counselor. He is a National Board Certified (NCC) Counselor, Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and Master Addictions Counselor (NBCC); a National Certified Addiction Counselor (NAADAC); U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Qualified Substance Abuse Professional; and a Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
Smith’s interest in substance abuse and addictions began when two lifelong friends, on opposite coasts, were battling addiction to cocaine and alcohol. With a desire to understand the disease, he volunteered to teach meditation and stress management at Riverside General Hospital in Houston, Texas. He soon joined the staff at Chrysalis Center as Spiritual Program Director. He later became a certified Chemical Dependency Counselor. From Houston, he joined Coalesce in Atlanta, Georgia as Family Services Coordinator and Coordinator of Inpatient Services at Ridgeview Institute, Decatur Hospital and Physicians and Surgeons Hospital.
He later returned to Houston to join basketball legend John Lucas’s program at Columbia HCA/Spring Branch Medical Center as Program Director. Soon, he was given additional responsibilities as Manager, of the Institute of Behavioral Medicine which addressed eating disorders and gerontological issues. He left HCA to join the administration at Prairie View A & M University as Director of Counseling, Multicultural and International Student Services. He maintained a private practice providing counseling and assessment services to children and adolescents in the custody of CPS and juvenile probation.
After several years at PVAMU he attended law school, and later joined the staff at Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County (MHMRA) (TX) as a Licensed Professional of the Healing Arts (LPHA). He worked in the Ben Taub Hospital emergency room as part of the MHMRA triage team. His duties included preparing legal documents to initiate the involuntary commitment process. He presently serves as a consultant and expert witness providing psychological evaluations for law firms and attorneys nationwide with expert forensic psychological evaluation services in the areas of immigration law related to removal proceedings that focus on hardship to children and adults; evaluations of spousal abuse; and evaluations for political asylum. He also provides Department of Transportation (DOT) Substance Abuse Professional services for individuals and companies.
Dr. Smith has a federal law practice with a focus on immigration and citizenship, consumer bankruptcy and IRS tax defense. He aspires to become involved in mental health advocacy. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Georgia, Kansas, Tennessee and throughout the U.S. District Court System.
As a member of American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), he served in a number of capacities including, Awards Task Force Committee, Professional Development Committee and the Public Awareness Committee. He has also served as AMHCA Liaison to the Clinical Academy of NBCC. He has served on the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Examination Committee, Work Study Committee and Clinical Skills Evaluator- Clinical Academy Certification Committee.
Among his academic credentials, Smith has earned the Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of San Jose (CR), a Juris Doctor degree, from Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law; a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Vermont College of Norwich University and a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies from the University of the State of New York.
He has served in the administration or faculty at Texas Southern University, Prairie View A & M University, Houston Community College, Atlanta Metropolitan College, and College for Allied Health Professions. He is the author of “The Secret to a New Life” (in 21 Days) from Xlibris Publishing.
He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). He is a veteran broadcaster who has worked in major radio markets including Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Memphis and Washington, D.C. He is host of a community issues focused talk show, “Sunday Morning Live” on Majic 102.1/KMJQ-Houston.