You're Not Broken: Dominick Smith-Campagna on Imposter Syndrome, the ACE Technique and What Therapy Actually Does

Kealy Spring
6 hours ago
2 min read

In this episode of Therapeutically Aligned, I sit down with Dominick Smith-Campagna, LMHC, a queer-affirming therapist based in New York, to talk about what actually happens in the therapy room and what doesn't. Dominick opens up about his path from school guidance counselor to licensed mental health counselor, working through imposter syndrome as a clinician, and a simple grounding tool (the ACE technique) you can use the next time anxiety shows up before a hard conversation.

https://youtu.be/pCaLMVscmAI?si=PA6DBBERl0EdImPm

In this episode, we cover:

Dominick's path from school counseling to becoming an LMHC; including the unplanned detour that started it
Why "you're not broken" is the message he most wants clients to hear
The ACE technique: a three-step tool (Acknowledge, Come back into the body, Engage) for managing anxiety in the moment
Why even therapists experience imposter syndrome, and what it feels like from the inside
Building a practice that serves the queer community without limiting who else he works with
The blend of CBT, DBT, and EMDR he leans on, and why he resists picking just one modality
What movies consistently get wrong about what therapy looks like

Key takeaways

Therapy isn't about becoming a different person. Dominick's core message to clients: "You're not here to be fixed. You're here to become the best version of yourself." Most people arrive at therapy believing something in them is broken — Dominick's approach reframes the work as building perspective and skills, not correcting a flaw.
The ACE technique for in-the-moment anxiety: Acknowledge what you're feeling and where you feel it in your body. Come back into the present moment through your senses. Engage with what you actually want to do next, rather than react on autopilot.
Imposter syndrome doesn't disappear with a license. Dominick describes losing track of the impact he has on clients week to week — a pattern many clinicians will recognize in themselves.
Specializing doesn't mean narrowing. Dominick works primarily with the queer community but intentionally avoids limiting his caseload to one population, arguing that lived understanding of one kind of oppression often transfers to others.

"You're not broken. You're not a failure. You're not damaged. All these words people use for themselves — that's not who you are. I'm here to make you your best version of yourself." — Dominick Smith-Campagna, LMHC

About Dominick Smith-Campagna, LMHC

Dominick Smith-Campagna is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor based in New York, practicing at Next Level Mental Health Counseling. He works primarily with clients 18 and older, drawing on CBT, DBT, and EMDR, with particular focus on the queer community alongside a broader general caseload. He is also a certified life coach and serves as a clinical supervisor and mentor to other clinicians in his practice.

https://www.nextlevelmhc.com/clinicians/dominick-campagna