JeaNette Goates Smith

JeaNette G. Smith is an author, a retired Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (L.M.F.T.), and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (L.M.H.C.) located in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

About Me

JeaNette G. Smith is an author, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who practiced for 25 years in Jacksonville, Florida. She retired in 2017 to serve a three-year mission with her husband who was called as a mission president for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Dominican Republic. JeaNette is the author of three books, Side by Side: Supporting a Spouse in Church Service, published by Deseret Book, UnSteady: What Every Parent Absolutely Must Know about Teenage Romance published by Covenant Communications and UnSteady Dating: Resisting the Rush to Romance, published by Cedar Fort. She co-authored, From Playpens to Proving Grounds, published by Bookcraft, with her late father, Delbert T. Goates. She is a frequent contributor to LDS Living and to Meridian Magazine.

Smith Family Therapy

My Work

Side by Side: Supporting a Spouse in Church Service

Filled with practical ideas and workable solutions, Side by Side is a gift from heaven for every spouse of a busy church servant. Drawing on her experience as the wife of a bishop and her expertise as a marriage and family therapist, author JeaNette Goates Smith shares proven survival skills for coping in a challenging season of service. Whether you are married to a bishop, a Primary president, or a Scoutmaster, this invaluable handbook will help you learn how the demanding roles of Church servant and devoted spouse can complement rather than compete with one another. Purchase Side by Side: Supporting a Spouse in Church Service here.

UnSteady: What Every Parent Absolutely Must Know about Teenage Romance

Young love. The simple term can bring to mind an innocent crush—the blossoming, tender emotions of two young hearts. To marriage and family therapist JeaNette G. Smith, however, it means something far different. Through her experience, she has come to know that too many of the Church’s teens are going steady far too early. Going steady brings about premature emotional intimacy, which can not only cripple teens’ social and emotional development, but also often leads to physical intimacy. Written in a clear, friendly, and often humorous style, Unsteady explains how to head off emotional intimacy before it starts and how to deal with it if it becomes an issue in teenagers’ lives. Purchase UnSteady: What Every Parent Absolutely Must Know about Teenage Romance here.

UnSteady Dating: Resisting the Rush to Romance

Perfect for teens, parents, and leaders, this book combines research and revelation to deliver an in-depth look at how dating affects young men and women of God. Popular speaker JeaNette Smith shares her personal and professional experience as a licensed therapist to show how getting too serious too soon with anyone can lead to trouble now and later on in life. Purchase UnSteady Dating: Resisting the Rush to Romance here.

From Playpens to Proving Grounds

The late Delbert T. Goates, M.D. helped thousands of children and families navigate mental illness and difficult family dynamics.  He was a pioneer in the discovery, definment and treatment of ADD and ADHD.  From Playpens to Proving Grounds  guides families through the various challenges typical to families with a member struggling with mental health.  Following the theme of the prophet Joseph Smith, “I teach principles and let them govern themselves,” Goates addresses such topics as boundaries, agency, and depression.  His eldest daughter, JeaNette, also a mental health professional, edited the many lectures of Delbert T. Goates into this accessible and timeless book. Purchase From Playpens to Proving Grounds here.

Meridian Magazine Author

JeaNette contributes frequently as a guest author at Meridian Magazine online.

Book Reviews

Penny Robinson

UNSteady Dating: Resisting the Rush to Romance

I have loved the older version meant for adults for years, and used it to create a “dating course” my kids had to do before going on dates. This is even better! Now they can read the book and we can discuss it. The information in this book helped my teens as they dealt with adults in their life who were pressuring them to get romantically involved with people just to be romantically involved with people. I work to help my children have a strong sense of self without feeling like they aren’t enough without a significant other. This book helps them know that they are fine focusing on figuring themselves out so when they are ready to start looking for a significant other they don’t have baggage from past relationships. Love this book!

Sarah Munzer

Side by Side: Supporting a Spouse in Church Service

Wonderful read and very helpful!! It was a very quick and easy read too.

Melissa E. Stewart

UNSteady Dating: Resisting the Rush to Romance

This book has straight-forward advice for teens who are dating. It encourages them not to be influenced by peer pressure or overtaken by their emotions. Instead, it encourages them to think for themselves and decide how they will date. Her information is based on solid evidence and will help teens develop skills that will help them create lasting relationships in the future. I wish I had it when I was a teen!

Alyssa Taylor

Unsteady: What Every Parent Must Know about Teenage Romance

If you have a teen, you need this book. Invaluable information on "dating". Read it before you even think they are ready to think about dating. I'm currently reading this with my teen, much to his dismay. Lol.

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