[7] She is a graduate of The New School in New York, NY and received a master's in clinical psychology from Antioch University in Los Angeles, CA.
[8] Smith's first book, The Rules of Inheritance (Penguin, 2012), is a memoir about losing both of her parents to cancer as a young adult.
[17] In this book, Claire combines her deeply personal experience of loss with her long career spent working with thousands of people to introduce a new approach to grief, one that promotes hope and even transformation.
Claire has written for and been featured in many publications including The New York Times,[18] The Atlantic, The Washington Post,[19] Scientific American,[20] The Los Angeles Times,[21] MSNBC, The Chicago Tribune,[22] Goop,[23] Oprah Magazine,[24] and Psychology Today.
[27] Smith was a featured speaker at the 2023 End Well Symposium where she spoke on what she thinks healthcare can do better when it comes to caring for the dying and those who love them.