Couples therapists in North Carolina

I help people heal from trauma, with a special focus on sexual trauma, and I’ve been honored to support a wide range of individuals — including women, men, military veterans, and LGBTQIA clients — as they work through their experiences and take meaningful steps toward healing. I also enjoy helping people work through challenging life transitions (e.g., parenthood, divorce, etc.) and identity-specific concerns (e.g., men's issues, women's issues, gender identity exploration). In addition to individual therapy, I also provide relationship therapy for monogamous, non-monogamous, and open relationships as well as psychological assessment (e.g., ADHD, dementia, learning disorder, mental health) for adults.

My clients would say I am down to earth, non-judgmental, authentic, warm and compassionate. I often use humor in sessions and find this can ease discomfort around working through hard things. I show up with my own lived experiences which helps me in my work with clients. I am also learning to navigate the world as chaotic and crazy as things feel while parenting children through the process.

I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Supervisor and have worked in the field for more than 10 years. My experience ranges from school based therapy, community mental health, hospital psychiatric intake and now private practice. I have worked with children, adolescents adults and couples. I especially enjoy working with those within the LGBTQIA+ communities. My specialties are trauma/PTSD, OCD, Couples work and Anxiety. I also enjoy attachment focused treatments and working through negative beliefs we developed as children.

An experienced LCSW, Social Worker, Psychotherapist, and educator, Sherry Smith provides holistic, logical and solution focused techniques to get you feeling better about your circumstances while facilitating solution focused methods proven to help.

If you are truly ready to feel better, and if you are truly ready for change, Sherry Smith is the therapist for you.

Welcome! I am so happy you are here. I am looking forward to getting to know you. I have over 20 years experience as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC), School Counselor, and Counselor Educator. I enjoy working with children, teens, and adults as they navigate life.

I am a two time graduate from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and I earned my PhD from North Carolina State University.

I specialize in individual, family and group counseling.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading popular and historical fiction, running, and spending time with my husband and three children.

I've been a psychologist for over 10 years. I have practiced in different places across, the U.S., including Seattle, Hawai'i, and now Wilmington the past few years. I truly enjoy what I do. I believe working on your mental health makes life more satisfying, myself included. I work with adults from a variety of backgrounds, Common reasons people see me include: anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, men's issues, and substance use.

My journey to becoming a provider has given me a unique perspective on resilience and growth. I immigrated to the United States from Rwanda in my early twenties, learned English from the ground up, and worked my way through multiple degrees while gaining diverse life experience. This background helps me connect with clients from all walks of life and understand the challenges of navigating complex systems.

Before I became a therapist, I spent years in the classroom as a 9th grade English teacher and school social worker, as well as in nonprofit, learning how people grow through story, creativity, and being truly seen. That background, along with a lifelong love of dance, writing, and music, shapes how I practice as an LCSW today. I work with adults navigating anxiety, depression, relationships, stress, and identity, and I bring the same warmth and directness I developed in education to every session. If you are looking for a therapist who will be both a steady presence and an honest thinking partner, I would love to connect.

Your Journey to Healing Starts Here! Life doesn't have to feel overwhelming. If you're struggling with difficult thoughts, intense emotions, or patterns that keep you stuck, you're not alone—and there is hope for change. I specialize in helping individuals break free from the patterns that trauma creates in our lives. Whether you're dealing with depression, anxiety, or relationship challenges that feel impossible to navigate, we'll work together to identify what's keeping you stuck and create a clear path forward. Life stressors can be confusing and overwhelming, affecting how we see ourselves, our relationships and our future.

I provide support and guidance so that my clients do not have to bear their struggles alone. We work collaboratively to understand what is not working and why. We examine past patterns of experience to help us understand current feelings and behaviors. We can create lasting change and transformation by addressing the underlying issues. I emphasize individual empowerment which allows the client to own their own victories. Empowerment creates a ripple effect which can transcend every aspect of ones life not just in one specific area.

A defining part of my therapy work is that I provide highly-personalized psychotherapy services for each of my clients. With almost 7 years of experience, I have tailored my focus on trauma and complex trauma in adults. Whether we use EMDR or talk-therapy, it is my goal as a therapist to learn about your story, witness you in your present reality, and help you build a more hopeful future.