Services
About My Clients
My people are those who carry a lot; trauma, chronic illness, systemic stress, oppression & are ready to do the work. I work with children, teens, & adults navigating PTSD, complex trauma, medical trauma, anxiety, depression, & the weight of living in a world that wasn't always built for us. My clients are often BIPOC, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, or chronically ill. They want a therapist who won't ask them to leave parts of themselves at the door. If that sounds like you, you're in the right place.
My Background and Approach
I'm Erica Smith, MSW, LCSW, C-DBT — owner of Whole Mentality, PLLC in Raleigh, NC and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant. I specialize in trauma therapy, EMDR, DBT, and Pain Reprocessing Therapy, with a particular focus on medical trauma, chronic illness, racial and oppression-based trauma, and complex PTSD. My approach is trauma-informed, identity-affirming, and anti-oppressive at its core. I believe healing doesn't happen in a vacuum — it happens in relationship, and in spaces where your full self is welcome. I work with clients both in person in Raleigh and virtually across North Carolina. I also offer EMDR Therapy Intensives — half-day, full-day, and weekend formats — for clients who want to do months of healing in a concentrated period of time. These are self-pay and available virtually worldwide. I have over a decade of clinical experience and bring both professional expertise and lived experience with chronic illness to every session.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
I believe mental health is political. The systems, structures, and histories that shape our lives show up in our bodies, our relationships, and our nervous systems — and any therapy worth its name has to reckon with that. I'm a Black woman, a chronic illness spoonie, and a practice owner who built Whole Mentality intentionally — as a space where BIPOC clients, LGBTQ+ folks, immigrants, neurodivergent people, and those living with chronic illness could receive care without having to educate their therapist first. I'm committed to anti-oppressive, equity-centered mental health care — not as a tagline, but as a practice. I support the Black Lives Matter movement. I believe in trans rights, reproductive justice, and disability justice. I volunteer my expertise through supervision and consultation because I believe the next generation of therapists matters deeply. Outside the office I'm a lover of good food, a chronic illness advocate, and a firm believer that rest is resistance.