Nicola Pierre-Smith, LPC
Nicola Pierre-Smith, LPC is the Clinical Director and founder of Melanated Women’s Health LLC, which started in 2019 with the aim of providing culturally affirming and anti-oppressive trauma informed therapy to communities that have been marginalized because of their identity. Her services include individual therapy, clinical supervision, and corporate mental wellness workshops to Employee Resource Groups. Pierre-Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor and trauma therapist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
As an immigrant and Black mental health expert, Pierre-Smith knows how hard it can be to overcome mental health stigma and shame when asking for help from a therapist. She is aware that it is especially hard for people from the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities to go to therapy because of cultural norms and the preference to talk to friends, family, or religious leaders. With this in mind, Pierre-Smith uses a compassionate and culturally sensitive approach to help individuals gain new perspectives for ways their intersecting identities (for example race, gender, immigration status, sexual orientation, etc) influence how they engage with the world.
Pierre-Smith offers trauma therapy using Internal Family Systems (IFS) informed Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). She also provides Individual Therapy to people struggling in an interracial or multicultural relationship, experiencing symptoms for anxiety or depression due to workplace micro-aggressions, and reproductive justice concerns.
Significantly, Pierre-Smith provides mental health workshops and makes guest appearances in the media as a Black mental health expert. Individual and corporate clients who work with Pierre-Smith report increased awareness for the impact of Racism Based Stress on wellness, and increased confidence to promote employee mental health practices that are trauma informed in the workplace.
Pierre-Smith has a wide range of leadership, clinical, and workshop facilitation skills. She has contributed to mental health workshop and events for many brands, was the Director of a Children and Youth behavioral health agency, and a Clinical Coordinator providing therapy to boys and men who were in the criminal justice system.
In terms of her background, Pierre-Smith attended universities in Jamaica and America. She also completed trainings in Clinical Supervision and Transgender Education at Temple University. Outside of clinical practice, Pierre-Smith offers clinical supervision for the PA State Board licensing, and enjoys helping licensed social workers or those with ambition to become a Licensed Professional Counselor overcome Imposter Syndrome. If you’re looking for a trauma therapist in Philadelphia schedule an appointment with Nicola Pierre-Smith today.