Nicola Pierre-Smith, LPC knows it is hard for people to ask for help, and that shame and mental health stigma can make it this difficulty to seek help from a Therapist. Nicola knows it is especially hard for folks who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to ask for help because of cultural norms and the preference to ask friends, family, or a religious person for help, instead of going to therapy. For this reason, she found Melanated Women’s Health, LLC to provide a culturally affirming and anti-oppressive therapy space for people who have been marginalized because of their social identities. Nicola understands that the intersections of a person’s identities influence how he/she/they engage with the world.
She offers trauma treatment for single-issue and complex trauma, using EMDR which is an evidence based trauma treatment. She also offers therapy for anxiety, symptoms of depression, stress management, and issues relating to sexual and gender expression. Nicola is also passionate about working with adult children of immigrants. People in therapy with Nicola report increased self-compassion, confidence, assertive communication and self-advocacy skills to deal with issues such as relationship conflicts and race-based stress.
Nicola Pierre-Smith, LPC attended universities in Jamaica and America, and is licensed in Pennsylvania. She completed trainings offered by Temple University in Clinical Supervision and Transgender Education. She offers supervision services towards the PA State Board license, and enjoys helping provisionally licensed Therapists overcome Imposter Syndrome.
Nicola has a wide range of clinical, leadership, and training experiences. For instance, she has provided mental health treatment to court-involved and forensic populations in community outpatient agencies and residential treatment centers as a Director and Clinical Coordinator. She has also conducted burn-out prevention and emotional wellness workshops for companies such as HelloFresh as well as non-profit agencies.
