My name is Dr. Portia Smith, LMFT, and I’m on a mission to help you stop feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and depressed.
I want to support you to rise above what you’re going through to feel a Sense of Peace and ultimately transform your life.
I’ve been in the helping profession for more than 10 years and have worked with various populations such as the following:
- Military families
- Clergy (ministers/pastors) and their families
- Those with comorbidity conditions such as substance use/major depression
- Adolescents
- Couples
- Individuals with life transitions and grief
I want to help you rediscover a new way of dealing with your problems.
I primarily use Solution-Focused Therapy to build on strengths and resources that you already have and find a Sense of Peace in your situation (hence the name of my business, Sense of Peace Counseling).
This type of peace allows you to experience harmony with your mind, body, and spirit despite feeling worried, broken-hearted, frustrated, isolated, or confused.
In addition, I implement Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Somatic Experience Approaches to help clients move towards PEACE. I am currently working towards Brainspotting Certification.
I embrace the following philosophies:
Empathy can change the world.
You are important.
You are worthy of love and care.
Loving and accepting yourself for who you are, scars and all, is one of the most courageous things you can do.
If you continue working on and believing in yourself, you can be in a completely different space sooner than you think.
Even if you feel like you’ve lost hope, it’s possible to show up, commit to yourself, and do what it takes to start feeling better.
My journey to becoming a therapist
First off, you should know I’m no different from the clients I see.
Just like everyone else, I’m human and that means I’ve been through wonderful experiences and difficult experiences that have shaped who I am.
However, as a therapist, I take those experiences and use them to help you, the client.
I could have stopped after I obtained my master’s degree, but I felt like there was more I could do if I furthered my education.
Also, I don’t often see Brown or Black people in higher education, and I wanted to both share my experience and be a role model for others who are interested in pursuing their degree in the helping profession.
Qualifications
- EdD in Counseling Education and Supervision from Argosy University-Sarasota
- MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from Valdosta State University.
- BA in Psychology and Minor in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
- Clinical Fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Approved Supervisor
- Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate (LCMHCA) Qualified Supervisor
- Former assistant professor at Pfeiffer University Raleigh-Durham Campus’s Marriage and Family Therapy Program
- Presenter at national and local conferences pertaining to multicultural issues with clients and clergy families
Let’s discover how I can help
In our sessions we will focus on you. Our time together will provide you space to find peace and silence not often accessible in other places.
You’ll feel seen, heard, and understood as I provide a compassionate, empathetic ear.
I’ll create safety in the therapeutic room (or teletherapy) and ensure the process is collaborative. Therapy is not “one-size-fits-all.”
It’s instead specific and tailored to you and your needs.
I love guiding people toward positive changes and witnessing them transform their lives.
I want to see you leave therapy lighter, freer, and excited about your life.
