Shon D. Smith

Professional Counselor | Mentor & Leader | Mental Health Public Policy Advocate | Empowering Children, Adolescents, Adults & Families

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

On May 28, Whitney Gatling, MA, LCMHC-S (President, MGCA-NC) and Dr. Shon D. Smith, LMHC, LCAS-A, CRC, HS-BCP (President, RCEA) participated in the production of the VSS Fundamentals Training Program focused on Trauma-Informed Recognition and Response for Service Members, Veterans, and their Families.

The training highlights trauma-informed engagement, suicide awareness, PTSD, TBI, MST, and the importance of recognizing concerns and connecting individuals to appropriate resources.

Proud to represent MGCA-NC, RCEA, and NCCA while supporting those who have served our state and nation.

#Veterans #MilitaryFamilies #MentalHealth #Counseling #TraumaInformedCare #NCCA #MGCANC #RCEA

[S. Kent Butler @SKButler]

https://t.co/rOfsbRQoIs

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

oday we celebrate ALL educators — PreK-12 teachers, community college faculty, university professors, graduate faculty, counselors, and mentors.

Thank you for inspiring minds, building communities, and changing lives every day.

#TeacherAppreciation #Education #HigherEd #K12 #CommunityCollege #GraduateFaculty

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

Mental health is health. Full stop.

This #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, let’s move from awareness ➡️ action:
✔ Check in with someone
✔ Challenge stigma
✔ Advocate for access
You never know who needs support.

#EndTheStigma #YouAreNotAlone

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

⚖️ When law and ethics diverge, counselors must know where to stand.

Tomorrow — Friday, April 25 — the North Carolina Counseling Association hosts a critical panel on one of the most consequential Supreme Court rulings for our profession in recent memory.

The First Amendment and Clinical Practice: Navigating Chiles v. Salazar, CACREP 2024, Evidence-Based Practices and the Duty of Care

🗓️ April 25, 2026 | 12:00–2:00 PM EST
🎓 2.0 NBCC-Approved CE Hours (ACEP No. 2034)

📚 Focus Areas: Professional Counseling Orientation & Ethics

This interdisciplinary panel unpacks what Chiles v. Salazar (2026) means for licensed counselors, supervisors, and counselor educators who remain bound by ACA (2014), CRCC (2017), NAADAC (2021), and CACREP 2024, regardless of the shifting legal landscape. We'll examine First Amendment speech-versus-conduct distinctions, SOCE harm evidence, informed consent, supervision, multicultural social justice practice, and CACREP 2024 curriculum implications.

Moderator: Dr. Shon D. Smith, Ed.D., LMHC, LCAS-A, LSC, CRC, HS-BCP | NCCA President-Elect-Elect

Panelists:
•       Dr. John C. Nance, PhD, LCMHC-S, NCC, ACS — UNC Charlotte
•       Dr. Lakesha D. Roney, Ed.D., LPC — Inner Self Counseling & Consulting
•       Dr. Christian D. Chan, PhD, NCC — UNC Greensboro+

📲 Click on the link or Scan the QR code on the flyer below to register.
https://t.co/P1qoxkgQlb

Legal permissibility never supersedes the duty of care.

#CounselorEducation #MentalHealthCounseling #CounselingEthics #NBCC #CACREP #ChilesVSalazar #SocialJustice #NCCA #ContinuingEducation #DutyOfCare

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

The First Amendment and Clinical Practice: Navigating Chiles v. Salazar, CACREP 2024, Evidence-Based Practices and the Duty of Care

NCCA CE panel — April 25 | 12–2 PM EST | 2.0 NBCC CE
Register: https://t.co/XvlDTiaH9x

#ChilesvSalazar

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

Our work in mental health is not neutral.

We either reinforce systems or challenge them.

Choose intentionally.

#MentalHealth #Counseling #Leadership

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

March 31 – Legacy & Leadership | #WomensHistoryMonth

As the month draws to a close, we honor the women who have shaped mental health through theory, practice, and advocacy.

Their legacy continues through us.

How will you carry this work forward?

#WomenInMentalHealth #Leadership #Equity #Counseling

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

Trauma & Healing | #WomensHistoryMonthHonoring

Judith Herman, Marsha Linehan & Brené Brown. Their work reminds us: healing is possible, but must be accessible, inclusive, and compassionate.

What does healing-centered care look like in your setting?

#TraumaInformedCare #MentalHealth #Healing #Equity

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

Culture, Gender & Identity | Women’s History Month

During #WomensHistoryMonth, we honor Karen Horney, Charlotte Bühler, Insoo Kim Berg, Marsha Linehan, Sue Johnson, Jean Baker Miller, Laura S. Brown, Judith Herman, Joy DeGruy, and Beverly Daniel Tatum.

Their work reminds us that identity, culture, power, relationships, and lived experience shape mental health.

How do you center identity and context in your work?

#WomenInMentalHealth #Equity #Counseling

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

During Women’s History Month, we honor Virginia Satir, whose work transformed family therapy by centering communication, connection, and self-worth within relational systems.

We also recognize Betty Carter, a co-founder of the Women’s Project in Family Therapy who integrated feminist perspectives into systems work; Monica McGoldrick, whose contributions to multicultural family therapy and genograms reshaped clinical practice; Nancy Boyd-Franklin, who advanced a multisystems, culturally grounded approach to working with Black families and communities; and Julie Gottman, whose work continues to influence couples therapy, trauma-informed care, and diverse family systems.

Together, their work reminds us that healing does not happen in isolation. Family systems are shaped by culture, identity, community, and lived experience.

How inclusive is your definition of “family” in your practice?

#WomensHistoryMonth #FamilyTherapy #MentalHealth #Inclusion #MulticulturalCounseling #Leadership

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

Race, Identity & Mental Health | Women’s History Month
During Women’s History Month, we honor Mamie Phipps Clark, whose groundbreaking research revealed the psychological impact of racism on children.

We also recognize contemporary leaders such as Cirecie A. West-Olatunji, Patricia Arredondo, Thelma Daley, Beverly O'Bryant, and Marcheta Evans, whose work continues to advance multicultural counseling, social justice, and equity in mental health.

Together, their contributions remind us that mental health does not exist outside of social context, identity, and lived experience. From the legacy of segregation to present-day disparities, their work challenges us to engage in culturally responsive, justice-centered care.

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, I am reflecting on the women whose advocacy helped shape the mental health field. Dorothea Dix’s work challenged injustice and called for more humane treatment of individuals living with mental illness. Her legacy reminds us that mental health advocacy is both historical and ongoing.

#WomensHistoryMonth #MentalHealth #Advocacy #Leadership #Counseling

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

Firefighters run into burning buildings. EMTs hold lives in their hands. Officers face trauma daily.
We train them for everything, except how to carry it all.
First responders deserve mental health support as standard as their gear. Full stop.
#FirstResponders #MentalHealth #BreakTheStigma

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

Counseling is not just service, it’s systems change.

Lead boldly. Advocate consistently. Shift what isn’t working.

#MentalHealth #Counseling #Leadership #Advocacy

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

Growth in life requires more than knowledge; it requires reflection, collaboration, and the courage to evolve.

Let’s keep pushing the work forward.

#Leadership #MentalHealth #Advocacy #MentalWellness

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

Counselors sit at the intersection of mental health, policy, equity, and access.

That role requires more than service; it requires intentional advocacy and leadership.

#MentalHealth #Leadership #Advocacy #Equity

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

Election Day: March 3, 2026 🗳️

Your vote is your voice—show up for your community.

#ElectionDay #Vote #CivicEngagement

[Shon D. Smith @ShonDSmithEdD]

Counseling programs are professional programs. If DOED caps federal grad loans at $20,500/yr, counseling students may be pushed into private loans or out of the pipeline. WE need all counselors, educators, clinical supervisors, students, clients, and allies to add your public comment today.

🔗 https://t.co/bLlDOY8G40
🔗 ACA Take Action: https://t.co/UOsObardXh

#Counseling #MentalHealth #StudentLoans #Advocacy