Cherrise Smith
I’m Cherrise, a licensed therapist with more than 10 years of experience and the founder of CMS Counseling & Consulting (Compassionate Mindful Sankofa). Finding a therapist who feels like the right fit can be stressful and overwhelming, so I focus on making therapy feel safe, supportive, and relational.
Finding a therapist who feels like the right fit can be stressful and overwhelming, so I focus on making therapy feel safe, supportive, and relational.
We’re a relationship-based practice, and I work with adults and teens on trauma, anxiety, depression, life transitions, self-esteem, and stress.
First session
Your first session is a chance to get comfortable and see whether we’re the right fit. There’s no pressure to have everything figured out or to share more than you’re ready to. We’ll talk about what brought you in, what you’re hoping to change, and what’s been getting in the way. I’ll listen, ask questions, and begin to understand your story and the patterns that may be shaping how you feel today. You’ll also get a clear sense of how I work, which is relational, direct, and collaborative, and what therapy together could look like. You’ll leave knowing what to expect going forward, with an initial direction for your goals and a space that feels safe, supportive, and free of judgment. For teens, I focus on helping them feel comfortable and understood, so they can start to see their strengths and the support available to them.
Strengths
My approach is relational at its core. The connection you build with your therapist is just as important as the work itself. It’s also grounded in the Sankofa principle, “go back and get it”: healing often means reclaiming and understanding your past, not leaving it behind. For adults, that means exploring how the past has shaped who you are today, so you can build insight, heal, and create lasting change instead of only managing symptoms. For teens, it means building social skills, emotional regulation, and coping tools while helping them recognize their strengths as they navigate growing up today. Throughout, my goal is for you to build a life that feels authentic, empowering, and fulfilling.
Ideal clients
My ideal client is someone who is ready to look honestly at their story and is open to understanding how their past shapes who they are today. They might be navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, stress, or a major life transition, and they often notice they’re stuck in patterns they can’t quite explain or change. They don’t need to have it all figured out. They just need a willingness to show up, be curious, and build a collaborative relationship, because that connection is what makes the work possible. Their goals might be gaining insight, healing from past experiences, learning practical coping tools, or building a life that feels more authentic, empowering, and fulfilling. I also love working with teens who are struggling with social skills, emotional regulation, anxiety, or depression, and with the parents who want to support them. These young people are looking for a place where they feel safe and understood, and they’re ready to recognize their challenges and build on their strengths.
Treatment methods
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
I use Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help clients understand the different “parts” of themselves that show up in daily life, such as the part that worries, the part that shuts down, or the part that wants to change but keeps falling back into old habits. IFS fits well with how I work because it treats these patterns as protective responses that developed for a reason, not as flaws. Together, we get curious about when each part shows up, what it’s trying to protect you from, and what it learned from your past. This is the Sankofa idea in practice: going back to understand where these patterns began, so you can integrate that history instead of avoiding it. As trust builds, we work on strengthening your core Self, the calm, compassionate, and curious part of you that can lead. From there, we can gently approach the parts carrying older pain, so they don’t need to run your reactions anymore. I introduce IFS at a pace that feels safe for you and combine it with practical coping tools, so insight turns into real change. With teens, I explain parts in simple, relatable language, which helps them recognize their emotions and respond with more self-understanding and less self-criticism.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients understand the connection between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and to change the patterns that keep them stuck. Many people notice they react on autopilot, in ways that don’t match how they want to live. CBT gives us a practical way to slow those moments down. We identify the thoughts and beliefs driving a reaction, look at whether they’re accurate or helpful, and practice responding differently.
Somatic
I use a somatic, mind-body approach to help clients notice what their body is telling them. Stress, anxiety, and past experiences don’t live only in our thoughts. They show up as tension, a tight chest, a racing heart, a stomach in knots, or feeling numb or shut down. Many people spend years trying to think their way out of something their body is still holding, so I help clients slow down and tune into physical sensations as information, not something to fight or ignore.