Meet Katrina Wilkes, LCSW
The therapist who built this space because she needed it first.
Before I was a therapist…I was the strong one too
I know what it's like to hold everything together on the outside while something quieter is unraveling on the inside. I grew up in a world where strength wasn't just expected, it was survival. Where asking for help felt like weakness.
I was the one people leaned on. I was the one who showed up. And I was exhausted in a way I couldn't explain to anyone around me, because from the outside, everything looked fine.
That gap between how things looked and how they felt is what eventually led me to this work. Not because I had it figured out. Because I was tired of pretending I did.
I created Mental Lift to be the space I wish I had existed for me. A place where strong women don't have to perform their okayness before they can start healing.
If you've been in therapy before and left feeling like something was missing, you're probably right.
Sometimes traditional anxiety and trauma treatment can leave important parts of your experience untouched. Here, we don't start by challenging your thoughts. We start by actually listening to them.
We Go Slow, On Purpose
Not because we're avoiding anything, but because the things worth healing don't open up on a timeline.
We Use Brainspotting
A method that gets underneath what words can sometimes barely reach, working where anxiety and trauma actually live in the body, not just the mind.
We Work With Every Part of You
The parts that learned to stay strong. The parts that are exhausted. We help them finally feel safe enough to rest.
No Footnotes Required
The code-switching, the glass ceiling, the grief of watching things you fought for disappear. None of it needs explaining here.
The training behind the workCredentials That Confirm What the Work Already Shows
Master's in Clinical Social Work, University of Southern California (USC)
7+ years supporting women through trauma and grief
Certified in Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)
Trained in Brainspotting (BSP)
Mindfulness-based and nervous system-informed
NC · TX · MD · GA · SC · FL | Aetna & BCBS accepted
Is this the space you’ve been looking for?You've probably been careful about who you let in. That's not a flaw. That's wisdom shaped by experience.
This space is for you if:
· You want a therapist who understands the cultural context without needing it explained
· You've tried therapy before and felt like something important was being missed
· You're tired of managing your pain in ways that look like strength from the outside
· You're ready to stop surviving and start actually living
If that's you, I'd love to talk.
Questions worth asking
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Talk therapy is valuable. And for many women, it reaches a ceiling, because the experiences that shaped them don't live only in their thoughts. They live in the body. Brainspotting works at the somatic level, accessing where trauma is actually stored. EMDR is also effective, but Brainspotting tends to work well for women who find it difficult to verbalize their experience or who feel like they've already talked about something without it shifting. We'll figure out together what fits where you are.
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No. I provide therapy for women across backgrounds, identities, and life experiences who are navigating trauma, anxiety, grief, and major life transitions. As a Black woman and therapist, I also understand the importance of creating a culturally responsive space where Black women and women of color can feel seen without having to explain or minimize parts of their experience. Every woman’s story is different, and you’re welcome to show up here fully as yourself.
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Yes. Mental Lift accepts Aetna and BCBS in addition to self-pay. During the consultation we'll confirm your specific plan details and what's covered before we begin. No surprises.
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The first session is a conversation, not an intake form. We'll talk about what's been going on, what you've already tried, and what you're hoping feels different. I'm not going to push you into anything you're not ready for. The pace of this work is yours.
Keep readingIf This Page Resonated
Posts for the version of you that's still deciding.
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The Strong Friend Doesn't Have to Stay That Way
What happens when the person everyone leans on finally admits she's struggling? This post explores the identity shift that happens when high-achieving women start choosing themselves; and why it's harder than it sounds, even when you know it's the right move.
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You're Allowed to Be Tired
If slowing down makes you restless, anxious, or convinced you're falling behind, this post is for you. It explores why rest feels unsafe for women who learned early that their value was tied to what they produced, and what it actually looks like to stop earning the right to exhale.
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Talk Therapy Helped Me Cope. Brainspotting Helped Me Heal
If you've been in therapy before and made progress, but something still hasn't moved, this post is for you. It walks through what Brainspotting actually is, why it reaches what insight alone can't, and what it looks like when healing finally moves from the mind into the body
You've Held it all Long Enough.
There's a version of you that isn't bracing for the next thing. That exhales fully. That doesn't have to read every room before she enters it. That version of you isn't far. She's just been waiting for a space safe enough to show up in.
Virtual therapy for women in NC, TX, MD, GA, SC, and FL. Accepting Aetna, BCBS, and self-pay.
