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MEET THE THERAPISTS
Compassionate Care, Grounded in Expertise
At Evolve Integrative Counseling, our therapists are dedicated to creating a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment where meaningful healing can occur.
Each clinician brings a thoughtful balance of clinical knowledge, trauma-informed care, and compassionate presence—working collaboratively with clients to support lasting growth and emotional well-being.
Shatara Sheppard, LCMHCS
Shatara Sheppard is the founder and Clinical Director of Evolve Integrative Counseling. As a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor, she works with individuals seeking to heal from past experiences, understand deeper emotional patterns, and reconnect with their authentic selves.
Shatara helps clients explore how childhood experiences, family dynamics, and generational patterns may continue to influence their emotions, self-perception, relationships, and life choices.
Her work creates space for clients to process unresolved wounds, strengthen self-awareness, and develop healthier ways of relating to themselves and others.
Her approach is trauma-informed, integrative, and grounded in compassion. She draws from psychodynamic and attachment-based perspectives, mindfulness, mind-body practices, and evidence-based interventions to help clients move beyond simply managing symptoms toward deeper insight, emotional resilience, and meaningful, lasting change.
Founder & Clinical Director | Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor
Education & Experience
Shatara holds a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lenoir-Rhyne University in Asheville, North Carolina, where she graduated with honors and was inducted into Chi Sigma Iota (CSI), Lambda Rho Upsilon Chapter, the international counseling honor society. Her experience spans community mental health, clinical leadership, supervision, private practice, professional training, and public speaking. She brings both clinical expertise and a compassionate, person-centered perspective to her work.
Outside the Therapy Room
When she’s not supporting clients, Shatara enjoys spending time with family and close friends, exploring new restaurants, grounding herself in nature, reading, and embracing il dolce far niente—the sweetness of doing nothing.
Monriel Harbison, LCMHC
Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor
Monriel works with adults and young adults who may feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, or weighed down by the demands of everyday life. She supports clients navigating anxiety, low mood, burnout, life transitions, and the pressure that can come from trying to manage it all.
Her approach is warm, collaborative, and nonjudgmental, creating space for clients to slow down, gain clarity, and feel more grounded. She helps clients strengthen emotional regulation, recognize patterns that may be contributing to distress, and develop practical tools that support greater balance and well-being.
Monriel integrates evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based interventions, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Positive Psychology. She tailors therapy to each client's individual needs, strengths, and goals to support meaningful, sustainable change.
Education & Experience
Monriel is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist Associate with eight years of experience in the mental health field, including four years of postgraduate clinical practice.
She holds a Master’s degree in clinical Mental Health Counseling from Montreat College, a Master’s degree in human services counseling with a concentration in Christian Ministries from Liberty University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Gardner-Webb University, where she graduated summa cum laude and was invited into the Honors Program.
Outside the Therapy Room
When she’s not supporting clients, Monriel enjoys spending time with family, being involved in her church community, visiting the beach, and embracing moments of rest and stillness.
