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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, LCMHC
Shatara Sheppard is the founder of Evolve Integrative Counseling and a licensed clinical therapist who works with individuals healing from childhood trauma and seeking to reconnect with their personal power.
She supports clients in understanding how early life experiences shape emotional patterns, self-perception, and relationships. Her approach is trauma-informed, integrative, and grounded in compassion, helping clients process unresolved wounds, break generational patterns, and build healthier coping strategies.
Founder | Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor
Shatara specializes in helping individuals heal unresolved childhood wounds and uncover subconscious patterns that influence current relationships and life choices. She supports clients in processing past trauma, breaking generational cycles, and developing healthier coping strategies.
Using a trauma-informed, integrative approach that combines psychotherapy, mindfulness practices, and evidence-based techniques, she guides clients toward greater emotional resilience, self-awareness, and lasting personal growth.
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 as a member of Chi Sigma Iota (CSI), Lambda Rho Upsilon Chapter, the international counseling honor society. She has gained extensive experience in community mental health settings and brings a client-centered, compassionate lens 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 feel mentally overloaded and emotionally fatigued, often navigating high expectations, constant demands, and internal pressure. Many find themselves overwhelmed and running on empty while managing anxiety, low mood, or burnout.
She provides a warm, collaborative, and nonjudgmental therapeutic space where clients can slow down, gain clarity, and reconnect with a sense of steadiness and control. Her work focuses on helping clients strengthen emotional regulation, reduce overthinking patterns, and build practical coping strategies that support daily functioning and long-term wellbeing.
She 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 treatment to each client’s needs to support meaningful and sustainable change.
Education & Experience
Monriel is a North Carolina Board-Certified Mental Health Therapist and Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist Associate with eight years of experience in the mental health field, including four years of post-graduate 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
She enjoys spending time with family, being involved in her church community, visiting the beach, and embracing moments of rest and stillness.
