Ebone Smith

Ebone Smith is a Registered Psychological Associate, educator, and founder of nonprofit, WE ARE R.I.S.E. Inc. Girls' Mentorship Program based in South Los Angeles. Through her nonprofit, Ebone organizes, facilitates, and trains mentors in providing culturally informed workshops for young girls of color that focus on the enrichment of social-emotional development, positive self-esteem, academic wellness, and life skills. As a native of Memphis, Tennessee, Ebone was raised primarily on family values and the importance of maintaining healthy relationships. Seeing the significance and heavy influence of family and relationships, Ebone pursued her bachelor's in Psychology and later earned her master's in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University. Ebone is now completing her doctoral degree in Applied Clinical Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology with the plans of becoming a Clinical Psychologist with a specialty in culturally informed therapy for individuals, and families of color. Throughout her career, she plans to continue to work with youth and families on setting foundations for cultivating and maintaining positive relationships with themselves and others around them.

In her therapeutic practices, Ebone believes in the importance of establishing a healthy and collaborative therapeutic alliance. She uses a combination of psychodynamic and cognitive behavior therapy to help clients understand how their childhood, early relationships, experiences, and thought processes inform their current behaviors. Ebone has a passion for utilizing culturally informed therapeutic practices for children, adults, and families of color with presenting problems such as depression, anxiety, life-transitions, self-esteem, and relationships.