The wound is the place where the light enters you.

-Rumi

Erica Lima, Therapist at Sunset Trauma Therapy and Consultation

Welcome!

A little about me. I was raised in Charlotte, NC yet isolated from larger society, I never knew how much I could actually love the city-life!

I am a recovering perfectionistic, & anxiously-attached person who is honored to support anyone who is yearning to love themselves more fully, and longs to be themselves in relationships (Yes, without HIDING).

Although I have a special place in my heart for folks working in helping professions, activists, mothers, therapists, and often find myself supporting those types of people; I’m also have lots of experience working with folks coming from all different walks of life.

Healing through relationships, has always been the most important part of the work I do. Yes, I was the 15 year old kid reading about attachment styles in barnes and noble… for fun…yikes! Yet it took me a while to learn how to take off my own striving and people pleasing hat and embrace my imperfect wounded self. It is possible, and with support, your imperfect, messy self can experience being seen & accepted

Some issues I specialize in helping people break out of people pleasing, childhood neglect, trauma, perfectionism, religious trauma, relationship obsessive compulsion disorder ( Relational OCD, de-constructing and unpacking internalized whiteness with white folks.

We do relationship differently, so you can understand and develop a new relationship with yourself and others.

Other issues I support folks with:

  • Family of origin conflict

  • Religious Trauma & Spiritual Abuse

  • Body image issues

  • Self-esteem, self-doubt

  • Parental stress

  • Healthcare professionals burn out & compassion fatigue

  • Silent panic attacks

  • Unpacking internalized white supremacy

  • Anxiety

  • Perfectionism

  • Relationship difficulties / Attachment wounds

  • Childhood Emotional Neglect

  • Grief/loss

  • PTSD

  • Complex & Childhood Trauma

  • Cancer Survivors

Together we will move past intellectualizing and analyzing and into restoring back the connection to your body - reclaiming back self-awareness, self-agency, and self-compassion.

Whatever may be the reason for disconnection from yourself, there's always a way back. Whether it’s anxiety, grief, trauma or a general feeling of discontent, you deserve relief. Longing to be seen, but also terrified of it. I get it!

Together we can explore your unique experiences that have been dismissed, unnoticed, forgotten about, or neglected. Your experience matters. We can find ways to alleviate the anxiety, restlessness, feelings of stuckness, resolve painful childhood memories and soften the inner critic into a trusted ally.

My Background and Approach

I have worked over 10 yrs in community mental health organizations, residential treatment centers and outpatient/private practice settings. In those years of experience, I have supported many people through complex trauma, PTSD, dual diagnosis, anxiety, depression and mood disorders. I frequently walk alongside people who are yearning to understand themselves more fully and ready to embark on their self discovery and liberation.

 

I practice from a strength-based, trauma-informed & anti-oppressive lens. This means we recognize systems of oppression & the harm they cause marginalized communities in society & the essential value of creating safe anti-discriminatory practices in the therapy space. Your unique experience matters.

It is an honor to work with Folks of Color, and Black Folks who decide to work with me, and I take your trust with great care. 

I also work with white folks who want a space to heal from internalized white superiority, to speak truthfully about our past and process somatically the generational legacy of whiteness and white supremacy.

Individual Therapy

Whether you’re struggling with anxiety that keeps you up at night, or perhaps you are feeling stuck or lost in a cycle of hopelessness. There is hope. You deserve a safe space to process some of your feelings and get some relief.

Couples Therapy

Perhaps there’s been a recent rupture of trust in your relationship that has put a wedge between you and your partner, or maybe you’ve grown apart and loss a sense of connection and love - whatever the reason be, you deserve a space where you can explore your relationship needs.

Education / Training

Education:

Bachelor’s of Social Work, BA from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Masters of Social Work, MSW from Arizona State University

CA: LCSW107354

NC: C016556

Training:

Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy Training

Somatic Parts Work (Internal Family Systems) Level 3 Certified

Somatic Attachment Therapy Certificate

Immigration Evaluations Training

Cultural Somatics, Education for Racial Equity (ongoing)

Internal Family Systems- Clinical Applications

EMDR Skills Training