Alicia Cave, LCSW, CCTP-II is the Director of GrowingThru as well as an EMDR Certified Therapist and Board of Social Work Approved Supervisor in Virginia and North Carolina. With 20 years of experience in mental health across inpatient, outpatient, and residential settings, she has served children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Her expertise includes addressing trauma, depression, anxiety, addiction, personality disorders, serious mental illness, and grief. Alicia also works with clients on family/couple issues and concerns related to race, culture, spirituality, gender, and sexual identity.

Utilizing strengths-based approaches, Alicia (she/her) focuses on fostering resilience in her clients. Currently pursuing RYT certification, she integrates mindfulness and somatic interventions with talk therapies and adopts a holistic perspective to support clients in achieving their goals.

Alethia Jones, MSW, is a dedicated and compassionate outpatient therapist with over 19 years of experience in social work. Her professional background includes therapeutic mentoring, mental health skill-building, parent coaching, and work in education, foster care, and adult mental health. She has supported individuals across their lifespans, with a strong focus on children, adolescents, and family systems.

Alethia earned her MSW from the University of New England and is licensure-eligible. Her clinical interests include trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and resilience, and the integration of mindfulness practices to promote emotional regulation and self-awareness. She draws from CBT, solution-focused therapy, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness-based strategies to create culturally responsive, collaborative spaces where clients feel safe to heal and grow.

Reaching out for therapy takes courage, and Katla wants individuals to know they don’t have to do it alone. Her goal is to create a safe, supportive space where clients feel validated, understood, and empowered to face whatever life brings their way.

Katla became a therapist because she deeply believes in people’s resilience and capacity for growth. She is currently a Supervisee in Social Work, having earned her MSW from Radford University. Her professional background includes work in crisis stabilization, foster care and adoption services, and emergency response—experiences that have shaped her understanding of the unique challenges faced by both adolescents and adults.

In her therapeutic work, Katla uses a trauma-informed, person-centered, and collaborative approach, blending Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and strengths-based practices. Therapy with Katla is both grounding and hopeful: sometimes serious and reflective, sometimes lighthearted and gently humorous—always guided by the client’s needs and goals.

Dorothea Smith is a native of Portsmouth who currently resides in the Suffolk area. She obtained her undergraduate degree with a major in Sociology (emphasizing social welfare) and minor in African and African American Studies from Old Dominion University and then went on to obtain a Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Norfolk State University. 

She has many years of experience providing mental health services to people of various ages through mental health skills building, therapeutic day treatment, intensive in-home and now outpatient therapy. She has received full training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT) and American Society of Addiction Medicine Level I (ASAM-I) criteria. 

Dorothea pulls from many therapeutic modalities and is interested in exploring many more to allow for an eclectic or integrative approach to meet the needs of each client. It is her goal to assist others with developing the tools needed to reach their own goals and to be their best selves. 

When not working, Dorothea enjoys going to church, spending time with her family, exploring ancestral roots, thrifting, exercising and other hobbies. 

Stacie Shifflett is a dedicated social worker with over 10 years of experience in the substance use and mental health fields. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015 and recently completed her Master of Social Work at Walden University in May 2025. As a supervisee in social work, Stacie has extensive experience working with diverse patient populations affected by various substance use disorders as well as cooccurring mental health conditions.

Stacie is passionate about addiction and mental health and utilizes a strength-based perspective to foster resilience and positive growth in her clients. She employs evidence-based approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, mindfulness techniques, and relapse prevention strategies, to support clients in managing cravings and triggers. Committed to creating a safe, warm, and welcoming environment, Stacie emphasizes therapy without guilt or shame, ensuring clients feel empowered to navigate difficult challenges.