About

A pillar of stability for more than 50 years

Our Mission

Providing innovative care for individuals and communities living with the harmful impact of stigma and untreated addiction and mental illness.

Our Vision

Be the transformative entity that frees our communities from addiction and mental illness.

SouthLight is a trusted provider of quality service for substance use and mental health treatment needs in the Triangle. We help individuals gain the tools needed to build a strong foundation for long-term recovery. Every year our work helps transform the lives of more than 7,000 people.

SouthLight Provides Innovative Care for those Living in and through Addiction.  

For 50 years SouthLight has offered a safe and supportive treatment environment where individuals in crisis can receive comprehensive care, offered with compassion and respect. We believe in treating the whole individual, not just the illness. We also offer supportive services that enhance the effectiveness of substance use and mental health treatment.

One of our core values is the commitment to meet people where they are no matter where they are on their journey. We offer them the individual care they desperately need, regardless of ability to pay. Our service philosophy is to provide treatment and wrap-around services that address the unique needs of each client, as nothing is one-size-fits-all.

1 in 5 adults in the US experience mental illness each year. (NAMI)
1 in 8 emergency room visits involves mental illness and substance use. (NAMI)
50% of the people who have a severe mental health condition also have a substance abuse problem. (Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)).
37% of people who abuse alcohol have a mental illness, as do 53% of those who abuse drugs. (JAMA)
70% of people are unemployed when first coming to SouthLight for support and services.
Nearly 30% of people are homeless when first coming to SouthLight for support and services.
40% of those SouthLight serves are indigent, uninsured, or underinsured.
North Carolina is one of the top 5 states with the highest percentages of addiction in its population.

We have the unmatched ability to address the need 

Many clients face the highest barriers to wellness, including untreated mental illness, chemical dependency, and history of incarceration, cognitive and physical disabilities, trauma, and chronic illness. At SouthLight, many of our clients benefit from receiving both substance use and mental health programs.

SouthLight has been an integral part of the fabric of this community, providing mental health and substance use services, educational services in our judicial system, our school system and throughout our community.

Mary-Ann Baldwin, Raleigh mayor

+ – Our Values

We Bring It (Attitude of Excellence)

  • Maximize our impact
  • Ensure clinical excellence
  • Challenge the status quo
  • Act with compassion and integrity​

We Keep Our Eye on the Ball (Savvy, Focused, Resourceful)

  • Focus on priorities
  • Are forward-thinking
  • Deliver the best we can with the resources we have
  • Promote individual/team/organizational growth
  • Hold ourselves accountable for results

We Do This Together (Team)

  • Our team members are the key to our success and we respect them as such
  • Create an environment where we support each other, think big, have fun, overcome obstacles and do good
  • Challenge and inspire each other to be better
  • Foster transparency throughout the organization

+ – Our Why

Maximizing Impact. Inspiring Change. Transforming Lives.

Know someone who needs help? Refer them to SouthLight.

“SouthLight provides me the opportunity to serve others, sit with individuals in their most challenging moments and provide acceptance and encouragement, AND work among individuals that continue to humble me and push me to grow.”
—Erika Carey, MS, Chief Operating Officer


SouthLight is a CARF Accredited Agency. CARF accreditation signals our commitment to continually improving services, encouraging feedback, and serving the community.


SouthLight is a National Board for Certified Counselors Approved Continuing Education Provider™,  NBCC ACEP No. 7214. As an ACEP, SouthLight is authorized to offer NBCC continuing education credit for programs that satisfy NBCC requirements.