We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erin McKinney, LCSW, RPT, QS. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erin below.

Erin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

As a therapist that focuses on attachment, I love this question! Like many of us, there were things my parents did that taught me what I didn’t want to do, as well as what I did want to do. My parents really shaped my connection to something bigger than myself through nature and helping others. My father was always gardening and sharing his interest in different names of plants or taking us to events that showcased Bonsai, like that the gorgeous Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. This has really shaped my connection to nature and the inspiration for my group mental health practice, Deeply Rooted Psychotherapy. My mother would volunteer her time with animals and rescues which allowed us to bottle feed animals or care for them until they were able to be released back into the wild. This experience really reinforced helping others, human or animal, and demonstrating empathy. At my practice we are working to begin to integrate animals and being in nature as services we offer! We truly believe in the healing power of nature and want to help connect more people to it!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Since the beginning I always knew I wanted to help people. I attained my Master’s of Social Work which I realized would allow me to help more people. I completed my requirements to be a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Registered Play Therapist (RPT), and Qualified Supervisor for Registered Clinical Social Work Interns. After years of being in the field working with kids in the community and substance abuse/mental health outpatient centers, I decided it was time to enter the world of private practice. This was an entirely new experience, with of course some positives and some negatives. I was lucky to establish myself in an amazing group practice in Wellington, where I completed my training for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and developed my craft further. I then decided it was time to establish my own private group practice and with the help of my friend and mentor, Amanda Landry, LMHC, I was able to make it happen. Our boutique mental health group practice works with clients being impacted by anxiety, depression, trauma, maternal mental health, eating disorders, identity, first responders, life transitions, neurodivergent, and behavioral issues. We each have our own specialties and a common space of using mindfulness practices as well as trauma. We take a holistic and systems approach to ensure our clients are being supported in all possible ways to live their best life!

Any advice for managing a team?

I would say to go back to the old saying, “treat others how you want to be treated”. Since the beginning of creating my own group practice it was one of my key values to ensure there is a quality of life for my clinicians and employees. Being in this field we often forget to practice what we preach and with that comes lack of self-care. At our practice we make decisions for the business with our clinicians in mind and what will support them. We connect via chats and at office events where we do a fun activity that fosters connection. We make sure we know what our clinicians and employees are passionate about in their care to support them in fostering this work. These are key factors that I know I look for in other organizations and maintain as a priority in our practice.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I would keep my degree the same if I had to choose again, but I would focus more on having a specialty with animals and nature. As I grew in therapy I realized all the amazing work clinicians were doing with their clients that was not the traditional “sitting in an office and talking”. Growing up I wanted to work with animals and was deterred when I realized Biology was not my thing. If I could go back to do something different I would have started earlier on with a company or specialized training that incorporates animals or nature. Luckily, I am able to create these changes now to bring my passions together as a career and I feel beyond grateful for this.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.deeplyrootedpsychotherapyllc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deeplyrootedpsychotherapy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deeplyrootedpsychotherapy

Image Credits
Erin McKinney