Tracey McClain

Hello to you! First, we are living in stressful times, so congratulations to you for giving yourself the gift of therapy! It is a self-loving and courageous act. I am Tracey McClain, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker-S. My therapeutic focus has always been to assist a client in engaging in self-examination so they can discover who they really are and what will truly bring them happiness and self-contentment. Yes, this may seem easy to some and monumental to others, but to me, I believe being able to sincerely be at peace in our own skin is the bases of what empowers you to be the best person you can be.

My approach

As for theoretical approaches, I am versed in most of the popular ones such as CBT, Strengths based, TBRI, Family Systems, Solution focused on and on. In reality, your needs dictate what we use, and usually, this means using components of all these models. The ones that I naturally use are: 1) Interpersonal Therapy, because quite frankly, I am interested in who you are, which can be seen through your relationships, especially the one we will have. 2) Strengths Based: we all of have them, let's find yours and use them to help us meet your goals. 3) Compassion Therapy, because I often feel we all lack on this, yet if you want to motivate yourself, it is easier to do with love versus beating yourself up with feelings of inadequacy, guilt, shame, etc.

My focus

I love working with any client who is ready to engage in self-discovery and motivated to let down the barriers that are causing them to experience symptoms such as depression, anxiety, OCD, eating disorders, relationship difficulties, grief, or they just feel they are not living up to their potential. My current client's range in age from 17 to 69, and they are comprised of diverse sexual preferences/identity, races, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds. I work with high school, college, grad, vet, pharmacy, and law school students. I have clients who are stay-at-home parents, in C-level positions, artists, many who are self-employed, a few teachers, manager, in retail, lot of IT folks, several mental health professionals, retirees, and a few on disability. I enjoy have a diverse population of clients!

My communication style

Ok, so I simply love what I do, because I get to show up as me for each session as me! I am a genuine, gregarious and passionate person by nature. I want you to know that all you have to do is show up as you! We get to know each other, and you get to decide whether you want me to accompany you on your path of loving self-improvement. By the way, I encourage all my family, friends, colleagues, and strangers who will listen, to "shop therapists." I suggest this to you, as well. You are picking a person to guide you down a path of self-discovery to meet your personal goals. You will hear "tough truths" about yourself, and you want this coming from a person who you trust. You get to be picky in your picking. If you choose to set an appointment with me, then I will look forward to meeting you, and if not, I wish you the best in your journey!

My journey to mental healthcare

I became therapist for the same reason so many people chose the helping profession. I found myself in individual, family and even group therapy at the age of 19. I saw that therapy had the ability to empower families to survive and individuals to thrive. It took a while for me to become emotionally healthy enough to help others, but I did and then obtained my MSW. I worked a few years as a child therapist, then took off for 17 to raise my two daughters. Before COVID, I worked with homeless children, adolescents and young adults. After COVID, I realized I could pursue my passion of providing one on one therapy via online which allows me to travel! I love what I do because I love connecting with people on a deeper level. I have the honor of humbly assisting my clients work through their complex feelings of grief, resentment, disappointment, anger, sadness, confusion, blame, shame etc. I have a lot of moments in which I am awestruck by what and how we have survived. I get to see and hear the joy as my clients gain epiphanies about their dysfunctional patterns. I celebrate as they let go of the old messages about themselves and build healthy ways to cope and thrive. I applaud them as they form healthier relationships with themselves and those around them. I get to encourage them to recall and pursue their long-forgotten passions. I watch them integrate the lessons they learn in therapy about self-love and acceptance. I am telling you- it is beautiful!

My goals for you

Mmm, goal setting? Honestly, what I have found is that by the time you find a therapist, you just want to not feel like **** anymore! Ok, or well, maybe you just want to feel better or stop doing this and going back to them, or start doing that or figure out why is, etc. My primary goal is to help you understand and love yourself enough to challenge yourself to change those negative coping mechanisms you have been using. You will WANT to let go of unhealthy habits and thought patterns that do not serve you. You will look to redefine relationships that enable or even encourage you to stay stuck, or at minimum, learn to set boundaries with those people in your life who do not support the healthy you. By the way, reconfiguring relationships is a requirement if you have a narcissistic person in your life. What is the result of all your hard work that I get the honor of helping guide you through? You become true to who you are, and you love yourself. You feel an inner sense of peace and joy. Your depression, anxiety, OCD, eating disorder, relationship difficulties, or whatever your symptom is will naturally begin to dissipate. Of course, this is not some magic to get to the end of the rainbow, and all is well forever. It is continued work, and I equate it to adopting a healthy nutrition and exercise lifestyle. Setting all those new habits and examining all of the underlying reasons you have chosen to live that way for so long is painful, but once you have faced the scary obstacles, and reached your goal, then you get to enjoy maintenance. My goal is that you have a to help you meet your goals... whatever they are!

My first session with you

Well, I enjoy getting to know people, so I just want to know who you are? What brought you here? What have you tried before to feel better? What do you do for self-care? What do you really like to do? Admittedly, with the first session, we do need to wade through some paperwork. Fortunately, I am pretty quick with the requirements, so by the end of the session, I will be able to hear what you are looking for, and you will see who I am and how I work. We can talk about whether you feel we are a fit!