RK McGinnis

Hi, my name is RK McGinnis.  I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a MSW in Clinical Social Work.  I have experience with in-clinic mental health, community based mental health, an adoption agency, and a group home.  I really enjoy a wide variety of clients because I genuinely enjoy a wide variety of people. My areas of interest include providing therapy for children, teens, and adults regarding anxiety, depression, trauma, adoption/foster care issues, grief, identity, and LGBTQ+ topics.

I enjoy using play therapy techniques for many reasons.  Primarily, I’m glad that we have ways to help kids work through their problems while still feeling comfortable, in charge of their story, and even having fun.  Play therapy helps kids express themselves about complicated feelings and situations even though they don’t have the words.  And it allows them to bring a safe grown-up with them into their challenges, so they don’t have to explore the hard things on their own.

My main values in the therapy room are to accept the person exactly as they are, to really listen to them, and to help them feel emotionally safe.  Generally, I want to focus on whatever the client brings with them to the therapy room that day, though I always have other helpful topics and activities in my back pocket for times when my client just needs someone else to be in charge.  I really want therapy to be a positive experience even when we’re dealing with hard things, so I incorporate play, art, creative activities, and humor whenever appropriate.  One of the guiding phrases from my training has been, “If it’s not playful, it’s not play therapy.”

It’s also important to me to not push anyone — no matter their age — into any topic they aren’t ready to explore.  Sometimes people worry that a therapist will make them relive scary things that happened to them or make too big of a deal out of the past. Though I’m always willing to talk about the hard things, I won’t push a client to go there.  Generally, kids and adults bring up those topics as they are ready, and sometimes people only can deal with hard things in bite-sized chunks.  That’s ok.  If I ask about something you don’t want to talk about today, it’s always okay to say, “No, I don’t want to talk about that.” The individual — no matter how young or old — has the right to say no, and they have the power in the session and the power over their story.  If you have any fears around counseling, I’m open to talking about those and finding ways to help you or your child feel more comfortable.

When I’m not in the therapy room, you might find me playing trumpet with a community band, hanging out with pets, or gushing over one of my many nerdy fandoms, like comic books or the latest episode of Steven Universe.

“Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.” –Fred Rogers

Contact RK: 678-740-3990, extension 8

Sunshine Child & Family Counseling

Location:

4080 McGinnis Ferry Rd. Suite 1304
Alpharetta, Ga 30005

inquiry@sunshinechildcounseling.com