Hannah McKinnies, MS, LMFT
“Therapy gives you a safe space to unlock and release the hushed pieces of your heart”
– Anonymous
Hello. My name is Hannah McKinnies and I am a Marriage and Family Therapist. I cannot imagine how you feel, and I am not going to assume that I know anything about you. Since you are reading this, there is a chance that you or someone you love is in pain, and you might not have any idea what to say or how to help. I want to let you know that you are not alone. I believe in you.
I believe this work is not just a job to clock in and out of, but a calling. I believe therapy can be helpful for everyone. My calling started on my living room floor when my son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. At that moment, I promised the Lord that I would never let a family sit alone in pain if I could help it. I have experience with couples, families, and individuals. I have a wide variety of experience with a diverse population in my clientele. In my professional and personal experiences, my Christian faith has been the backbone of everything I do, and at the center of everything I am, and I would be happy to incorporate that into therapy, if that is what is desired but that is your choice.
As an LMFT, I practice from a systemic viewpoint. It is like looking through a wide- angle lens. I am trained and qualified to work with individuals, but even then, it will always be through a relational viewpoint. I believe that all behavior is communication, and behavior is learned. I have found in my work, and research, that it would be unfair to assume that people know what healthy relationships look like or how to be in one. I would not expect my clients to understand how to have a healthy relationship, if they were never shown how. I practice from an Intergenerational Family Therapy background and also with Emotion Focused therapy (EFT). I look at what habits, traits, and behaviors looked like in the generations and relationships that surround a person that may have formed thoughts and experiences. By working from this background, clients can learn where behaviors and characteristics started, how they have affected family relationships in the past, and what clients need to change for relationships to be successful in the future.
I specialize in not only working with couples and families in distress, but also in couples preparing for marriage. I believe that many people have not learned what aspects go into what makes relationships healthy such as: healthy communication, relationship roles, boundaries, self- care, emotions, and trust, to name a few. Discussing these topics may be useful for those entering into new relationships, or even those that have been in relationships for years. I also have experience working with clients with issues of grief and loss, self- esteem, depression, anxiety, trauma, loss of direction, divorce, behavioral skills, women’s issues, stress, sleep, family- life transition, abuse, and career concerns. I look forward to talking with you.
