Meet Ricca Macklin
Ricca is a counseling student at Dallas Theological Seminary who is passionate about helping individuals understand themselves, navigate life's challenges, and build healthier relationships. Her decision to pursue counseling grew from her own experiences with counseling, community service, and working with youth. Through these experiences, she has developed a deep appreciation for the power of human connection, and the role supportive relationships can play in personal growth and well-being.
Ricca believes counseling should be a place where people feel safe, understood, and supported while developing practical skills to help them thrive in their everyday lives. She is particularly interested in how early experiences, and deeply rooted beliefs shape the way we see ourselves and relate to others. Her developing clinical interests include schema therapy, a therapeutic approach that builds on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help individuals recognize and change deeply rooted beliefs and patterns shaped by early experiences and relationships. Ricca is especially interested in helping individuals across the lifespan, from children and adolescents to older adults, as they navigate challenges with self-esteem, emotional well-being, and relationships while developing healthier patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating to others.
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Qualifications
Ricca is pursuing a Master of Arts in Counseling alongside a master's degree in Biblical Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. She currently serves as Director of Behavior and Social Resources at Girls Inc., where she supports children with their behavioral, emotional and social needs and develops social-emotional mental health related programming. Her work has strengthened her passion for helping people develop emotional awareness, resilience, and practical tools for navigating life's challenges.
Her additional trainings and certifications include Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI), Youth Mental Health First Aid, Trauma-Informed Care, and Mandated Reporter Training. She also serves her community through the Shelby County Youth Assistance Program and Shelby County Accessing Social Supports (SASS), reflecting her commitment to supporting individuals and families beyond the counseling room.
What Ricca says about her clinical expertise and her ideal clients…
My faith shapes the way I see people and reminds me that every person has inherent value and worth. I hope that belief is reflected in every interaction I have with a client. I want people to feel that they can show up as they are, be met with compassion, and have someone genuinely interested in understanding their experiences. I also believe that support and understanding can go hand in hand with growth. My hope is to help people discover their strengths, develop practical skills, and build healthier relationships with themselves and others.
Outside of my professional and academic pursuits, I value the close friendships and community relationships that have shaped my life. I am a former chef rediscovering my love of cooking as a therapeutic practice. I have a deep appreciation for the concept of biblical hospitality, which is the practice of extending love and welcome to others, including those who are strangers to us or different from us.
I am also a beginning chess player and enjoy staying active. Whether at the beach in Anguilla or surrounded by mountains, I find joy in places that invite me to slow down, reconnect with myself, spark my creativity, and appreciate the world around me and the people in it.