Healing Together: Child Advocacy, Trauma Informed Practice, and Community Support with Mary Kathryn Elkins

We continue celebrating Social Work Month with this special episode of The Socially Engaged Podcast. Today we sit down with Mary Kathryn Elkins, MSW, LCSW, Director of Healing Services at Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center. Mary Kathryn shares her journey as a social worker, her passion for trauma informed practice, and her experience supporting children and families navigating complex trauma. She discusses her training in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), her role as a PCIT Senior Leader for North Carolina, and how research and practice intersect in child advocacy work. Mary Kathryn also offers meaningful insight into leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration, the emotional weight of this work, and words of encouragement for emerging social workers exploring micro, mezzo, or macro practice.