Meet Scott Pennington | Clinical Director at Marietta Roswell Counseling (MRC)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Scott Pennington and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Scott, what do you attribute your success to?
The success of Marietta Roswell Counseling (MRC) is coming primarily from our scheduling process and pairing clients with the right MRC counselor. We have someone dedicated to answer phone calls and not just an answering machine. This person gathers enough information from the potential client and evaluates which counselor would be the best fit.

In comparison to many other mental health practices, the counselor contacted by our administrator is then calling back the potential client for a quick conversation to start building rapport and ensure again they are a good fit. They schedule themselves the first session with the new client.

We are also open to clients calling the main office and asking to see another counselor if they want to try someone different. We know that therapy success is mainly influenced by the client-therapist relationship and we, at MRC, make a priority in making sure each client finds the best fit.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
A sound business plan and a detailed strategy on whom would be our target market, where we wanted to be located, and the quality of the services we wanted to offer were instrumental to our success.

We are strategically located close to several major schools and in a dense urban area as we are servicing adults for mental health as well as children starting at age 5 and up.

We wanted to offer a safe and inviting environment where people felt relaxed upon entry in our waiting area. Our lobby is looking more like a wellness center than a counseling office and all offices are designed to make you feel like you are in a comfortable living room.

Hiring the right counselor is always tricky and we ensure that with our extensive hiring process and continuing support and training after being hired. Making sure the counselors fit in the culture of the office, that they use the same modalities and theoretical orientation as myself. For example, our office is Rogerian which is a theory that offers non-judgmental, unconditional positive regard, and support to all regardless of background.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This would depend on the friend. My goal would be to tailor the time based on my friend’s interests.

For outdoorsy entertainments, I would suggest going kayaking on the Chattahoochee, hiking in Kennesaw or North Carolina, sailing on Lake Lanier or playing golf.

If he likes to watch sports or listen to music, we could go to a sporting event such as Atlanta United, a Falcon’s game, or simply go to a concert at Truist park or Chastain.

For food, we could be going to one of the restaurants in East Cobb such as “Seed”, “Red Sky” or downtown Marietta, Roswell such as “The Mill” or Woodstock such as “The Salt Factory” followed by a pastry at the “Pie Bar” or simply staying at home and grilling in the backyard, starting with enjoying a nice drink around our firepit and catching up.

A brunch at the French Cafe “Douceurs de France” would also be on the agenda if interested…

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Various organizations and individuals have supported me along the way while seeking a mental health degree and licensure as a second career.

From Stephen Ministry to various professionals at Ridgeview Institute such Tom Connell, Kevin Knauf, Mary Jean Milliken who have motivated me and opened doors for me while completing my internship and required hours to be fully licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor.

Website: www.mariettaroswellcounseling.com

Image Credits
The first picture of Scott Pennington (myself) and Emotional Support Animal Max is from Adamo Photography. All others (of the office) were taken by us.