02/27/2026
We are beyond proud to have such an expert with us aT Mended Mental Health!!!
✨ Feature Friday ✨
Meet Mr. Byron McKinney, MSW, LCSW-BACS 💜 — Associate Professor of Social Work and our longest-serving tenured faculty member in the NSU Social Work Department. For over two decades, Mr. McKinney has helped shape the next generation of social workers across Louisiana and beyond.
💭 A guiding influence in his work comes from Dr. Claudia Triche, who often said:
“Those who have the very least deserve our very best.”
Mr. McKinney has carried these words into both his teaching and his clinical practice, centering service, dignity, and excellence in all he does.
🌟 Currently, he is working with NSU on a grant initiative to help PLPCs and LMSWs obtain and maintain clinical supervision, strengthening the pipeline of LPCs and LCSWs in Central Louisiana. This effort is critical to expanding access to licensed mental health services in our rural communities.
🏅 Mr. McKinney shares that he is most proud of the many years he has spent developing new social workers. Over his 20-year career at NSU, he has watched countless students enter the profession and actively serve others. Social work truly runs in the family — he even recruited his mother and three of his five children into the field.
💜 Students and colleagues consistently describe Mr. McKinney as the professor who always makes time — offering steady guidance, encouragement, and wisdom whenever it is needed. As a BACS, he has supported countless professionals on their journey toward LCSW licensure while continuing to champion stronger mental health access across Central Louisiana.
We are proud to celebrate Mr. McKinney’s legacy of mentorship, service, and unwavering commitment to the profession. Drop a 💜 in the comments to thank him for the generations of social workers he has helped inspire!
