For psychiatrist Rachel McKenna, MD, caring deeply about her patients and loving her profession have been the keys to her success—traits that were recognized early when she was promoted to chief physician during her medical training. Her passion, work ethic, and reputation have led to a string of honors throughout her career, including being nominated for Top Psychiatrist of the Year for 2023 by the International Association of Top Professionals, as well as winning the Top Doctor Award, the Best of St. Petersburg, and, for five consecutive years, the Best of Tampa. For her ongoing dedication as the owner and general child and adolescent psychiatrist at MD Support, LLC, Dr. McKenna has also been named a Marquis Who’s Who Top Professional, received the Marquis Humanitarian Award, and is being featured in Marquis Magazine.
Striving to improve overall health, struggles with codependency, life and social skills, and stress management, Dr. McKenna works therapeutically with patients in a wide variety of areas that include, yet are not limited to, early diagnosis and treatment of autism, eating disorders, refractory depression, trauma, and histories of abuse. Her patients represent many cross-sections of society such as CEOs and other professionals struggling to simultaneously manage their health and perform at their highest levels. She collaborates with families, especially as they work through divorce, grief, and other conflicts. Unlike most psychiatrists, she says, she provides a great deal of psychotherapy and offers both medication management and weekly therapy sessions when desired. Additionally, she often joins forces with other providers, and, in Florida has been welcomed by the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office to its I am for the child Academy.
Taking pride in the rapport she has built with patients and families, Dr. McKenna derives the most fulfillment from receiving their positive feedback and seeing their progress. She is thankful that her business has grown organically through referrals from her existing client base and believes it is a testament to the quality of service she provides and the level of confidence her patients have in her expertise. Standing by her professional motto, “Where and when you need it,” Dr. McKenna’s practice is licensed in Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, and New York—and soon in Pennsylvania—to ensure uninterrupted care for patients who have moved between those states. She has certifications from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and sees to it that she and her team of providers go above and beyond what’s expected to give the best care to patients and make them feel comfortable.
Before establishing MD Support, LLC, in 2015, Dr. McKenna was the medical director and child and adolescent psychiatrist at DNA Comprehensive Therapy and a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow physician at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where she completed her residency in general psychiatry. She earned her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine and a Bachelor of Arts from UMKC. In the coming years, the proud mother of daughter Ella Ann and son Hudson Stephen expects to keep building her practice by offering additional specialties and collaborating with more mental healthcare providers. The firm will soon incorporate residency programs into its operations, which Dr. McKenna sees as an opportunity to mentor younger professionals and increase community engagement.