Nina Franklin remembers always wanting to be “in the helping profession.” Her mother was a nurse, which led her to dream of her own nursing career. After being accepted into nursing school, she recalls struggling during her undergraduate studies.
At 19 years old, she made calls to inquire about possible jobs, and she learned about the field of social work. She changed her major, progressing to earn her bachelor’s and then her master’s, realizing she wanted to receive her license to practice clinical social work. Now, she is Nina Franklin, MSW, LCSW, CCTP, and the creator of Mindful Journey Therapeutic Services.
Franklin initially began working with young people, doing outpatient work, opening an outpatient office and a home health agency. “I opened Mindful Journey here on the Virginia Peninsula in Newport News in May of 2019,” she says. “It started with literally just me.”
Busy with a full-time job and a family, Franklin held onto her dream to grow an outpatient practice and worked to achieve it for years. She saw clients on weekends and in the evenings while working full time. “I built up enough to bring on one other therapist who’s actually still with me,” she says.
Mindful Journey moved into its office on Fishing Point Drive nearly two years ago. The group now comprises 17 staff members, including 13 therapists and two nurse practitioners. Franklin currently sees mostly adult clients and accepts those of all ages.
“My specialty is trauma. I have my trauma certification, and mostly all of my clients have a pretty complex trauma history,” she says. Individuals can develop complex trauma from chronic or repeated traumatic experiences.
Franklin is also a yoga instructor, which encouraged her to expand her office’s services. Mindful Journey offers a medical grade sauna and a yoga room, and the office houses a therapy bunny named Journey. “It’s about the whole person,” says Franklin of her clinic’s holistic options for positively affecting mental health.
“Mental health has had a big stigma around it for a very long time,” Franklin says. “I can’t speak for everyone, but at Mindful Journey, it’s definitely no judgment. We open a safe space for you to also give yourself grace and patience.”
As for the future of the practice, Franklin envisions continued growth and expanding wraparound care, saying, “I would love for it to grow in a way we can make sure clients are getting quality of care, scheduled in a timely manner.”
Beyond the office, Franklin stays busy with two children in travel competitive cheer and basketball. “I am always juggling. It keeps me going,” she says with a smile. “I maintain the same passion at home with my kids and my family as I do with my clients and my staff.”
Franklin loves to see clients making “small progress — things we take for granted that a lot of people struggle with.” She also supervises those in search of certifications beyond her direct work in the clinic. She is considering pursuing a doctorate and dreams of fulfilling her passion to design and decorate spaces. The office space at Mindful Journey, filled with calming colors and encouraging phrases, is proof of that talent.
“Imposter syndrome is real, I think, for a lot of people. They don’t realize they have it,” Franklin says. “They somehow hit this ‘stuck point,’ or they feel blocked or they don’t feel like they can do it.” Franklin offers this advice: “Definitely give yourself grace, be patient. Whenever you are looking to where someone is, do not hesitate to ask where they started.”
Franklin believes “the journey is very important for people to realize. It’s the journey, the end portion, the finish line that is extremely meaningful,” she says.
