Dr. Linda P. McRae

Dr. Linda P. McRae is a passionate and warm pillar of the community in the Winston-Salem area, where she provides both professional counseling services and religious leadership and life coaching along with her husband, Reverend Ronald Lee McRae.

In 1997, The McRaes founded More Than Conquerors Inc., a non-profit with the aim to “inspire, transform and change minds while recognizing that a lot of people don’t have the resources, or don’t have the education.” As McRae explained, the goal of More Than Conquerors Inc. is “providing resources that help people consider their options, and hopefully, see a different outlook so that their outcome is different” in the community. MTC offers programs to both “provide physical resources and person’s they can connect with to help them make changes and feel supported” and creates a safe environment for adolescent boys and girls through the Boys2Men and Sister2Sister programs.

Dr. McRae’s passion for community service is not just evident in her work through More Than Conquerors. Dr. McRae has worked as the CEO of Amazing Grace Ministries to service her home community in Bulloch County, Georgia by running an annual conference in which financial resources, food and clothing are provided. As well, Amazing Grace Ministries runs a weekly radio show on WSLT in Savannah. 

In 2003, Dr. McRae earned her Masters in Divinity at Wake Forest University, and soon after began a chaplainship at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital. McRae described a feeling of knowing “there was more” during this time, which, combined with her prior passions for community service and guidance led her to pursue her Masters in Social Work at North Carolina A&T University and UNC Greensboro in 2007. After completing her Doctorate Psychology Degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation in 2016, she holds the esteemed honor of having become a Certified Clinical Supervisor, a Master’s in Addiction Counseling and a licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist and Social Worker.

Beyond her numerous academic accolades, as well as pastoral and community service, it is clear that Dr. McRae not only has a passion for helping those in her community, but for reducing the stigma within the Black community surrounding getting help. “There’s a lot of mistrust of therapy within the African American community” explained McRae. “The church was all we had.”

McRae uses her religious expertise paired with her Psychological expertise to demonstrate the importance of seeking help, whether that be through one’s relationship with God or through more traditional therapeutic endeavors. “Therapy and Medication do not mean a lack of love for God,” said McRae when asked about the relationship between psychiatric and somatic methods of mental health care in relation to more faith based treatment plans.

Outside of her faith based counseling, McRae and her business HOPE Counseling Inc. offer specific treatment plans for those suffering from addiction or abusive tendencies. “To see people say ‘I didn't know that’ or ‘I appreciate that.’ — That’s what makes it worth it,” McRae stated when explaining her decision to work with marginalized communities. Currently, Dr. McRae and her husband run HOPE. They are working to change minds and hearts to create a community of understanding and better citizens.

Profile by Malcolm Alexander