Welcome to The Keely Group
We specialize in helping dynamic, intelligent, driven people to develop stronger, more sustainable personal connections and agency to live lives they love. Our practice celebrates diversity and advocates for equity, safety, and justice for all including all body sizes, abilities, races, ethnicities, sexualities, genders, and religions.
Erin McMaugh Tierno, LCSW-R (she/her)
Psychoanalytic Therapist
& TKG Founder
In 2016, after seven years running community mental health agencies and ten years as a sole practitioner in traditional, in-person, private practice, I opened The Keely Group when I realized just how effective virtual therapy is for the highly ambitious (and exceedingly BUSY!) patients who resonate with my style of practice. My vision was to develop a small, boutique practice that would offer the exceptional quality and highly personalized experience of a traditional private practice in a format that would be more readily available to my go-getters, who often had difficulty breaking away from career demands for the commute to my Union Square office each week. What I hoped was to be able to foster an even deeper connection with my patients through their ability to attend sessions more consistently without interruptions caused by commute time, inclement weather, business (or pleasure!) travel, mild illness (don’t bring it here, please, but we can still talk!), and the like.
At the time, this style of practice was entirely unheard of and I encountered more than one haughty, disdainful colleague with an opinion about the efficacy of my virtual work. But my patients were thrilled and I was able to say with absolute integrity that we were doing outstanding therapeutic work, so I forged on. Imagine my surprise when those same colleagues sought my guidance as the pandemic forced us all to encounter virtual life just a bit more frequently.
Since then, The Keely Group has grown into a thriving practice with outstanding, experienced clinicians who love their work. We know that finding a therapist can feel overwhelming, especially if you and/or your partner are already working 60+ hours a week or if you don’t even know what to look for in a psychotherapist and there are so many different options in NYC. Whether this is your first time or you’ve been in therapy before but are looking for a different approach, I want you to get a sense for what it is like to work with the therapists in this practice.
Our patients work hard during their time in session and often experience “light bulb” moments outside of the therapy “room”, while navigating daily life. Those realizations in the moment, which result from the therapeutic work they’ve done together with their therapist, help our patients to connect in healthier, deeper ways than they would have previously, even when – especially when – it was profoundly difficult to do.
“A good therapist should help you utilize your own power more effectively.”
A significant part of The Keely Group mission has been to require a practice framework that allows clinicians to prioritize their own diligent self-care. We wholeheartedly value nourishing a healthy, balanced life both in and outside of work. Our clinicians engage in clinical supervision, continuing education, and even as many FUN events as we can manage each year. We do this because, number one, it is the right thing to do (duh!), but also because it helps our clinicians sustain the capacity and flexibility to genuinely connect with our patients and be with them emotionally in the ways that our patients deserve. We would rather shut our virtual doors than have our therapists demoralized and overwhelmed by the quotas and productivity demands, outrageously high case-loads, inane expectations such as being accessible 24/7/365, etcetera, that are baked in to the culture of corporate therapy mills like $paceTalk or He/pBetter.
Truth be told, I am consistently amazed and humbled by the depth of trust our patients put into their work with our clinicians. I am awestruck by the capacity people gain through therapy to redirect their own power toward addressing challenges they experience in their personal lives. I have also seen people profoundly shift their work-life experiences by implementing the agency that comes from deeper self-awareness. Every day, the therapists in our practice work online with people in NYC who are striving to deepen romantic relationships or separate from toxic ones, connecting with a healthy partner for the first time, growing their capacity to manage stress and anxiety, forging pathways to parenthood or making peace with playing a different role in the lives of children, untangling themselves from passionless work and moving towards career fulfillment, or deftly navigating the complexities involved in a sustainable creative livelihood.
I don’t often have openings for new patients, personally, but if you’d like to be placed on my waitlist, please reach out through our contact page to let our administrative office know. That said, I am incredibly impressed by the therapists in this practice and I genuinely recommend each of them without hesitation.
Erin’s Education & Certifications
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
New York License R077035, “R” psychotherapy privilege designates advanced training and experience specific to clinical practice
New Jersey License 44SC05975100
Connecticut License 13163
Colorado License 09924263
Bachelor’s in Government & English Literature - Smith College
Master’s in Clinical Social Work - New York University
Master’s in Psychoanalysis - New York Graduate School of Psychoanalysis
Post-Graduate Clinical Training - NYU, EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Program, Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies, Ackerman Institute for the Family, Center for Group Studies, American Society of Reproductive Medicine, Fluence
Advanced, Level II Certification - Telebehavioral Health Institute
Adjunct Professor - Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service
Disaster Mental Health Volunteer - American Red Cross of Greater NY
Former Clinical Supervisor - New York-Presbyterian Hospital affiliate Community Healthcare Network: Behavioral Health Program
Former Faculty - Colorado School of Mines
“I cannot recommend Erin highly enough. Working with Erin, I’ve seen first hand how her warmth, candor and intelligence combine to form her unique perspective on therapy and change. I remain so impressed with her dedication to her patients and the depth of what she has to offer. She knows what it is to find balance and make NYC life authentically yours.”
“Erin is an exceptional therapist who has helped guide and ground us through IVF, pregnancy, and now several stages of parenthood. We deeply value her expertise, compassion and humor.”
