Rodney Black

Rodney Black is a licensed clinical social worker with more than three decades in the field. He holds LCSW and LISW credentials and practices in Iowa. He draws on long personal and professional experience to help people facing addiction, trauma, grief, and identity questions.

Rodney's background includes military service and years working in community-based settings. He says those roles taught him how to listen and how to offer practical help. He also speaks from personal experience with addiction, co-dependency, and family mental illness, and he names gratitude for friendships in the queer community.

In sessions he blends mindful awareness with practical skills. He uses approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and cognitive behavioral techniques to address thoughts and behaviors. He also draws on attachment ideas to help people untangle family patterns and relationship wounds.

People who meet with Rodney can expect a conversational style that prioritizes being heard. He aims to help clients notice what matters, set workable goals, and try small changes that add up. He describes therapy as a collaborative process rather than a one-size-fits-all fix.

Rodney welcomes conversations about life transitions, career concerns, questions about gender or sexual identity, and struggles with loneliness or shame. He frames his role as a companion on the recovery journey, offering steady presence and direct, down-to-earth feedback.

How his approaches translate to online therapy

Mindfulness Therapy helps people notice thoughts and body sensations without judgment. It teaches simple practices for calming the mind and reducing reactivity, which can help with anxiety, cravings, and emotional overwhelm.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying values and taking small actions that match those values. It supports people wrestling with stuck behaviors or painful emotions by combining acceptance skills with behavior change techniques.

Attachment-Based ideas look at how early relationships shape current patterns. Working with attachment helps people understand triggers in close relationships and try new ways of relating that feel safer and more connected.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Rodney will discuss options and tailor methods based on a person's goals, needs, and preferences. That decision is collaborative and can shift over time as progress is made.

The biography does not specify which online session formats are offered, so confirm current options before booking. In general, working with a licensed professional online can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when time is tight, and let people use different tools from home or while traveling. Online work still centers on clear goals, regular practice, and real conversation to support change.