Rodney Black

Rodney Black is a licensed clinical social worker with more than three decades of experience. He practices in Iowa and brings a long history of community-based work to his sessions. Rodney says his life story informs his approach and helps him connect with people facing hard changes.

He grew up in the Midwest and served in the U.S. military, including a deployment to Afghanistan. Those experiences, along with personal struggles with addiction and family mental illness, shape how he understands recovery and resilience. He also describes meaningful friendships in the queer community and is the parent of an adult gay son.

Rodney favors a human, down-to-earth style in therapy. He sees therapy as a collaborative process where a person's truth can emerge through conversation. Sessions focus on practical steps and new ways to handle difficult feelings like anger, shame, or isolation.

His clinical work includes methods from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, and Client-Centered Therapy. These approaches are used to help with addictions, trauma, coping with life changes, and men’s wellbeing concerns among other issues.

Rodney draws on lived experience alongside professional practice. He frames recovery as ongoing and believes small, steady changes can add up. He invites people to bring their stories and goals and to work together on clearer next steps.

How therapy approaches translate to online work