Rodney Black, LCSW, LISW

Rodney Black is a licensed clinical social worker with over 31 years of experience. He practices in Iowa and brings decades of community-based work to each session. He speaks plainly and draws on life experience alongside clinical skills to help people facing difficult problems.

Rodney grew up in the Midwest, served in the US military including a deployment to Afghanistan, and has lived in multiple regions of the country. He is open about having navigated addiction, co-dependency, and family mental illness in his own life, and he uses that perspective to connect with people who are struggling.

In sessions he emphasizes listening first. He believes people find their own truth when they feel heard. He combines practical tools with space for personal reflection so clients can make steady progress toward their goals.

His work commonly addresses addictions, trauma and abuse, anger, self-esteem, career concerns, coping with life changes, and LGBT-related issues. He also helps with family of origin problems, feelings of emptiness, codependency, fatherhood issues, and midlife transitions.

Rodney uses approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, attachment-focused ideas, client-centered methods, and skills from dialectical behavior therapy. He aims to match methods to the person rather than force a single style.

Clients should expect practical conversation, goal-focused planning, and steady support. Rodney describes therapy as a shared process and sees his role as walking alongside someone while they work toward clearer meaning and healthier behavior.

How therapy approaches translate to online work

Rodney uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and change behavior through simple, structured exercises. CBT is often used for problems like anxiety, depression, addiction, and career stress because it focuses on practical skills and clear steps.

He also incorporates acceptance and commitment therapy, which helps people clarify values and take committed action even when difficult feelings are present. ACT can be useful for coping with life changes, persistent shame or guilt, and issues that involve painful emotions.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapy process. He works collaboratively to decide which methods match a person's goals, needs, and day-to-day life. That might mean using CBT tools one week and values-based ACT work another week, depending on what helps most.

Online therapy offers flexibility in how sessions happen. Video calls let people meet face to face from wherever they are, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat provides a brief way to check in, and text-based messaging supports ongoing reflection between meetings. These options make it easier to fit sessions into work, parenting, or travel schedules while keeping continuity of care.