Rodney Black, LCSW, LISW

Rodney Black is a licensed clinical social worker with more than 31 years of professional experience. He is credentialed as an LCSW and an LISW and practices in Iowa. Rodney draws on a long personal and professional history when supporting people who are dealing with addiction, trauma, identity questions, and major life changes.

He spent much of his career in community-based settings. That work shaped his practical, down-to-earth approach. He understands what it is like to live with family mental illness and to recover from addiction and codependency. Those personal experiences inform how he listens and responds in session.

Rodney blends several straightforward methods in therapy. He uses cognitive behavioral techniques to help people notice unhelpful patterns and acceptance-based ideas to move toward valued goals. He also relies on attachment-focused work and client-centered conversation to strengthen relationships and self-understanding.

Sessions tend to focus on clear, usable skills and honest conversation. Rodney talks through concrete steps for managing anger, cravings, shame, loneliness, or career stress. He aims to help people build steadier routines and clearer boundaries that they can use outside of sessions.

People come to Rodney for help with issues across the life span, including aging concerns, fatherhood, gender dysphoria, veteran and armed forces issues, and personality-related struggles. He also supports people facing emptiness, life purpose questions, and the strain of family-of-origin wounds.

Rodney approaches therapy as a collaborative process. He listens first, then shapes goals together so the work fits each person's life and values.

Approaches that translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck, then make small moves toward what matters. It is useful for coping with addiction, shame, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on spotting unhelpful thinking and testing different behaviors to change outcomes; it fits concerns like anger, anxiety, cravings, and low mood. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape expectations and safety in close connections, and it can help with family-of-origin wounds, intimacy struggles, and parenting questions.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Rodney works collaboratively to figure out which methods match a person's goals and style. He starts by listening to what matters most, then suggests practical strategies to try together over a few sessions.

The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current online options before booking. Many people find therapy online helps fit work and family life, shortens travel time, and makes it easier to keep consistent appointments. Online work also lets sessions focus on skills practice, brief check-ins, and follow-up between meetings. If you want to understand how an online session would run, mention this when you complete the matching questionnaire and schedule your first appointment.