Managing Editor
Hey there! My name is Randy and I’m the Founder and Managing Editor of Blunt Therapy. As a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in North Carolina, I specialize in the treatment of things like substance abuse, co-occurring disorders, depression, and anxiety. I also work with parents and help people with their relationship issues, too. I love my job and I love writing about it, too.
I’m a former teacher, college counselor, and Academic Dean. For the past two years, I’ve been the Managing Editor on Blunt Therapy.
I’ve spent the past 20 years helping people achieve goals. Along the way, I’ve developed a perspective on the nature of change that informs everything I do as a therapist. In late 2018, I started Blunt Therapy with the goal of making it the best blog about mental health on the internet.
I also battle my own demons, so I get your struggle. Mental illness is horrific. I’ve been dealing with it for more than 25 years. But I’ve also come a long way, and you can, too.
My Vision
I’m a passionate advocate for frank discussions and advocacy about mental health and substance abuse. I believe that recovery from both is possible, but it requires brutally honest self-reflection, dogged tenacity, and an unrestrained willingness to devour new information and alternative points of view. In my role as a Mental Health Professional, I live up to this notion by providing insight, direction, and accountability to those I serve.
Interviews and Quotes
I have had the pleasure of being interviewed and quoted by several online magazines and blogs, including:
- Salon
- Psychology Today
- Mindsplain
- Choosing Therapy
- Psych2Go
- How to Cope with Burnout: Advice From The Experts
- Parade Magazine
- Aha! Parenting
- Redfin
- Centsai
- Thrive Therapy & Counseling
- The Patient’s Voice
- A Healthy Way To Be Sick
- Swaay
- Lifehacker
- Healthy Habits: The Experts’ Guide For a Healthy Lifestyle
Publishing Credits
Over the years, my work has been featured in a number of publications, including:
- A Curriculum of Peace: Selected Essays from English Journal
- Association for Play Therapy
- Thought Catalog
- The Good Men Project
- Thrive Global
- NAMI
- Resources To Recover
- Yahoo! Style
- The Mighty
- The Ascent
- Mission.org
- Age of Ascent
- PS I Love You
Testimonials
Professional Experience
I have had two careers in my life. The first one was as an Educator. I worked at a military academy in St. Petersburg, FL for almost ten years. I taught English and History, lived in the dorms with the cadets, served as Editor of the Yearbook, and created the Office of College Placement. For most of my tenure, I was the director of that program as well as the Academic Dean for the Upper School. I helped put that school on the map academically.
During my time as Director of College Placement, I fell in love with counseling. What I did was academic in nature, but I much preferred that dynamic to the classroom. It’s an amazing feeling to know you’ve helped a kid get accepted to a competitive college. I knew that Education was not the best career choice for me, and that I needed to get my degree in Counseling.
I got divorced in 2009, which sucked. I had an opportunity to go to grad school in North Carolina, so I moved in 2011 and never looked back. I graduated with my masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2014, but I started working in the field in 2012.
I specialize in the treatment of co-occurring disorders. I am trauma-informed with everything that I do. I have had great success using Motivational Interviewing and Twelve Step Facilitation in both individual and group settings. I primarily work with adults in recovery.
My career has afforded me a great deal of experience. I currently work at a psychiatric hospital. I’ve worked in drug treatment centers, as an in-home family therapist, and in private practice settings, too. My next move is to become a Clinical Supervisor, a goal I hope to achieve in the next six months.
I decided to publish Blunt Therapy because I also love writing and editing. I fumble my way through WordPress and SEO as well, which appeals to me in ways that counseling does not.
I’ve learned to value honesty and frank discussions about mental health. Therapy is an action verb which is often painful to experience. But that’s the nature of change. If you’re not challenged, you don’t grow.
My Personal Experience
My own personal experience with recovery from mental illness and substance abuse that makes me most effective as a catalyst for change.
I have battled depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and drug addiction for longer than I care to remember. It’s almost killed me on several occasions. I’m on the other side of things now and have been for a couple of years.
I am a graduate of Florida State University and Lenoir-Rhyne University with master’s degrees in Education and Clinical Mental Health Counseling, respectively. I am licensed to practice mental health and addictions counseling in the State of North Carolina. I live in Morganton, North Carolina.
On a Lighter Note
I’m a Floridian by birth, an unapologetic Seminoles fan, a political and history buff, and an accomplished pop culture dork.
I love movies and literature, Star Trek and the Star Wars OT, and I think the most important invention of the past 50 years has been Netflix. My other passions, besides mental health and addictions, include web design and writing.
I enjoy traveling, hiking, comic book conventions, and a well-prepared steak. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Medium.
I’m also available for consultation (life coaching), guest posting, interviews, and speaking engagements.
Contact me if you’d like to work together.
My Resume
Experience
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
I have considerable experience in a variety of roles in the field of mental health, including work with individuals and groups, case management, and clinical assessment.
I specialize in family systems and co-occurring disorders.
My counseling is trauma-informed, with a focus on motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral interventions.
Certification and Licensure
- LCMHC: Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (NCBLCMHC)
- LCAS: Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist (NCSAPPB)
- NCC: Nationally Certified Counselor (NBCC)
- CCTP: Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (IATP)
- ICAADC: Internationally Certified Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor (IC&RC)
- FCT: Certified Family-Centered Therapist (CFCT)
