Today we’d like to introduce you to Darnell Blocker.
Hi Darnell, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in Augusta, Georgia and I am the last of seven children. I graduated from Morehouse College on May 20, 2007. I obtained my Masters of Arts in Forensic Psychology with a post graduate certification in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2010. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and the owner of a private counseling practice, Heavenly Therapeutic Services, founded in August 2013 in Fayetteville, Georgia. I found inspiration in Psychology and Counseling Therapy in high school, although my initial aspirations were Radio and Television Journalism upon entry into undergraduate studies. Although I did not end up on the path of journalism, my love for assisting with healing of people, couples and marriages, as well as working alongside the severe and persistent within community of persons diagnosed with Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective, and Bipolar Disorders, respectively, solidified my career choice.
I also have authored two poetry books, “God is Man, Love is Woman,” which was initially released in June 2013 and re-released in July 2017, and “Licence to Love,” which was released in Winter 2019. The love of art through poetry began initially while participating in Theatre, which was my second choice of career aspirations, during the Winter of 2003. When the opportunity presented itself to become an author, I definitely fell in love with the idea of being able to still remain mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually creative and sharing the work with the masses. I am planning two more poetry books for release in 2023 and 2025, respectively. I have been fortunate since the age of 18 of being able to touch all areas of career and life interest, where I have found my fulfilled footing of being able to be the owner of private counseling practice for the previous nine years and counting. I wake up daily literally passionate and invigorated to work with my clients and colleagues in the healing of lives, minds, and hearts of everyday people and their goals for as much liberation as life will bring to them.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I can honestly say that the road to my current career path from the age of eighteen has been mostly smooth and full of favor with very little bumps and rough patches. To having once dealt with severe depression for almost two years, following college, and how that time of isolation, desolation and inner sorrow really taught me about power of inner strength, self-confidence, and self-belief. There is a lot of power in remaining determined in bringing forth your personal goals and vision, regardless of the curve balls life will bring. Depression really taught me humility and being cognizant of when curve balls may appear and how to reshift your mind to embrace a brief frustration or fall while allowing even that temporary experience to catapult you further into your personal and professional goals. Spiritually, I have grown into anticipating and accepting the brief rough patches and accepting them as blessings equally as much as the daily smooth road that I have been fortunate to have been on.
As you know, we’re big fans of Heavenly Therapeutic Services. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I started Heavenly Therapeutic Services in August 2013 initially as a solo private practice to self myself apart as a male in the counseling therapy profession within my community. I had grown to visualize in my three years following graduate school that there was a need for the professional voice of a male, a Black male, within the community to assist in, one, the comforting of other men coming into therapeutic services unashamedly, the ridding of the personal and public stigma of “not needing to seeing a shrink,” and to assist in their healing of lifelong inner pain, anxiety, depression, low confidence, stressors of life as a man, and most definitely and not least, their trauma. Although at the time, I did not go to counseling therapy for Depression, I wanted to become a leision and ally in the community for any man needing to finally release their mental, emotional, social, and spiritual struggles. Additionally, I also wanted to have a private counseling practice that allowed the atmosphere within the office setting to be as laid back without tension for the everyday person. It can be initially mentally difficult to be vulnerable and share one’s inner struggles and the length of time that he, she, or one has held on to their pain. What I believe sets me apart from others is that I am patient yet persistent with my clients. Although there are treatment plan goals created and in place with the client, I find myself reassuring the client that healing is a marathon and not a race, and we can walk this 5k, 10k, 20k or whatever the distance may be as slow and timely as possible, as long as we reaching their goal destination.
In 2021, I expanded my practice from solo to group, as I wanted to expand my vision and passionate with other colleagues. I feel that I am humble enough to learn from my colleagues and their expertise as well and likewise vice versa. We specialize in Depression, Anxiety of all varieties, Trauma, Women, Teenage, and Men’s Issues, Anger Management, Low Self-Esteem, Couples, Family, and Grief and Loss amongst other diagnoses.
I am most proud of the connection that I have been able to make in the community, especially during the time of this pandemic, where virtually it can be sometimes challenging to connect in the same temperature as you would in-person. I am most proud of having clients that have kept me on retainer and continue to trust in the work that we do together to maintain the liberation and motivation desired for their everyday lives. I am most proud of being able to build rapport with my clients, where the laidback atmosphere will allow for laughter in the midst of pain, as an avenue of acknowledgment and acceptance of previous difficulties in their lives, as well as an approach to self-soothing and coping within the achieving of overall treatment plan goals. I am very fortunate in the work that I and we do as a counseling practice.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
The biggest risk I took easily was resigning from my community counseling agency employer to begin working for myself with my private practice. It took a few years before I felt comfortable and confident enough to take that leap of faith. The idea of relying solely on myself with my practice and having the fluidity of clientele caused me anxiety for approximately two weeks. Once I saw that my income increased month on month, I gave God praise and smiled at the reality that me and my family would be more than okay!
Contact Info:
- Email: info@theheavenlytherapy.com
- Website: www.theheavenlytherapy.com
- Other: Licence to Love https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732830886/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_70QFJX1GNEZ2QGAG96ZN
Image Credits
Photo by Dimitri Crowder Photography, the best multifaceted photographer ever!
