About Me
John R. Edwards, L.C.S.W
MY BACKGROUND
I grew up mostly in the tropical nation of Guyana, South America. I was sort a problem solver, helper and really liked organizing people. I was also bullied for the perception that I was gay which actually turned out to be true but I certainly could have lived without the bullying. It took awhile but it did get better for me.
HOW DID I GET STARTED IN MENTAL HEALTH?
When I got to college I was a pre-med major but totally bombed for all sorts of reasons. A lot had to do with being gay and attending an ultra-conservative small Christian college. Five majors and five years after I entered college I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Social Work. I continued without a break to obtain my master's in social work with a specialization in health and mental health.
During my internships, I realized that I really enjoyed helping people. With the reading of a plethora of gigantic books and excellent supervision, I quickly became quite adept at assisting people through complex life problems, sometimes in quite creative ways.
In the early 1990s, I was the social worker on the HIV/AIDS unit at The Brooklyn Hospital Center in Brooklyn, NY when no one else wanted the job. As a result, I know about stigma, stigma by association, and helping others find and accept their true self despite the messages heard from others. I spent over 10 years working in healthcare helping individuals and families deal with both the expected and the unexpected. Everything from heart attacks to new diagnoses of diabetes to helping severely mentally ill people maintain their housing.
My natural directness, compassion, and caring along with witnessing the positive changes that humans are capable of creating in their lives despite sometimes overwhelming odds allows me to continue helping others.
LIFE ON THE WEST COAST
I moved to the west coast after I got tired of the hustle and bustle of NYC and I was really tired of winter. A shift in career focus occurred when I took a position in Child Protective Services after I arrived in California. I have also held positions in public housing, community mental health, and non profits around homelessness and homelessness prevention. I was a supervisor and clinical director at several non profits. These jobs enabled me to learn first hand a lot about the human condition including seeing people at their absolute worse and at their best. Helping people achieve their dreams, discontinue unwanted behaviors, repair relationships and live the life they truly wanted to live has brought me great satisfaction.
DEVELOPING A PRIVATE PRACTICE
Over the years, I have always had a small private practice while working full time at an organization. In 2011, I got fired from a job (there was a mutiny) and then was fired from a second job in 2012. Talk about having one's life turned upside down. With the support of friends, family, and my therapist at the time, I was able to make it through these two incidents. I also came to the realization that while I was a great employee deep down inside I work best in environments that inspire, accept, and are open to transformations. In other words, I am a transformational leader. I help people not only figure out the why but also the how and the what's next. Employers usually want employees who are good at task completion in the best interest of the organization. I want to help people transform their lives. After the firings, I began my transition to full time private practice where I am my own boss and can devote my time and life to developing positive and transformative therapeutic relationships.
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I enjoy helping people transform their lives through the creation of amazing relationships with themselves and others.
EDUCATION
2020
Two Year Post Master's Certificate in Advanced Clinical Social Work
Individual Psychodynamic Therapy Concentration
City University of New York-Hunter College School of Social Work New York, NY
1990
Master's of Social Work
Concentration in Health and Mental Health
Walla Walla University
College Place, WA
1989
Bachelor's of Science in Social Work with Departmental Honors
Atlantic Union College
South Lancaster, MA
LICENSES
California: L.C.S.W - License No. - LCS 20729
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Hawaii: L.C.S.W. - License No. LCSW 5014
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Nevada: LCSW - License No. 11362-C
New York: L.C.S.W. - R Psychotherapy Privilege License No. 045531
Oregon: L.C.S.W. - License No. - L15065
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Washington State: L.I.C.S.W. - License No. LW60058525
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British Columbia, Canada: R.C.S.W - Registration No. 05357
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ADDITIONAL CREDENTIALS
2020 - Certified Brainspotting Practitioner, Consultant and Trainer
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2016 - Art and Science of Love Workshop Leader - The Gottman Institute, Seattle, WA
2015 - Certified Gottman Method Couples' Therapist - The Gottman Institute,
Seattle, WA
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2015 - Certified Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work Educator by The Gottman Institute, Seattle, WA
2015 - Certificate in the Treatment of Eating and Weight Disorders, University of California, Berkeley Extension, Berkeley, CA
2007 - Certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the Treatment of Anxiety in Children and Youth by the Anxiety Disorders Association of British Columbia, Canada
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIPS
​The Association For Addiction Professionals - NAADAC
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National Association of Social Workers
