Mr. Ronnie Sidney II

Ronnie Sidney, II, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), is a father, therapist, author, app developer, professional speaker and entrepreneur. Ronnie was raised in Tappahannock, Virginia, and attended Essex County Public Schools (ECPS). While attending ECPS, he spent several years in Special Education after being diagnosed with a learning disability. The stigmatization of special education created a lack of interest in school. Nevertheless, he graduated from Essex High School in 2001, but with a 1.8 GPA. With limited options regarding four-year colleges, he decided to enroll in J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia. The following year, he transferred to Old Dominion University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services in 2006. In 2017, Old Dominion University honored Ronnie with the 2017 Darden Award. The award is given to Darden College of Education alumnus who have made outstanding achievements. Sidney received a Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2014. In 2020, he was featured in the Shafer Court Connectionsmagazine. He was one of 200 VCU Alumni featured in "The Power Issue", which honored inspiring alumni. After graduation, Sidney founded Creative Medicine: Healing Through Words, an expressive writing program for offenders. He implemented the program at the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia for six months before expanding the program into an LLC. The company's mission is to improve participants' social, emotional, and physical health through therapeutic writing and dialogue. Sidney's early academic challenges ignited a passion within him to pursue social justice and to work with the youth. He has spent over 13 years in the mental health and academic counseling fields. Sidney's longest stretch of employment was with the the Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck Community Services Board (MP-NNCSB). His previous positions with the agency include outpatient therapist, substance abuse and adolescent counselor, intensive in-home therapist, and behavioral specialist. In 2015, Creative Medicine: Healing Through Words, LLC published Amazon best-seller "Nelson Beats The Odds", an inspiring graphic novel that celebrates friendship, resilience and empowerment. Nelson, the books' main character, overcomes his learning disability and ADHD diagnosis with the help of his parents and special education teacher. Since releasing Nelson Beats the Odds, Sidney has been featured on Fox and Friends Weekend, MichaeLA, NPR, Understood.org, and NBC 12 News. Sidney is both a best-selling and award winning author. "Rest in Peace RaShawn" completes a trinity of quality young adult literature by Sidney, including his second book "Tameka's New Dress". All three books in the Nelson Beats the Odds series inspire confidence in children, especially children of color, and encourage a fondness for reading and a heightened level of social awareness; Sidney's stories equip kids with a broader understanding of America's current culture and climate. Rest in Peace ReShawn Reloaded was selected for the Recommended Book List for the 2018 In the Margins Book Award. A committee of librarians who work with marginalized youth decided Ronnie’s book was an outstanding fit to recommend to other groups who work with marginalized youth. Rest in Peace ReShawn Reloaded was also an honorable mention award winner for the 2018 Young Adult Virginia Authors (YAVA) award. In 2017, Sidney became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Virginia. He currently serves on the advisory board for VCU's Center on Transition Innovations (VCU-CTI). The Center on Transition Innovations (CTI) at Virginia Commonwealth University provides evidence-based resources and information along with emerging practices in the field. He has spent ten years in the mental health and academic counseling fields.