Stalburn VanSluytman , LCSW

Stalburn VanSluytman developed an interest in individual and social psychology while an undergraduate at Howard University in the late 1960s, balancing coursework with volunteer service at nonprofit agencies around the Washington DC area. After earning a degree in Sociology, he worked in federal clerical positions but soon shifted toward direct service, moving into case management and substance abuse counseling in New York City. A director at one agency recommended him for an accelerated graduate program in Clinical Social Work at Adelphi University, a step that led him into more specialized, research-informed practice as the nation faced major social changes such as the rise in substance use and the HIV epidemic.

His clinical training is rooted in psychodynamic principles, and he also trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, serving as a certified trainer and supervisor for masters-level therapists using that method. In the 1990s he relocated to Florida, where he worked for several prominent agencies and maintained a successful independent practice. He finished his career with ten years as a mental health therapist for the Florida Department of Corrections before retiring in 2014.

Across decades of work he has supported individuals and groups with a wide range of concerns and has presented at schools and churches about emotional disorders and symptom recognition in students. Since retirement he has contributed part-time quality-control work for a community mental health center and volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters, a local hospice center, and the American Cancer Society, activities that were paused during the COVID pandemic. He holds an LCSW, which stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker.