Stalburn VanSluytman, LCSW

Stalburn VanSluytman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 40 years of experience in mental health practice. His interest in individual and social psychology began as an undergraduate at Howard University in the late 1960s, where he balanced coursework with volunteer service at nonprofit agencies around the Washington, DC area. After earning a degree in sociology he briefly worked in federal clerical roles, but quickly moved into case management and substance abuse counseling in New York City, where a director encouraged him to enter an accelerated graduate program in Clinical Social Work at Adelphi University.

That clinical degree marked a shift toward more research-informed and specialized work, addressing evolving social challenges such as substance abuse, the HIV epidemic, and changing family dynamics. In the 1990s he relocated to Florida, adapted to a new regional culture, and continued his career across strong agency placements as well as a successful period in private practice. He completed the final decade of his employed career as a mental health therapist with the Florida Department of Corrections before retiring in 2014.

Throughout his career he has worked with individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds on a wide range of concerns, and has delivered presentations at schools and churches about emotional disorders and how to recognize symptoms in students. His formal training in Clinical Social Work is aligned with psychodynamic approaches, and he has additional training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. He has served as a certified trainer and supervisor for master-level therapists in the use of CBT.

Since retirement Stalburn has taken on part-time quality-control work for a community mental health center and has been active in volunteer efforts with Big Brothers Big Sisters, a local hospice center, and the American Cancer Society, activities that have been placed on hold since the emergence of the COVID pandemic.