Ronnie Sidney II

Biography

Ronnie Sidney, II, MSW, is a father, therapist, author, professional speaker and entrepreneur. He received a Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2014. 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.

Ronnie's early academic challenges ignited a passion within him to pursue social justice and to work with the youth. He has spent over eight years in the mental health and academic counseling fields and currently works as an outpatient therapist at the Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck Community Services Board (MP-NNCSB). Ronnie is an active member of the Richmond Association of Black Social Workers (RABSW). He 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.

In 2015, Creative Medicine: Healing Through Words, LLC published "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. After releasing "Nelson Beats The Odds", Ronnie was inspired to develop the Nelson Beats The Odds Comic Creator app for iOS and Android. Ronnie created the app so that children and adults can share inspirational photos and stories about how they beats the odds on social media. For more information visit the author's website at www.creative-medicine.com.

Smashwords Interview

What is your e-reading device of choice?
Kindle. I started using it in college and it was the first e-reading device that I downloaded my book in.
How did "Nelson Beats The Odds" come about?
I wrote the book after I had developed a presentation for the Richmond Chapter of the Association for Black Social Workers educational symposium. The presentation was entitled Beating The Odds: How I Survived Special Ed. The presentation inspired me to reach out to the Essex County School Board and honor some of my former teachers. I purchased them VCU cups, key chains, pencils and candy. I wanted to personally thank them for helping me beat the odds. My former special education teacher, Mrs. Tobey, reached out to me in April and encouraged me to tell my story. I had pondered the idea many times before and I decided to just do it. I wanted to write a story about my life and how I beat the odds that kids would read. The illustrator suggested a graphic novel layout so that it would appeal to a wider range of youth readers.
Read more of this interview.

Where to find Ronnie Sidney II online

Books

Nelson Beats The Odds
Price: $5.99 USD. Words: 530. Language: English. Published: November 11, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Graphic novels & comics » General, Fiction » African American fiction » General
"Nelson Beats The Odds" is an inspiring story that celebrates friendship, resilience and empowerment. The striking illustrations give life to "Nelson Beats The Odds", while the author's story is perfect for students diagnosed with learning disabilities or mental health disorders.

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