Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Dangerfield.
Michael, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up on the south side (South Park) of Houston as the youngest of six children. I went to Kelso Elementary, Attucks Middle, and Jesse H. Jones High School (Vanguard). I thank God and my siblings for helping me to not only survive but thrive while growing up in the hood; they really looked out for their little brother. Despite the many hardships we faced as a family, I maintained a positive outlook and excelled in school. I left sports behind and chose to work during high school (Fiesta) and six days after graduating, I entered boot camp for the US Navy. I worked as an Electronics Technician during my six year Naval career and loved of the challenges but it was the volunteering and working with people that I enjoyed most during my time in the service. After experiencing an eventual military career ending injury to my right foot while deployed in the Middle East after 9-11, I chose to return to Houston and worked my way into working with people. Between 2006 and 2019, I obtained a bachelor’s degree, two masters degrees, a license in professional counseling, and a national certification in counseling, all while working with children, adolescents and families with mental health needs, socioeconomic needs, and substance abuse challenges through various jobs. In August of 2019, I chose to open a private practice for mental health counseling services; it was birthed from the culmination of my life’s experiences and education aimed at providing the best possible help to others.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road by any stretch of the word. Despite all the bumps, barriers and bruises however, it has been an enjoyable journey. Growing up in South Park, Houston, Texas was a struggle in itself; daily I had to stay focused to not fall victim to gang violence, incarceration, or drugs. As proud as I am for where I grew up and all the experiences I had that shaped who I am, I knew that I was going to seize the first opportunity I had to leave. Another huge struggle I had occurred two months prior graduating high school. Having already enlisted in the Navy via the delayed entry program, I was scheduled to enter in June of 2000. Unfortunately, I was in a bad car accident in April of that year. As a result of the accident, I fractured my clavicle, my shoulder blade and my wrist; the doctor told me I would need at least six months to heal. I entered boot camp two months after the accident however and miraculously endured the most physically grueling two and half months I had ever experienced in life. As I said, I was determined to leave South Park. In addition to that, prior to leaving for Great Lakes, Il. for Navy boot camp, I hadn’t been outside a 250 mile radius (Texas and Louisiana) in my lifetime. This would be my first time leaving home on my own. I also had never been on a plane or a ship before June of 2000; I didn’t have an opportunity to determine if I would be scared to spend time on either of them. After completing boot camp, I entered a very technical electronics program as one of a few African Americans of a group of well educated, affluent individuals who had been chosen from across the US based on aptitude tests.
By God’s grace and incessant studying, I successfully completed the Navy’s Advanced Electronics Computer Field training, despite receiving limited support and while experiencing prejudice and racism especially while stationed in places such as Pascagoula, Mississippi. The foot injury I sustained while overseas resulted in me exiting the military before I planned to, which forced me to make a transition I wasn’t quite prepared to make. At the age of 24, I was out of the military with no formal education post high school, returning to the great city of Houston, hoping to figure out adulthood outside of the US military.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I provide mental health counseling services to individuals experiencing mental health crises or challenges. Though I work with clients from all walks of life, I specialize in working with adolescent males and men to address their unique challenges. There are not very many males who are in the helping profession, and there are even fewer African American males who are licensed therapists. As an African American male who’s a licensed therapist, a nationally certified counselor, and a military veteran with lived experience relative to mental health challenges, I’m in a perfect position to be a source of help to others. This is not just business for me, it’s my passion, my life’s purpose! That’s why I’m All In!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Houston, as diverse of a city as it is, provides a great platform for individuals and organizations in the helping profession. There’s a great need for mental health services in the Houston Metropolitan Area and plenty of opportunities for new businesses, especially those catering to the mental health needs of minority populations, to thrive. Technology and Houston’s booming economy are sure to make it a staple city in the US for the foreseeable future.
Pricing:
- Reflections of A Man- A Guided Memento $9.97
Contact Info:
- Address: 5909 W. Loop S. Ste. 670
Bellaire, TX. 77401 - Website: www.allintherapy.net
- Phone: 832-779-3061
- Email: mdangerfield@allintherapy.org
- Instagram: heal_thymentality
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/MicDnger
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/michael-d-dangerfield-bellaire-tx/408099
Image Credit:
C Moshay Photography
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