Larry LaMont Joe Jr. is a native of Winston Salem, NC, and a 2019-2020 National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) addiction counseling fellow master’s alumnus. Mr. Joe is also a licensed mental health counselor for the state of North Carolina. He received his bachelor’s degree in applied science in human services from Gardner-Webb University in 2015 and a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from North Carolina Central University in 2022. Currently, Mr. Joe serves as the executive director at A Path of Hope, which is a long-term residential halfway program, where he supports men recovering from substance use and beginning the process of transitioning into independent living. In another capacity in the professional counseling field, Mr. Joe provides mental health counseling in-home intensive services for at-risk kids at Triad Therapy.
Mr. Joe was initially drawn to the MFP because of the opportunities for networking and expanding his professional and educational career. He also felt joining the MFP was an opportunity to become more competent and confident in the field of counseling. He states the fellowship afforded him the opportunity to learn from other professionals in different states. He envisioned himself as a licensed clinician in the addiction counseling field, but through his pursuit of higher education and desire to serve other populations, he became a mental health provider as well. Mr. Joe feels his current career path allows him to provide services for individuals with similar plights he had to endure and overcome in life.
Mr. Joe feels the fellowship has prepared him to be able to adapt and adjust his abilities toward excelling in his current employment settings. He shared how he and his (2019) MFP cohort still consult with each other as needed for insight and suggestions. He states that these relationships also allowed him to see there are other counseling professionals that overcame obstacles he had to overcome. Mr. Joe values the impact that the MFP mentorship opportunities have had on his personal life and professional career. He also discussed how mentorship through the MFP played an intricate role in his career development as it allowed him to see the importance of consulting with other professionals for guidance and direction. He shared how he greatly appreciates being a member of this prestigious program as it has helped him grow as a professional and, most importantly, as a person.
When asked what career building advice he would offer to the current MFP fellows, Mr. Joe says, stay open-minded, be receptive to new information, engage in the new activities and adventures offered, and most importantly, NETWORK!”