I’m Norman Cerny, MSW, LISW-S, an Ohio licensed independent social worker and the owner of Small Works Counseling in Cleveland. I have more than a decade of experience in social work, including community mental health and private practice. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I care deeply about providing affirming mental health care where people can speak openly about their identities, relationships, and experiences without having to educate their therapist or defend who they are.

My approach is collaborative, compassionate, and grounded in respect for each person’s autonomy. I recognize that mental health is shaped by more than individual thoughts and behaviors. Discrimination, poverty, ableism, family rejection, workplace pressures, and barriers to health care can all affect well-being. I bring a social justice perspective to therapy while making room for your individual experiences, values, strengths, and goals.

I provide LGBTQ+ affirming therapy for people across sexual orientations and gender identities, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, queer, and questioning clients. Our work may include exploring identity, navigating coming out, addressing minority stress or internalized shame, processing religious or family experiences, building supportive relationships, and coping with discrimination. I also support clients whose therapy goals have little to do with their LGBTQ+ identity and who simply want a therapist who understands and respects that part of their life.

My practice is sex-positive, polyamory-affirming, and kink-aware. I welcome diverse relationship structures and work with individuals and couples on communication, boundaries, emotional safety, intimacy, and relationship conflict. I approach concerns about sexuality and pornography without moral judgment, helping clients clarify their own values and identify what is causing distress or interfering with their lives.

I have a particular interest in working with neurodivergent clients, including people with ADHD and autistic people, as well as those exploring whether these identities fit their experiences. I respect self-identification and recognize that formal assessment can be difficult to access. Therapy can address executive functioning, sensory needs, masking, burnout, emotional regulation, and the impact of being misunderstood. I also work with late-diagnosed adults and couples navigating differences in attention, communication, and support needs.

Other areas of focus include PTSD and trauma, anxiety, depression, OCD, life transitions, grief, and family estrangement. I welcome young adults, adults, and older adults, including older LGBTQ+ people whose experiences and needs are often overlooked.

I earned my Master of Social Work in 2022 and hold Ohio LISW-S licensure, which includes a supervision designation. My additional training includes Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), ADHD in adolescents and adults, access to care for gender-diverse people, and eating disorders. Depending on your goals and preferences, I draw from EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills, solution-focused approaches, and psychoeducation. I offer EMDR through telehealth when clinically appropriate.

Access to care is central to my work. Alongside Small Works Counseling, I founded Cle Small Works, a Cleveland nonprofit focused on helping people access mental health counseling through community fundraising and financial assistance. I have also developed educational materials for clinicians about ADHD in older adults, with attention to underrecognition and barriers to care.

Small Works Counseling offers primarily virtual therapy for clients in Ohio. My goal is to create a space where you can feel understood, explore difficult experiences, and make changes that fit your life. You do not need to hide parts of yourself or have everything figured out before beginning.