Emmanuel S. John, MA MSW, LCSW began his career doing grassroots volunteer work with prison populations and mental health facilities in the mid 1980’s. This led to the attainment of what would amount to 5 college degrees in human services. The first was in Addiction Counseling; then a BA/BSW in social work. After being granted advanced standing he attained a clinical Masters in Social Work and shortly after that another Masters in Instructional Design and Human Performance Consulting.

After growing up in the restaurant and construction trades he enlisted in the US Army Reserves. After succeeding in these endeavors he attained his first treatment job in a 30-day residential program treating both adolescents and adults. Next he joined the largest Adolescent and Adult outpatient treatment program in Baltimore’s inner city. There he conducted drug education, group, individual and family therapy while also providing student assistance services in Baltimore City public schools.  He managed an adolescent tutoring program, designed and conducted a Drug Dealer therapy group, was on the Baltimore Speakers Bureau for The Partnership for Drug free Neighborhoods and worked as a lobbyist for Addiction Treatment Advocates of Maryland. He was invited to join the advisory board for School Based Health Clinics working with Johns Hopkins Hospital to create the model for school based health clinic services across the country. He personally designed and implemented three therapy groups for Children of Substance Abusing Parents (for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders). These experiences motivated him to begin work on his first book ADDICTION: Why They Use (A handbook for anyone that loves an alcoholic or addict.)  

Having exhausted his opportunities in the City and still wanting a challenge Emmanuel accepted a position as clinical director of the County’s DWI detention and treatment center; a minimum security facility providing long term treatment. Nearing the completion of his Social Work master degree he left that position to complete internships at Howard County Detention Center, the Department of Defense and Amtrak’s EAP program.

Following graduation he accepted a job with The Associated Jewish Federation of Baltimore. Here he broadened his skills for treating social ills including PTSD. To help that program educate the Jewish community on addiction issues he developed a six week “Drug and Alcohol Education Series” that he taught biannually. While there he completed the remainder of his licensing requirements to pursue his childhood dream of operating his own Private Practice, eventually having three offices in Baltimore and Carroll Counties. While in private practice he began doing expert witness testimony; certified by both the District and Circuit Courts.    

Wanting to escape the city to focus on his writing he moved to North East TN where he opened and operates Real World Counseling of East TN. He began doing medical social work spending several years conducting Pre-surgical Psych Assessments and interventions for pain management clinics in Chattanooga, Knoxville and Johnson City. Two years after moving to TN he completed his second book “ADDICTION: Am I Powerless (Self Assessing, A Users Guide to the Truth).” In early 2016 he completed his third book “The Pacification of Humanity: Exposing the Ideological Contagions” while also working in Residential Foster Care. 

After a lifetime of personal healing from childhood atrocities like trauma, abuse and neglect himself he was convinced by people that knew that his success story should be told. While authoring Neglected Damaged Graced he determined that he could use the power of example in his own storied upbringing by making it a clinical dissection of the thought processes that plagued his wounded spirit as a child. While in development it became obvious that his escape from tragedy was only made possible because loving people that he barely knew provided him with much-needed Grace in key moments. Their Grace made his success a possibility.