ORLANDO, Fla. – When you first meet Larry Johns, the first thing you notice is his smile. So you probably wouldn’t guess he has served the country for decades.
“I did 24 years, one month and four days in the Marine Corps. I served in Desert Storm. I served in Iraq in 2007. I was a drill instructor, I was a recruiter,” Johns said.
But though his service to the country ended, Johns hasn’t stopped serving the community. It starts with his work at the Lake Nona VA Domiciliary.
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“I’m a licensed clinical social worker here,” he said. “My faith has always guided me to be a people helper, just always poured in peoples’ lives. So my journey in life allows me to meet people where they are, and provide two of the most important things—empathy and compassion. But the deal is I wanted to be able to continue working with veterans. And the best way to do that is to become a social worker.”
Johns went to the University of Central Florida for his degree. Now, he often sees veterans in the toughest times of their lives.
“My main goal is really providing case management for veterans who are experiencing homelessness. And we as social workers, we play an integral part in helping those veterans get back on track,” Johns said.
As a veteran himself, as well as an African American male therapist, Johns finds he sometimes has an easier time reaching certain veterans in the community.
“What I bring to the table, you know, I’m a Black male therapist, I’m a Black male social worker, I’m a Christian, I’m a minister, and so it allows me to take on different roles and be able to be in any type of conversation. And often when I’m talking with veterans, I often use my experience as well to share with them share my experiences, because we kind of traveled the same road and route in our military careers. It doesn’t matter which branch of the service you are, but we have this common bond, this common understanding,” Johns said. “We know right now that we are really dealing with a mental health crisis. And for the most part, when someone is reaching out for therapy, sometimes they’re reaching out for someone that they can relate to, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
But Johns also brings something a little different to the table—his creativity and art.
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“I was going to UCF, and I graduated in 2018. Toward that last year, I started painting. I never painted before then. And when things happened in society, with so much social unrest and everything, and then (the) COVID pandemic hit, I started painting more,” Johns said. “When I’m painting, this alignment, I can look at this here. And it’ll take me so many so many different places. And that gives me peace.”
That’s how Johns got the idea to combine his passion for art with his work.
“I shared some art with the staff and supervisor and I mentioned about art therapy. And it was just earlier this year that I did a session with a supervisor and some of the other staff members, and they enjoyed it, and said how it was very therapeutic,” Johns said. “Then the opportunity presented itself that I was able to do it with the veterans here at the Domiciliary. Twice a month, I have between 12 and 15 veterans. In the beginning, it was just like maybe two or three, I had to kind of coach veterans to sign up for it. But now, it’s at the point I have to tell the veterans, ‘There’s no more slots left.’ When they get into this pour painting, it’s just, something opens up for them. And they begin to smile.”
Those smiles and making a difference at the VA would be enough for most people, but not for Johns. When he’s not there, you can find him in the community sharing his passions, like at the New Image Youth Center in Parramore. He works with children there from time to time on mental health.
And then the opportunity arose to try his pour painting therapy with them.
“One of the adults there was with kids, but was there like a chaperone. He asked me, ‘Mr. Larry, how come we don’t know about this here?’ And I was like, ‘Wow, well, that’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m here.’ And here’s a chance to allow the kids to see something different,” Johns said. “And it’s amazing, because here’s the thing about pour painting. Initially, when someone’s doing pour painting, it’s like, nothing’s happening. I always tell everyone, ‘You got to trust the process, you have to trust the process.’ And you have to be willing to go outside of the lines. Sometimes some people are so rigid. But that’s when you release, open up and let go. And when you do that, you see this thing just moving. And the kids get so excited.’”
For Johns, helping give kids a mentor, a passion or way to cope is personal.
“I was home on leave. And then we went to a community, and a kid was like, ‘You don’t belong in our community. You don’t belong here,’” Johns said. “And he came out and he shot us. I got the brunt of it, yeah. And I almost lost my leg, almost lost my life. So yeah, I understand perfectly well about violence and gun violence. And so if we have the opportunity to make a difference in a child’s life, just by paint on a canvas and a brush, why wouldn’t we? If we don’t want to, who will? You know, we can’t keep saying, ‘Well, we’ll wait until the next person comes along.’ I’m not looking for immediate results. But while we wait on the results, we’re still pouring, like pour paint, we’re still pouring into their lives positivity, positive affirmations, helping them to believe in themselves. And it makes a difference, because some kids you talk to will tell you, ‘No one ever told me this. No one ever told me that I matter, that there’s value in my life.’”
Johns said not only can it help give the children a creative output mentally, it can really serve as a place of comfort and motivation.
“You just can’t jump in a kid’s life and think everything’s going to work out but there has to be a period of time that you establish rapport,” Johns said. “I have the opportunity to work with youth from all different ages and stages. And even like the juvenile detention center, you know, you hear someone say, ‘Well, I didn’t have a mentor in my life. I didn’t have anyone to tell me things that you’re telling me.’ And then some will say, ‘I did have some my life but I just didn’t listen.’ And it goes back to that part that once again, I’ve been seed planting. So if I can pour into someone’s life and give them something new to look at, and that will spark some type of creativity within them that makes them say, ‘You know what, I want to pick up some paint, I want to pick up a canvas, and I want to put that gun down’ because we know kids, even a 13-year-old boy, carrying guns and committing felonies with guns as well, too.”
It’s clear that whether Johns is holding the paint brush or showing others how to, he’s where he’s meant to be.
“I’ve always said this here. I served my country. I now want to serve my community. And that’s what I’m doing. So you can see I’m living the dream. I’m living my best life,” he said.