By Staff
Tell us about your company and services.
Wellness with Jason Dotson, LLC is an agency that provides in-community counseling to at-risk and marginalized communities, especially those of color. Our unique clinical services combat medical mistrust by meeting those needing support in the comfort of their homes or other local spaces they feel secure. No more having to miss counseling because the bus is running late, the car will not start, or you’re too tired after a full day of work. We eliminate transportation barriers and bring therapy to the patient’s safest place.
Specifically, we provide in-community counseling services to at-risk youth who are in crisis, behavioral assistance to the licensed mental health therapist, and coaching and mentoring to any caregiver seeking to better understand their child or loved one. We provide an approach in which families accept services at their own pace to enhance their comfort.
We also provide clinical supervision and training to graduate students to bolster the future clinician workforce.
Why do you focus on African American men?
I feel it is my duty to provide mental health services to Black and Brown men because the system has failed them. Too many times, I hear stories from my patients of White teachers telling them that they will never amount to anything. (Even Malcolm X’s teacher encouraged him to be a carpenter, not a lawyer, because he was good with his hands!) For my patients, this lack of positive encouragement contributes to a lack of faith in themselves, leading many to follow unhealthy paths, such as engaging in criminal activity. I try to help my patients un-learn and replace these negative messages they have been fed by a racist and biased system.
Research also shows us why this population is so in need of attention: Black and Brown men are most at risk of using illicit substances to cope with stress. Despite Black men representing less than 10% of the United States population, they are overwhelmingly represented in the prison population. Black and Brown men are more likely to be murdered by police officers during a routine traffic stop. Overall, Black men are leaning toward extinction.
It is vital that innovation is applied when offering mental health services. We at Wellness with Jason Dotson, LLC, focus on building a rapport before offering clinical services because we must develop trust to assist a person through the healing process. Men, especially Black and Brown men, are not encouraged to ask for help. The commonly used phrase, “What happens in my house, stays in my house!” continues to perpetuate in many households and creates barriers in them from getting the help they need.
What can be done to normalize therapy in the African American community?
Sharing—and hearing—personal experiences with mental health counseling is a way to normalize therapy. This happens at both the societal and personal level. I love that hip-hop artists like NBA Young Boy and Lil’ Dirk are rapping about having a therapist. Meanwhile, my patients are introducing me to their friends as their therapist. Being transparent is a powerful tool and creates a path toward ensuring that African Americans can get the help they need.
What resources are available for someone who seeks therapy but has no way to pay for it?
Unfortunately, it depends on the state. Due to racism and not fully comprehending the Affordable Care Act, (i.e., Obamacare), many states do not accept federal funding. Residents of states that opt out of federal funding will have a harder time accessing mental health care. Writing to your state representative about the importance of securing funding for mental health services is an option open to all.
Community-based organizations, religious institutions, and hospitals may offer mental health services. However, those services are usually capped with so many sessions, leaving the therapist not enough time to scratch the surface.
If someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, they should call 988, which is the national mental health crisis hotline.
What does success look like for you?
A terminal goal is that everyone has a therapist. My instrumental goal is to increase mental health awareness in the Black and Brown community by speaking on large platforms and collaborating with community-based organizations and government entities. For example, I would like to be a regular contributor on network channels and talk to Congress as often as possible to push bills to increase funding for mental health services to marginalized communities of color.
I also am committed to ensuring therapists themselves have appropriate supervision and support themselves. Unresolved trauma, for instance, doesn’t dissolve just because one gets a degree or a license. At Wellness with Jason Dotson, LLC, we will ensure our graduate students and therapists have access to high-quality clinical supervision and will be encouraged to pursue their own therapy if needed, for their own mental health and to strengthen the level of service they’re able to provide others.
How do you stay motivated in such an emotional industry?
God! When I feel like leaving, something divine brings me back. This is part of my journey, and I must not take this task lightly. I see and hear the results of the great work that I do. It is taxing, and some days I dream of traveling abroad and leaving the world behind. However, I understand that to live in a safe world, I must assist other change agents in cultivating success and safety
About
Jason M. Dotson, MHS, MHD, LPC, LCADC, CAMF
Jason, a practitioner for change, has provided 20 years of risk-reduction counseling to marginalized and at-risk communities in New Jersey and New York, with a heavy focus on LGBTQIA+ members of color. He has served in multiple leadership roles for numerous community-based research organizations with a mission to empower and educate. As a dual-licensed psychotherapist, Jason has coordinated several state-wide retreats to promote healthy sexual behaviors to those most at-risk within the LGBTQIA+ community of color.
Jason has a bachelor’s degree in communications and two master’s degrees and is working on completing his Ph.D. He has two clinical licenses and over 15 years of senior management in program development and implementation of evidence-based behavior modification interventions.
website: wellnesswithjasondotson.com
social media handles:
Instagram: Wellness with Jason Dotson (@wellness_with_jasondotson)
linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jason-m-dotson-mhs-mhd-lpc-lcadc-694249a5
