We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Jasmine James a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Jasmine , appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

January 24, 2021 I was driving home with my at the time one year old son when someone opened fire and our vehicle was hit several times. Moments later, I realized that I had been shot. I lost mobility in my left leg and was confined to crutches for the remaining months. During the months of rest and rehabilitation, I was fortunate enough to have insurance and was able to pay for physical therapy and mental health services. I soon realized that that was a privilege that not many people have. Thus, The Trauma Zone was created as a community wellness hub to provide community members with health and wellness services regardless of their financial barriers. I learned that healing is communal and that we are able to heal better together.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The Trauma Zone has created a sustainable ecosystem where the service to community pipeline is direct. Through an intake form, community members are able to assess their own needs and then within a 72 hour span be directly connected to one of our therapists/healers on staff. They are receiving those services by practitioners who are culturally competent and can truly connect with them. We also offer a fixed rate in the industry for our practitioners and allow for them to have booking occur on their platforms, while also receiving payments for their services on a weekly basis, which is a quicker turnaround then most payments through insurance. We want to service Black people while also honoring the labor of Black practitioners and paying them for their time and work.

In 2021, our first year of operation, through crowdfunding ($5000), we were able to provide over 80 families in Woodlawn, Washington Park and Englewood with therapy and mental health services. A few months later, we won a Black business grant worth $5000 that allowed us to amp up our marketing materials from business cards, to establishing our website, to pamphlets, and our first line of “swag”. We also launched our first healing journal and utilized the money we raised to host a free summer yoga series where families could come and participate in an eight week yoga program. This past December, we partnered with Project Angel Tree, an organization that works with incarcerated individuals to host a Christmas Toy Drive and provide Christmas gifts for over 40 families.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Training and knowledge is great. However, much of my work as a psychologist is rooted in relationships. Building and sustaining relationships allows for the work that I do to be more impactful for those that I serve.

Can you open up about how you managed the initial funding?

In 2022, the mental health industry was valued at 383.31 billion dollars. Black people are 20% more likely to experience a mental health crisis than any other demographic. However, only 1 in 3 Black people receive mental health services due to a plethora of barriers. Therefore, as a Black woman owned business it is oftentimes extremely difficult to obtain funding. In the beginning stages of The Trauma Zone majority of the funding came directly out of pocket. During the end of our first year we were able to receive our first grant of $5000 to contribute to our mental health program.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thetraumazone.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thet.zone/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasminejamesedu/

Image Credits
Photographer: Tye Moores