BHM: Breaking Stigma – Mental Health Matters

A panel discussion to increase accessibility and awareness on mental health in Black communities. The panelists will create dialogue differentiating between the definitions and the experiences of mental health and wellness, and looking at what that looks like in the community, capacity and self-care. Join the Black History Month Committee as we invite Simone Adams, Dr. Charmain Jackman and Douglas McNeil Reed for an enriching discussion.

About Simone Adams

Simone Adams (she/her) earned a bachelor of arts in psychology from Spelman College and a master of arts from Syracuse University’s Marriage and Family Therapy program. Simone is a licensed marriage and family therapist in New York state with 17+ years of clinical experience in a range of professional settings including nonprofit, juvenile justice, child welfare, college mental health and private practice. She is also an Approved Supervisor with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists. She currently serves as an assistant director at Syracuse University’s Barnes Center at The Arch Counseling Center, an adjunct professor in the marriage and family therapy graduate program at Syracuse University, and owns a private practice where she provides clinical supervision to mental health professionals in the Syracuse community. Simone is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion, and feels committed to supporting the mental health of the Black community. She is a member of the DEIA Committee in the Barnes Center, has led a work group to create resources to support staff of color in the Barnes Center, and facilitates a BIPOC group supervision for clinicians of color in the Counseling Center.

About Dr. Charmain Jackman

Dr. Charmain Jackman (she/her) is an award-winning psychologist with 25+ years in the mental health field. She is the founder and CEO of InnoPsych, a mental health tech company on a mission to disrupt racial inequities in mental health and to spread a culture of thriving across the world. InnoPsych offers an online platform that connects people of color to therapists of color and provides programming on topics such as racial trauma, burnout, mental health stigma and emotional well-being that empowers leaders to cultivate emotionally safe work cultures. Prior to starting InnoPsych, Dr. Jackman worked in schools for 17 years and served as the dean of health and wellness for a Boston Arts Academy from 2011-2021. She has extensive experience working with artists and with children/youth and families involved with social services and the juvenile justice system. Dr. Jackman is deeply invested in sharing tools that foster healing and thriving. She is the creator of the My Time To Thrive card deck, which provides tools for reducing stress and fostering healthy coping patterns. Dr. Jackman has won several awards for her impactful work, including the Boston Business Journal’s 2022 Power 50 Movement Makers, 2021 American Psychological Association’s (APA) Citizen Psychologist Award, and City of Boston’s 2021 Innovator of The Year award. Dr. Jackman has been featured on national media outlets such as the New York Times, NPR, PBS and the Boston Globe.

About Douglas McNeil Reed

Douglas McNeil Reed is military veteran and dedicated social justice/mental health advocate and entrepreneur. Doug was welcomed as the director of partnerships for Black Men Heal in 2020. He has an expansive career that includes experience in law enforcement, organizational management, government contracts, and working toward achieving greater diversity and equity within our armed forces. In addition to being a crucial part of Black Men Heal’s nonprofit development, Doug has also helped to develop a nonprofit with a specific focus on justice reform in regional jails and prisons as an extension of his participation in his work with the late Sue Ellen Allen, Reinventing Reentry. Doug is well known as a face of Black Men Heal as a present and stable host of King’s Corner, a free weekly virtual mental health support group that has serviced over 1,000 men across the country.

Doug’s positive and charismatic energy is a strong influence and motivational tool to those who engage with his passion and intellect. His dynamic speaking and presenting skills have been featured on panels alongside notable mental health advocates and experts such as Charlamagne tha God, Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, Zak Williams (son of the late Robin Williams), musician Anthony Hamilton, actor Lamman Rucker and former NFL/NBA players Jay Barnett, Ryan Mundy and Jumaine Jones. Doug has presented at corporate organizations, colleges and universities, nonprofits and local high schools that include Ralph Lauren, Movember, Sozosei Foundation, Columbia University, Wharton Business College, Newark Trust for Education and Camden City High School, to name a few. Doug’s vision and commitment to enhancing our social world can be best described through the words of Douglas Adams when he says, “To give real service, you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.”

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