Embracing Diverse Narratives

On Becoming a Mad Therapist

by Jamie Campos, M.A, LPC-Associate (supervised by Dr. Stephanie Waitt, LPC-S, CEDS)

What's up!

I'm Jamie, and i'm a pre-licensed counselor patiently awaiting the activation of my LPC-A licensure in Texas (supervised by Dr. Stephanie Waitt #62794). 🌟

As a mad, trans-pangender (pre-licensed) counselor with deep concerns about climate change, my own experiences and identities have been misunderstood and pathologized in mental health frameworks. 🌈💭

I am interested in working with those with diverse narratives and experiences of madness, queer and transness, and environmental marginalization. My mission as a (pre-licensed) counselor is to help decolonize mental health perspectives and advocate for autonomous, liberated mental healthcare, shedding light on how oppressive systems such as White and Western supremacy, Colonization, and Capitalism contribute to poor mental health outcomes. 🌍✊

My approach to decolonizing madness includes advocating for alternatives to carceral mental healthcare and involuntary treatment, including peer respites and psychosis sanctuaries, as well as advocating for the socioeconomic liberation of disabled people. ✨

Traditional mental health paradigms, largely shaped by Western and Colonial ideologies, often fail to recognize the validity and richness of diverse identities and experiences. By embracing a decolonized perspective of madness, transness, and climate concerns, we can move towards a model of mental health that honors and respects the autonomy and complexity of individuals, particularly those from marginalized communities. 💬❤️

Amid the existential threat of our lifetime and the current epistemological crisis, it is more important than ever to uplift and empower madness. 🌿 Liberating and uplifting experiences of madness may enable others to be a part of the necessary climate change super solutions. 🌍

🌟 By destigmatizing the mad scientists, artists, authors, poets, and thinkers of this world, we can embolden the gift of humanity and more openly explore consciousness and consensus-based reality. 🎨🧠

It requires dismantling the supremacy of Western psychological frameworks and embracing a plurality of perspectives that validate the experiences of those often deemed 'other.'

Supporting autonomous and liberated mental healthcare means empowering individuals to name and describe their own experiences while centering my client’s insight about their mental health concerns, free from the limitations of pathologizing labels. 💪

🗣️ It involves creating spaces where people can explore and affirm their identities, rebuild trust, understand their anxieties in the context of broader systemic issues, and develop resilience through community and solidarity. 🤝