Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Jasper.
Erica, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Greetings, my name is Erica Jasper, owner of Jasper Counseling Services. An up and coming private practice of therapeutic and counseling services. My practice consists of individual, couples and group counseling as well as parenting classes. We are also working on Pop-up Shop counseling services visiting various impoverished neighborhoods to support our at-risk general population by listening, coaching, teaching and implementing behavioral modification skills.
I am a native Chicagoan who moved to Georgia in May 2005. I was a single parent and wanted a change of environment to raise my son in. I obtained an undergraduate degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Marketing and Advertising from DePaul University. I assumed that I would easily find employment in Atlanta in such a broad field and discovered that was not true. I actually come from a long family history of educators and counselors (therapists). However, I didn’t feel that was my calling and felt I should be doing something other than teaching or counseling. Besides, my calling was marketing/advertising (or so I thought). After I relocated to Georgia and was not able to land a job that I thought was fitting for my career path or personality, I turned to substitute teaching. I substituted for several Metro counties in Georgia. There was one particular assignment at an Alternative School that I found most exhilarating. Coming from the south side of Chicago, working with at-risk students was easy for me.
As a substitute teacher, I would receive offers daily to work in various schools but I really loved working with the at-risk students. Other substitute teachers thought I was crazy for volunteering to work at the alternative school and other schools would often try to convince me to work with them and not at the alternative schools. NO ONE understood why I chose Alternative schools. I actually didn’t understand either, I just knew I understood these kids and felt a connection with them for some reason. I quickly realized I had a passion for working with at-risk individuals; however, I wasn’t a school teacher and had no desire to become one (or so I thought). As I continued to substitute teach I became more familiar with classroom management, grabbing the attention of others with dialog that was raw and uncharted conversations. As a substitute teacher, I didn’t make a lot of money and only got paid monthly. In order to make ends meet, I found myself working several minimal jobs: Macy’s, janitorial, driving for Uber/Lyft. After struggling financially for a few years, I decided to go back to school and for a Master’s degree in school counseling. I loved working with the school districts and having summers off sounded magical to me!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road was not smooth and many times I wanted to give up and go back to my comfort zone, Chicago. I finally landed a permanent full-time position in a field completely unrelated to my undergraduate degree or work experience. During this time, many untimely deaths occurred in my family: my mother passed, uncle, aunts and then my dad. I felt I couldn’t move on due to extreme pain and some depression from grieving the loss of my loved ones one right after another. I wanted to stop school but was encouraged to keep pushing.
After finally receiving my Master’s in school counseling, I realized that you actually do very little counseling within the school setting, that you are more of an administrative assistant. I then decided to obtain a license in Professional Counseling. After several years of school, internships, residential periods and trying to land a job within a district for school counseling, I’ve finally reached a point of opening a private practice. Jasper Counseling Services has been virtual due to the Covid Pandemic but I have begun to service a limited number of clients face to face.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
My goal and vision for my private practice is growing and conducting group session for at risk teens and young adults. I would also like to provide mobile services to various organizations/agencies that extend behavioral modification programs, art therapy and mindfulness meditation. I find clients are more engaging, able to process information and understand how to use various skills sets for our ever-changing world when they are involved in interactive therapeutic activities. My private practice is striving to conduct Pop up shops or Town Hall sessions providing open group discussions for impoverished neighborhoods. Jasper Counseling Services is here to serve private and community clients, insured and uninsured, sliding scales or even to provide pro bono services.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
During this life journey, discovering who I am and what my natural talents are as a therapist has been most important to success thus far. I have encountered many supporters along the way. First and foremost, I have found the strength and faith of my most High (God). Secondly, my mother, who was the wisest, non-judgmental person I have ever encountered. My father who was a true philosopher who studied Buddhism my entire life and my son who showed an extreme amount of patience when I would go into his room to talk with he and his friends. I’ve watched he and his friends during my schooling to watch and study their conversations, body language and even gave them secret assessments on the sly. Once my son discovered what I was doing, he would say, “Mom stop using us as guinea pigs, leave my friends alone so we can finish our game… lol. Even all my cousins, friends and general acquaintances for believing in my skills as a therapist often calling for advice (free, but hey, it increased my skill set).
Pricing:
- Prices $75.00 – $ 170 Individual and couples
- Sliding scale
- Group Session $1000 – $ 2000 (depending on group count)
Contact Info:
- Website: ejaspertelehealth.com, https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/438561
- Phone: (470) 588- 0987
- Email: ericajasper@gmail.com
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