Black Men Don’t Need to ‘Man Up’ w/ Dr. Curtis Jasper

Therapy for Black men remains an underserved and often misunderstood area of mental health care. In a powerful conversation on the Men’s Therapy Podcast, psychologist Dr. Curtis Jasper opens up about his journey. He highlights the barriers Black men face when seeking therapy. He shares how men of color can begin their healing process.

Dr. Jasper’s path to becoming a Black male therapist is one of resilience and transformation. Initially working in education, he found himself struggling after personal and financial hardships. These included the loss of his parents, a divorce, and financial ruin. “I was homeless, sleeping in my buddy’s basement, and had given up on therapy,” he recalls. But a pivotal session with a white therapist changed everything. He told me, “You’re not clinically depressed, you’re angry. You’re grieving. You’re disillusioned with a system that wasn’t built for you. That was the moment I realized therapy could work for me.”