Meet Jasmine Lamitte, LCSW | Mental Health Leader, Author, & Influencer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jasmine Lamitte, LCSW and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jasmine, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I’ve learned from those I admire the phrase, “no risk, no reward”. If you don’t take a chance you’ll never reap the benefits! In the last few months, I’ve had to put this to the test. I decided to resign from my position as Director of Mental Health for KIPP SoCal Public Schools, where I’ve worked for the last 10 years. This was an incredibly difficult decision as I love my job and those that I work with, but after becoming a mom two years ago, I’ve realized that it is becoming incredibly difficult to find work-life balance.

When I put in my resignation, I didn’t have a plan for what I would do next. I have my “side hustle” work that has been pretty lucrative considering I don’t have the capacity to promote myself and essentially wait for people to reach out to me for workshops, presentations, and consultation. It has been a risk, to say the least, but when you put out good energy into the world, sometimes that comes back, and then some! I have a new job lined up which is adjacent to the work that I have been doing and I am really excited and inspired by the opportunity! I will be the Director of Mental Health for an organization that serves foster youth in Los Angeles.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Since my last ShoutOut LA feature in August 2021, I’ve resigned from my full-time job as Director of Mental Health for 24 schools in Los Angeles. I have a new job starting in January, which I am very excited about and will allow me to have more balance with work and family, as well as the capacity to pursue other ventures that I am passionate about.

Since August 2021, my @socialworksage Instagram page has grown from 7,000 to 17,000+ followers! I’ve continued to share my insights, provide space and connection, and advocate for school mental health professionals across the country. With my transition out of my current role, I hope to have more time to tend to this community that I’ve built and be a resource and authority on best practices for Black and Latinx youth in schools.

In May of this year, I was contacted by a publishing company wanting to commission me to write a workbook on Black Mental Health. This is completely outside of my wheelhouse, as I am not an author! However, I took a risk and decided that it would be a great learning opportunity and that it was a topic that I am incredibly passionate about. The goal of the workbook is to provide an introduction to mental health and why it matters for our community, deepen their understanding of themselves to get to the root of their mental health struggles, and build their toolkits with strategies, exercises, and resources.

I’m really excited about this opportunity and continuing my passion for destigmatizing mental health in our community! The workbook is available for pre-order on Amazon with a release date of December 27, 2022. Interested in a copy, order directly from amazon .

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since my last feature in August 2021, I’ve been able to get out of the house more with restrictions for COVID loosening! One place that I love is a Black female-owned, The Nile Bar, in Inglewood! I love events in Leimert Park Village as well, supporting local Black-owned businesses and artists is something I am very passionate about. For instance, I will be attending the annual Snow Night in Leimert with my family on December 16th! They even have a Black Santa 🙂

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

Website: jasminelamitte.com

Instagram: socialworksage

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-lamitte-lcsw-b1519525/

Other: TikTok – @socialworksage

ShoutoutLA article: https://shoutoutla.com/meet-jasmine-lamitte-lcsw-school-mental-health-director-mental-health-influencer/