Psychology Belongs Everywhere: My Pivot from Therapist to Storytelling Consultant
Why I Loved My Work as a Therapist
For years, I loved my therapy work.
Sitting across from individuals, families, and women—especially Black women—bearing witness to their healing was meaningful and sacred. I believed in the power of the therapeutic relationship, in evidence-based practice, and in the profound transformations that could happen in that space.
Recognizing Something Was Missing
But even as I was doing work I valued, I began to feel something stirring underneath the surface. It wasn’t burnout. It wasn’t dissatisfaction. It was the sense that there was more I was meant to contribute—and it didn’t live entirely inside the four walls of a therapy room.
I was craving a different kind of expression.
What I didn’t have language for at the time was that I was searching for a way to bring all of my passions together: psychology, culture, mental health, and storytelling.
Dr. Jasmine Ross
This is what it looks like when passion, purpose, and psychology align. I built a lane where all of me could belong—and now I help others do the same.
How My Dissertation Planted the Seeds for Change
That desire wasn't new. In fact, it started all the way back with my dissertation—a deep dive into how Black women make meaning of sexual scripts embedded in hip-hop culture. When I look back on it now, it was all there: the narratives we internalize, the sociocultural forces shaping identity, the intersection of media and mental health.
But after finishing my doctorate, I did what many of us do: I followed the path I was trained to follow. And while that work was deeply important, it took me years to recognize that my interest in storytelling wasn’t a hobby or a side note—it was part of my clinical and cultural lens. It was a calling.
Creating My Own Lane as a Storytelling Consultant
When I finally gave myself permission to explore that intersection professionally—through media consulting, narrative advising, and ultimately, creating Dr. Jasmine Ross Storytelling Consulting—something clicked.
I felt invigorated.
I felt aligned.
And for the first time, I realized I didn’t have to choose between being a psychologist and being a creative, cultural thinker. I could bring all of those parts of me into one lane—a lane I was building for myself.
The Day Black Women Decided to Take a 4-Year Vacation: A Turning Point
One of the most powerful manifestations of that integration has been The Day Black Women Decided to Take a 4-Year Vacation—a creative project and documentary that merges my passion for Black women’s healing, culturally grounded mental health, and the storytelling power of visual media.
This project is more than a film—it’s a reclamation. It is a statement about rest, resistance, emotional labor, and the radical power of choosing oneself.
Using Psychology to Support Creatives and Culture Shapers
Now, I support writers, producers, directors, and creatives in telling stories that are psychologically sound, trauma-informed, and deeply resonant. I consult on character development, cultural nuance, and the emotional truths that make narratives transformative.
And most of all, I get to stay close to what drew me into this work in the first place: the power of story to heal, reveal, and empower.
A Message to Fellow Psychologists Ready to Pivot
To the psychologists reading this who feel like something is missing, or who are wondering whether their other passions have a place in their professional life: they do. You don’t have to abandon your training to expand it. Your skills are needed in more spaces than you've been told.
Here are just a few fields that benefit from psychological insight:
Corporate leadership and organizational development
Public health and wellness design
Education and curriculum development
Technology and user experience research
Policy and community advocacy
Athletics and performance optimization
Spiritual care and healing justice work
Environmental justice and climate resilience
Psychology belongs everywhere.
And when we give ourselves permission to show up fully, so do we.
Ready to Explore Your Pivot?
Want a simple resource to help you begin thinking about where your skills could thrive outside traditional roles? Download my free guide, The Psychologist as Changemaker, for inspiration, reflection prompts, and next steps.
Schedule a one-on-one consultation with me to start mapping out your next chapter. Whether you’re curious, cautious, or already halfway in—let’s talk.
