Hip Hop provided a lifeline for J.C. during a dark and turbulent youth. He grew up to be not only a Hip Hop artist but a clinical social worker. In 2013, J.C. founded a Hip Hop therapy studio program at Mott Haven Community High School, a second-chance transfer school in the South Bronx. Incorporating Hip Hop into therapy allows him to use his chosen artistic medium to provide culturally responsive treatment to his students.

The impact J.C. has seen, including almost doubling the graduation rate compared to other similar high schools in the borough, has convinced him that Hip Hop therapy is an essential tool for mental health in NYC’s schools and community spaces. J.C. first learned about Hip Hop therapy in graduate school from its creator, the late Dr. Edgar Tyson. Now, he wants to continue his friend and mentor’s legacy by scaling up the practice.

J.C. is completing a textbook and relaunching a conference on the topic, both initiatives begun by Dr. Tyson. He also is building an “infrastructure” for practitioners, formalizing the necessary training for decision makers and upcoming therapists and artists. This will include the creation of blueprints for how to implement programs in schools and community-based organizations, as well as thought leadership, research and writing to legitimize the practice as a viable resource to support young people’s mental health, especially within communities of color.