Ekaette Atakpo, Jason Hall, Mashaun D. Simon, Valisa Benson and Katherine Ratliff will be serving as featured contributors for our discussion about mental health. In our New Thoughts On…series, we invite a variety of contributors and the general public to discuss an inclusive, spiritual perspective on social and cultural issues.

Each discussion will be held on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpcO6tpjMuHt3gjLIa57pYuZJKi3ArbugX

Working in mental health is Ekaette Atakpo’s passion. She received her master’s degree in Human Relations and Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Oklahoma in 2019. She works as a mental health therapist for Betterhelp and Pride Counseling. She also performs social work for Red Rock’s adult and children’s crisis units. She has worked in mental/behavioral health for 14 years, mostly with clients who suffer from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety and substance use issues.

Jason Hall has lived experience with polysubstance dependence and houselessness that he has used to help shape programs addressing houselessness, housing, and harm reduction across the state. His career began with grassroots efforts to address the needs of vulnerable populations in his community through Great Plains Compassion Cooperative providing clothing and furniture to families leaving shelter programs into housing and children in emergency foster care situations. He has managed several shelter programs in the Lawton area as well as a transitional housing program for system involved youth in OKC. For the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), Jason has monitored sober living programs focusing on MAT services and provided Harm Reduction and Narcan trainings across the state.

Rev. Mashaun D. Simon is an equity and inclusion advocate who centers his preaching, writing, and scholarship on cultural competency, identity, and equity. Currently, the metro Atlanta native is a Doctor of Ministry candidate at Columbia Theological Seminary. His doctoral research engages the theoretical and practical implications of grief in church and society. A contributing writer for The Reckoning online magazine, Mashaun has also written for NBC News, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Black Enterprise, Bloomberg News, Ebony Magazine, and Essence Magazine, among others. He is also the co-host of B4Nine: The Podcast. In addition to his writing, Mashaun organized and facilitated the 2018 Faith and Sexuality Symposium at Kennesaw State University. Mashaun is the former senior pastor of House of Mercy Everlasting Church, a member of the inaugural 2021-2022 cohort class of the Rising Leaders Fellowship, and a Counter Narrative Project (CNP) Narrative Justice Fellow. Keep up with him at mashaundsimon.com.

Valisa Benson, Case Manager II / Screener at MAT Clinic, helps adults struggling through addiction. She is certified Wellness Coach and Recovery Support Specialist & LPC student at Mid-America University. Valisa’s hometown is in the outskirts of Chicago, IL. Her personal goal consists of being a voice for those struggling with mental illness and to encourage others to tell their story.

Questions? Contact us!