Meet Jeff Rocker of How We See It

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jeff. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
Wow, it feels like it was just yesterday that I was having an in-depth conversation with my business partner, Herman McLean. We discussed issues that plague our community such as poverty, broken homes and the lack of mental health awareness in our community.

After our conversation, we realized that something was missing in our community and that something was the acknowledgment and education about mental health along with its impact on every aspect of our lives. Recently, there has been a superfluous amount of school shootings, cases of bullying, and suicide attempts by minors and adults.

I could not sit by any longer and do nothing as people were literally dying by the lack of mental health awareness; enough was enough. This is what fueled me to create a group that would dispel the myths and the stereotypes of therapy while educating the local communities about mental health awareness. I may not be able to save the world, but I definitely accept the challenge to start by saving my community.

How We See It Inc. was created with the premise of breaking the stigma of therapy within the community. By breaking the stigma, we aim to educate, focus on total holistic mental wellness as well as to provide a platform to promote preventative measures to much more serious/severe mental wellness/illness issues that people frequently dismiss as not important, within our community.

Some of the issues that How We See It Inc. brings is awareness to Depression, Anxiety, Suicide, Self Harm, Coping Skills, Self Esteem as well as making the already established resources known to the students and populations in which we engage.

How We See It Inc. is able to achieve total engagement with the community through educational presentations to various schools, free fitness boot camp provided to the community, speaking on various community panels and participating within the government/sub-council committees to implement various government programs.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Well, I expected there to be some difficulties, especially among the African American communities. Some common issues that were being voiced were the lack of resources, being judged by family and friends, and the inability to connect with professionals who looked nothing like them or shared the same experiences as them.

So we decided to tackle these issues by offering free weekly programs such as Physical Fitness boot camp, Hip Hop Therapy in all the schools across South Florida, and different speaking engagements in the communities. Hip Hop Therapy is an avenue which we use hip-hop as a platform to discuss various issues that children may or may not be aware that that is experiencing. The topics include anxiety, depression, suicide, etc.

Through the use of Hip Hop lyrics and content, these issues provide valuable material that can create a dialogue with the children, from there a deeper understanding of the importance of mental wellness and how to appropriately address them when they arise.

How We See It – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are known as a unique organization that utilizes innovative ways to provide mental health awareness. Within our organization, there is a substantial range of expertise that allows us to connect with those from all walks of life.

Whereas many organizations are restricted to an office space or building, we pride ourselves on being mobile and willing to create outreach opportunities to make a difference. We are a passionate group of trendsetters who have come together to achieve a common goal: breaking the stigma behind therapy.

Society has created its own perspective on many issues, and we want to design a different outlook on these issues, hence the name How We See It.

As the President and CEO of How We See It, I am proud of the changes that we have made thus far, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. I always say, “It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a community to make a difference in the world.” So we are always looking for volunteers who share the same vision as us.