Speaker Jose Rosario is a speaker, therapist, scholar, storyteller, and activist committed to the mental health needs of minoritized communitties. Guided by his own story and advocacy, Jose is
committed to underscoring the intersection of identity and mental health to support systemic and collective change. Jose unites audience members by modeling vulnerability and creating collective moments of self-reflection.
Why you should book speaker Jose Rosario
- He is an “unconventional,” mental health professional. Using data paired with vulnerability, speaker Jose Rosario reaches audience members on different levels of familiarity with mental health and identity development.
- He engages in various forms of activism to connect to individuals throughout the world and vulnerably shares his story to underscore commonalities in the human experience.
- Jose creates a space for humans to be seen, to be heard, and to honor their identities. Jose is not afraid to name systemic harms and strategize ways for audience members to engage in long-term allyship.
“[My disability] didn’t define my life and it doesn’t define who I am going to be, in fact, it gives me the gift to decide how I’m going to use my difference to connect with every single person in this room”- Speaker Jose Rosario.
Born to young Puerto Rican parents, speaker Jose Rosario developed Cerebral Palsy after over 10 minutes without oxygen as a premature baby. His family tried navigating various systems in their fight towards equity and the judgment Jose faced had a big impact on his mental health. In 2017, Jose shared my experience of “difference” for the first time. Sharing his experience as a Latino gay man who uses a wheelchair underscored the importance of considering intersecting identities in mental health experiences and engaging in activism for systemic change.
From the premature baby to an activist, Jose began traveling across the Americas giving talks and consultation in both English and Spanish. Despite doubt from others, Jose is nearing the completion of his PhD in Clinical Psychology. His scholarship examines the implications of cultural trauma and other forms of hate-based violence on intersectional communities of color and how these communities engage in healing and liberation. His clinical work also focuses on various forms of trauma and associated mental health disorders.
Jose is passionate about activism and founded The Phoenix Empowered, a Rhode Island nonprofit that amplifies the mental health stories of minoritized communities and provides
training/consultation for organizational change and inclusive practices. He also serves as a disaster responder for the American Red Cross and a certified expressive arts facilitator. Jose understands that this empowerment and the creation of a space to be vulnerable can lead to individual and group growth, awakening agents for change.
See keynotes with Jose Rosario