Jayson Blair is a certified life coach and the managing partner of Goose Creek Consulting. Jayson is a nationally known mental health writer and consultant. He is the founder and the former executive director of the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance of Northern Virginia.
Jayson, who has bipolar disorder, wrote about his illness in a 2004 autobiography. He has years of experience working with individuals with mental illnesses, their loved ones, support groups and others in outpatient and inpatient care settings. He has also worked as a career coach, helping high school students, college students and adults formulate and achieve their career goals. His specialties include helping others with career problems, bipolar disorder, depression, schizoaffective disorder, attention deficit disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, substance abuse problems and anxiety. He also has experience working with individuals with mental disabilities, eating disorders, sexual abuse, post traumatic stress disorder and other conditions. Some of his other interests include career testing and transition, executive functioning, management of triggers in mood disorders and substance abuse, psychopharmacology, crisis intervention and peer support.
Jayson also advocates for clients in school services eligibility meetings, in IEP meetings with disability services programs and other services. Jayson also has contracts with corporations to provide employee assistance services.
Prior to founding Goose Creek, Jayson was a certified life coach at Ashburn Psychological Services and the executive director of the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance of Northern Virginia, which grew into three regional groups for people with bipolar and depression, a group for teenagers and two groups for family members and friends. The organization was also responsible for outreach, community service and peer specialist training. Jayson has accepted a position as a member of the board of directors of the International Bipolar Foundation and will begin a two year term in September 2014. He was a member of the Regional Recovery Workgroup, a state government sponsored group focused on improving mental health services in Northern Virginia. He has helped facilitate support groups, helped create peer-to-peer outreach programs and helped sponsor mental health related educational programs. Jayson has spoken on mental health related issues at Washington & Lee University, Winston-Salem State University, Roosevelt University, Columbia College of Chicago and several other universities. Jayson is a founding fellow of the Institute of Coaching, a McLean Hospital-Harvard Medical School affiliate. He is the member of several coaching organizations and has attended executive education programs at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Jayson writes blog on mental health issues at blogspot.jaysonblair.com. His life story has been featured in bp magazine and on WebMDTV, among other places.