From struggling Trelawny boy to UK author, Psychotherapist

AT age 13, Ontonio Dawson watched as friends his age moved on to high school while he remained behind, carrying the disappointment of failing the secondary school entrance examination. For years, he struggled with reading. The combination of academic challenges and bullying due to his weight took a heavy toll on his confidence. “This felt like the most embarrassing experience and for a long time I felt inferior and was affected by this,” he recalled during an interview with JIS News. More than two decades later, that struggling boy from Carterwood in southern Trelawny is a 36-year-old psychotherapist in the United Kingdom (UK), an author, tutor, guest lecturer, entrepreneur, and mental health advocate who now helps others navigate some of the difficulties he once experienced.

During an interview with JIS News, Dawson reflected on the remarkable journey that took him from struggling to read to writing books of his own, and the faith, family and determination that helped him to change the course of his life. Growing up in Trelawny during the 1990s brought happy memories of rural life, going to the river, fishing, hunting birds, playing outdoors, and enjoying fruits and vegetables in season. However, alongside those memories were difficult days. His parents were farmers and, according to Dawson, there were occasions when they struggled to find the money to send him to school. He was also bullied and called hurtful names because of his weight. “It affected my mental health, to be honest,” he said, adding that academic struggles compounded the problem, resulting in him failing the then Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT). He had to remain at his all-age school while his peers moved on to secondary school, leaving him with feelings of shame and inadequacy. Yet, what seemed…