Get to Know Dr. Jason Minion

We’re excited to introduce you to the members of Hidden River’s treatment team, beginning with Dr. Jason Minion, who works as the Associate Psychiatrist at our facility. 

Let’s get to know Dr. Jason Minion.

To start, can you share a bit about your background (both education and work experience)?

I got my undergraduate degree in computer science from Johns Hopkins University and then went into medicine at New Jersey Medical School. I graduated from my Psychiatry residency and my Child/Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 2016. After that, I started working as an outpatient child/adolescent psychiatrist through Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers. I worked in a few programs there, getting special experience with autism and eating disorders as I collaborated with pediatricians. I left the hospital for a private practice last year and then also started with Hidden River in October 2023.

What led you to work with children and adolescents as they manage mental health concerns?

I went to medical school without a real plan. My psychiatry rotation exposed me to this world that was both fascinating to me and truly impactful for the patients. Compared to my other rotations, I liked the amount of time we spent talking to and really getting to know our patients. I never really had to think about the decision to specifically work with kids – it just felt like the most natural fit to me.

What is your day-to-day schedule like as a psychiatrist at Hidden River?

At Hidden River, I meet with each of my patients once per week, trying to fit that in between their other tasks. I work closely with the nurses, always communicating about patients’ needs, medications, vitals, and labs. I participate in meetings with the therapists and dietitians as well to make sure we’re all on the same page as to what’s going on with each patient. Overall, the specific schedule is rather flexible so long as I get to everything each week.

How does your work vary in a treatment center versus a hospital setting?

Compared to being in the hospital setting, Hidden River is certainly a more beautiful, relaxing environment. The patients are more acutely sick, but there is also a lot of good staff around all the time. This is the aspect of Hidden River I like most and what drew me here initially: Everyone has their role on the patient’s team, and the team works so well together. No one of us could do this work alone. Everyone communicates so well. Having the occasionally deer at my office door is nice too!

Lastly, do you have any advice for someone who would like to pursue a similar career path in the future?

Psychiatry is a very flexible field that gives you the opportunity to work in a variety of settings with so many different types of patients. I’d definitely recommend it and encourage people not to judge the field based on any one experience they have with it. It takes a long time after college to get to this point, but it has been very rewarding and worthwhile.

Visit our website to learn more about eating disorder treatment at Hidden River. For a closer look at our grounds and living quarters, take a look at our gallery.