Looking at Substance Use
Society often looks negatively at those with substance use problems. There is a stigma and a false belief that those struggling with substance use are making a conscious choice to spiral downwards. It is rare...
Tagged: stigma
Say It Out Loud
We at SOVA are mental-health and communications professionals, and we use those skills to design blogs that give you—our readers—information about mental illness in manageable portions that you can grasp. For example, here are just a few...
How To Use Empathy
This video was based on a TED talk by Dr. Brené Brown. She is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent more than a decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness,...
Who Are You?
What words describe you? If someone did not know you at all—how would you describe yourself? You could probably make a long list of things. People are not one-dimensional. And even if most of...
Benefits of Teen Mental-Health First-Aid Programs
A little while ago one of our blogging ambassadors reported on their positive experience becoming certified in mental health first aid at a workshop at her university. There are scientists who are studying programs like...
Would medication change who I was?
When you get diagnosed with depression, or any mental illness, the first thing you might feel is relief. The realization that your feelings, struggles, and symptoms can be described by a diagnosis can make...
Helping African American Guys Get Treatment through Social Media
Social media can be an effective way to start movements around social issues that need attention. One example is the viral social media activity #icebucketchallenge, a hashtag that created awareness, donations, and a large open forum...
Becoming a Mental Health First-Responder
When we hear the term “first-responders,” we usually think of the workers in an ambulance, ready to help people with physical health emergencies. But what about people who have mental health emergencies—who’s trained and...
Why Not Ask For Help?
Have you ever wanted to talk to a therapist or psychologist about difficult feelings, but hesitated? If you’ve ever felt this way, you are not alone. The reasons for this hesitation are often rooted in people’s backgrounds, and...
Community Spotlight: Julius Boatwright, Part 1
Meet Julius Boatwright, Executive Director of the Will Allen Foundation and the dedicated social worker who founded the community-based social-service agency Steel Smiling. Julius has made great strides in the community by adopting a humanistic...
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