Creative Arts Therapy Feature: Bibliotherapy

Do you enjoy the arts? Have you ever wanted to see how getting creative can help you mentally? This feature is just one in a series of entries exploring the different types of creative arts therapy. You can learn more about other outlets here!

The truth is, reading can be difficult. You may not have the time to settle down with a book to read, or you may get so overwhelmed with all the options that you don’t know where to start. Reading can also sound like a burden and a commitment, and it can be hard to pay attention to what you’re trying to read, especially given all the kinds of distractions surrounding you (see: phones).
Continue reading Creative Arts Therapy Feature: Bibliotherapy

Weekend Reads: Finding Pride

Pride Month is pretty self-explanatory. Though pride isn’t limited to just these thirty days, June gives those who identify as queer and/or a member of the LGBT+ community a time to celebrate how far they’ve come with their rights, work towards a better future for themselves, and just have fun being who they are. Continue reading Weekend Reads: Finding Pride

The Toll of Online Activism

Participating in causes to help make a difference and support the underprivileged can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Social media has made activism that much easier too – think of the hashtags and fundraisers people post about or how simple it is to repost other people’s posts on your story about important issues and how to get more information about the topic. Social media can also help you learn about issues that you may have not heard of otherwise (think of the current situations in Sudan and Hong Kong, for example), and just exposure to campaigns can lead to a significant increase in support of the people being affected. Continue reading The Toll of Online Activism

How Mental Health Affects Second-Generation Adolescents

The demographics in the United States have shifted significantly. The Pew Research Center reported that there were 44.4 million immigrants living in the country in 2017, making up 13.6% of the total population. The increase in the immigrant population in the United States also means an increase in second-generation Americans – those who are born in the United States to immigrant parents (some people may also refer to these people as first-generation Americans, however).  The number of second-generation immigrants was nearly as much back in 2013 at 36 million, making up 12% of the population. Continue reading How Mental Health Affects Second-Generation Adolescents

How Often Should You Go To Therapy?

The SOVA Project is happy to feature this blog post written by one in our team of fantastic SOVA Ambassadors—these are young people who help create meaningful blog posts from adolescents’ perspectives.

I saw my first therapist in ninth grade when my social anxiety and depression really began to intensify. I don’t remember exactly how often I went, but it wasn’t too regularly – at most I went every other week. I only went during the school year, though, since school was the main source of my symptoms. I didn’t go back to therapy until about two years later, when I fell into a heavier depression than I had ever experienced before. But despite the severity of my symptoms, I followed the same schedule as before – I only saw my therapist a couple times each month and ceased treatment when the school year ended. At the time, going to therapy once in a while seemed normal, but now I see that this was nowhere near the level of treatment that I needed. I didn’t even know that weekly therapy sessions were an option! I definitely would have benefited from a higher level of care. Continue reading How Often Should You Go To Therapy?

Podcasts about Mental Health

Podcasts are everywhere these days. You can find any podcast about any topic imaginable, story retellings, or completely fictional podcasts that are the 21st century versions of the old kinds of radio shows that were popular back in the 50s. You can learn a new skill or find more information about decades-old crime stories, or even just listen to a few people talk about nothing significant and just what’s been going on in their lives. Continue reading Podcasts about Mental Health

Why are Teens Airdropping Memes?

Another day, another viral trend. You may have recently heard of or participated in AirDropping images to strangers around you whenever you’re in public.

 AirDropping is a feature on Apple products that allows users to easily share images and files with other Apple users nearby without needing to attach them in a text or email. All you need is to be relatively physically close, have your Bluetooth or WiFi on, and with a simple tap, you can send whatever you want to whoever also has AirDrop on. Continue reading Why are Teens Airdropping Memes?