Category: LEARN

Dr. Taunya Tinsley

Meet Dr. Taunya Tinsley

Doctor Taunya Marie Tinsley is a Licensed Professional Counselor, DMin, PhD, NCC, LPC. She is the owner of Transitions Counseling Service LLC and Life Skills Program, where she provides individual, marriage, family and group counseling and consultative services.  Additionally, Dr. Tinsley is the Clinical Director of the Mount Ararat Baptist Church Counseling Center.  According to her website “Dr. Tinsley’s interdisciplinary areas of counseling, research, and publications include multicultural issues in counseling, multicultural training and organizational development, spiritual and Christian interventions in counseling, sports counseling, and youth, adolescent, and adult development through sports.”

Photo kindly provided by Dr. Tinsley
Photo kindly provided by Dr. Tinsley

The SOVA Project recently had the amazing and fortunate opportunity to sit down with Dr. Tinsley.  During our sit down we had the chance to speak to Dr. Tinsley about her work as a counselor. Here’s what she had to say:

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Does my child have depression?

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It can be tough to decide whether you believe your child has depression or does not. Why is that? Mental health symptoms happen on the inside – they don’t show up like a rash on the skin that everyone can see. When symptoms show up on the inside, the only way you can “see” them, is by the person explaining to you how they feel, or by what you see as their behavior. If they are also having trouble understanding how they feel and are worried about what you will think if they say anything, they might not share that with you. That is one good reason why if you are the least bit worried, a good idea is to ask your doctor for help figuring it out.

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Teen Driving Agreements: Easier said than done

The number 1 cause of death in adolescents is motor vehicle accidents. Having a talk with your teen about safe driving can be one of the most important talks you have. Studies show that sitting down and making a parent-teen driving agreement or setting limits and rules for driving – like not having friends in the car – can help your child stay safe. But easier said than done, right?!

Check out the video below and youngdriverparenting.org on tips how:

Do you think this video was helpful? Have you made a safety agreement with your child before? Share your tips below!

Why I Stopped Self Harming

Trigger Warning: Self Harm 

I recently found this article called 8 Brutally Honest Reasons I’ve Stopped Self-Harming and I found it to be very interesting and honest. Self Harm is something that many adolescents struggle with daily and it’s not easy to overcome.

One way to change the behavior is to turn it into something else, one suggestion I saw was to use a sharpie or a washable marker to draw or doodle on your body instead of cutting, which could turn into drawing in a special notepad. Both of which are safer and healthier than cutting.

Did you read the article? What are your thoughts? Has your adolescent self-harmed? What other coping strategies could you use or suggest to someone struggling with this? How do you support your child when they are in crisis?

Photo Credit: DoSomething.org via Do Something
Photo Credit: DoSomething.org via Do Something

If you or someone you know needs help, please visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting “START” to 741-741. Head here for a list of crisis centers around the world.

Therapy: it really does work

How could simply talking to someone make you or your child feel better? Sometimes, when you feel so bad, you think there isn’t anything someone could possibly say or do to help you feel better. Yet therapy helps millions of people live happier more fulfilling lives.

863051841_c8216d7ffa_o“You don’t expect the kind of problems that [fame] brings with it. I felt that I had to solve everyone’s problems. I was hit by this tsunami of demands. I felt overwhelmed. And I was really worried that I would mess up … I had to do it [therapy] again when my life was changing so suddenly — and it really helped. I’m a big fan of it, it helped me a lot.”

– J.K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter series

Featured image: Photo Credit: Alan Edwardes via Compfightcc

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Worry Stones

Photo Credit: feenylime via Compfight cc
Photo Credit: feenylime via Compfight cc

Have you heard of “worry stones” before? A worry stone is a stone that you can carry in your pocket (or anywhere on you) that can be useful in helping to relieve anxiety or other negative feelings. Worry stones are also know as palm stones or thumb stones and are smooth, polished gemstones, usually in the shape of an oval with a thumb-sized indentation. They usually are about the size of a 1/2 dollar coin and can be easily hidden in your hand.

They are often used by holding the stone between your fingers and thumb and gently rubbing your thumb back and forth across the stone. This action can be very grounding and comforting. Also the act of self-soothing can be quite empowering. It is often the smallest objects and actions that have the most powerful effects!

Worry stones come in many colors and can be found from many sources. There are gemstone stores and Etsy sells worry stones for under $5.

Do you think a worry stone may help you or your adolescent? Do you know anyone who uses a worry stone? Do you or your child know or participate in a similar coping mechanism? Tell us about your experiences or if you’d add this coping mechanism to your tool box!