Category: RESOURCES

Finding a Therapist Who Looks Like Your Child

The mental health profession, unfortunately, lacks diversity. The American Psychological Association found that 86% of practitioners are white, with other races making up less than 5% each. In a nation that continues to not just get more diverse, but is also becoming more open in talking about mental health, it’s important for people of color to not just find, but have access to therapists who look like them (you can read more about the topic here). Continue reading Finding a Therapist Who Looks Like Your Child

Podcasts about Black Mental Health

Podcasts are everywhere these days, and that’s a good thing! Especially now, when stay-at-home orders are still in place and social distancing is still encouraged, podcasts can provide some sort of substitute for the busy background noise and conversations that you may be used to in your schools, a coffee shop, or large public places like malls. They can be educational and informative, explore topics you never even thought of before, and most of the time, have at least the smallest amount of much-needed humor.  Continue reading Podcasts about Black Mental Health

Black Girls Smile

Mental health and wellbeing are universally important, but African-American girls can face unique circumstances that result in increased vulnerability to certain mental health difficulties. With this in mind, Lauren Carson created a national non-profit organization in 2008 called Black Girls Smile to promote positive mental health and educational opportunities for these girls and those who care for them. Continue reading Black Girls Smile

Mental Health Dictionaries

No matter where your child is in their mental health journey, you’ve probably had to look up a term because you’re not quite sure what it exactly means. Mental health is just that, health, so the official medical terms for mental illnesses, medications, diagnoses, and parts of the brain that affect your emotions and mood can get overwhelming. There are also different types of treatment you can seek out and different types of therapists which can make the whole thing very confusing. Continue reading Mental Health Dictionaries

Catching Up on Sleep

Truthfully, the chances that your child’s sleep schedule aren’t the best are quite high. Adolescents in high school and college, despite needing a sufficient amount of sleep, do not get the recommended eight hours of uninterrupted sleep per night. There are tons of reasons for this: technology, caffeine, and just being too busy are just a few factors, to name a few. Continue reading Catching Up on Sleep

Mental Health Checklists

Sometimes, we need a physical, tangible option to help us accomplish our goals and put the things that we want to work on into words instead of having them just floating around our heads. One way to visually organize our minds is through checklists. You may associate checklists with to-do lists and things that you want to accomplish, but they can also be used as a tool to see your progress about something or help you understand how you’re feeling. Continue reading Mental Health Checklists

Headspace on Netflix

Headspace: Guide to Meditation (Netflix)

One of the most popular meditation apps, by far, is Headspace. We’ve talked about it before (several times, in fact), and it’s usually one of the first options on lists about apps to download and try for wellness and meditation. However, in order to get the full experience and benefits of the app, you have to pay for it, which may not be a plausible option for young people. Continue reading Headspace on Netflix

Sleep Hygiene

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. We hope you can use their post to start a conversation with your adolescent.

The amount of sleep I’ve had in any given night is the single most important determinant in how my day is going to go. This is because sleep correlates with emotional well-being, physical health and ability to concentrate and function properly throughout the day. I find myself especially cranky and kind of insufferable to be around on days that I haven’t had enough sleep – I’m one of those “don’t talk to me until I’ve had coffee” kind of people. Continue reading Sleep Hygiene

Transportation Barrier Resources

The majority of these resources apply to transportation in the Pittsburgh area. We hope that the other resources listed help those who live outside of Pittsburgh, or that you are able to find similar resources in your area too.

Transportation to and from appointments can be a big challenge to overcome while getting treatment. Availability, cost, and convenience can be major factors, and finding resources is not always easy. Fortunately, we have put together a list of possible solutions to help ease the burden of transportation. Continue reading Transportation Barrier Resources