Loud Enough Podcast
Loud Enough: is a podcast from the Teen Action and Support Center that creates space for honest dialogue about what teens are really facing today. This podcast is hosted by Dawn Spragg, MS, LPC, CEO of TASC and will include teens, parents and caregivers, community partners, and trusted experts. Each episode will aim to elevate teen voices and explore practical, compassionate ways to support them. Through real stories and thoughtful conversation, Loud Enough invites families and communities to move beyond fear and judgment toward connection, understanding, and hope. This podcast is for anyone who believes teens deserve to be heard, supported, and empowered as we build a healthier, more positive youth development narrative—together.
Loud Enough Podcast
Ep. 5 - Youth Mental Health: Breaking the Silent Struggle
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The youth mental health crisis is no longer a quiet conversation happening behind closed doors. Statistics show that one in five teenagers will experience depression before adulthood, and in states like Arkansas, access to care remains a significant hurdle. When teenagers feel they have to "mask" their struggles to avoid judgment or parental worry, the isolation only deepens. We sit down with Alicia Salinas, a high school senior who has navigated anxiety and depression since elementary school, to get a raw look at what it actually feels like to grow up in this environment.
We sit down to discuss the physiological reality of panic attacks and the specific "roots" that trigger long term anxiety. Alicia Salinas shares her perspective on the comparison trap fueled by academic pressure and the nuanced role social media plays in modern teen relationships. We get into the unvarnished truth about "missing class" as a survival mechanism and the pivotal moment Alicia Salinas decided to transition from self isolation to professional counseling. The conversation highlights the "secret sauce" of recovery: finding a safe mental space and utilizing concentrated breathing to regain control when the body feels like it is failing.
The unglamorous truth is that recovery is not a linear path and "just breathing" is a skill that must be practiced under duress. For parents, the reality check is that your child's struggle isn't necessarily a reflection of your parenting, but your reaction to it can determine their willingness to heal. You will walk away from this episode with a better understanding of how to listen without jumping to conclusions and why professional therapy is a tool for empowerment rather than a badge of shame.
If you care about youth advocacy, mental health resources, and supporting the next generation, you will get a lot from this. Please subscribe and share this video to help us amplify teen voices that often go unheard. What is one way you can create a safer space for the young people in your life to speak their truth?
Why Youth Mental Health Matters
SPEAKER_01Hi there, I'm Dawn Sprague, and this is Loud Enough, a podcast for the Teen Action and Support Center that aims to make sure that we allow for teen voices to be heard. And when teenagers can't be heard, we make sure that adults speak loud enough to share their message. And so today we're going to talk about mental health. We believe that mental health matters, and it is National Mental Health Awareness Month. And so we thought this would be a good time to begin to talk about this crisis that we have in our country for youth mental health. We know that following the pandemic, things numbers continue to increase in all areas for mental health for teenagers. And so I just want to share a little bit of just some of the research, some of the things that we know according to the Annie Casey Foundation. One in five teenagers experience depression before they turn 18. And two in five teenagers say they have persistent hopelessness or sadness. That's a lot of teens in our country who are struggling with hopelessness and sadness. For anxiety, about 20% of teenagers report that they have symptoms of anxiety. We were just talking about that's the number of teenagers who report it. We felt sure that there are a number of young people who don't want anybody to know that they are struggling. About 8% of teenagers have symptoms of PTSD, and nearly half of the teen population have been exposed to community violence or abuse or a natural disaster or a traumatic experience of some kind, 50%. And so it becomes really critical to make sure that we have trauma-informed care for all of our young people because we know that that reduces the future of PTSD and their lives and depression as well. The most concerning statistic for me, of course, would be our numbers on suicide and suicidal ideation. So 20% of US high school students report seriously considering suicide. 20% of our students and 9% actually attempt suicide. That we need to make sure our teenagers are cared for. In a 2025 kid count data book, we learned that Arkansas is 47th for youth mental health. And we know that our teenagers are not receiving care and at the rate that they need that, and for a number of different reasons. About 40% of kids who need care do not receive care. For some of the reasons that we know that that's true is that they are, they don't have access to care. They either don't have the means to be able to pay for it, they don't have the transportation to be able to get to places to receive care. And there's also a number of a shortage in the number of people who can provide mental health services. So one of the things we do at the Teen Action and Support Center is provide low-to-no cost services for every teenager to make sure that they have access to care, to make sure that we have services available for them after school so that they can have their parents take them when they get home from work and that kind of thing. And so we know that we can reduce the barriers, but there's also a stigma on mental health, and especially for
Why Teens Hide Their Pain
SPEAKER_01our teenagers. And so I have a guest here today. I'm so excited to have you here today to talk a little bit about the issue of mental health. An actual teenager here to just to share a little bit. I'm really grateful that you're here today. Why don't you introduce yourself to the people who are listening today?
SPEAKER_00Okay, my name is Alicia Salinas, and I'm a senior in high school.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00And I've struggled with anxiety and depression for basically my whole teenage years.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah, I wanted to ask you like why is the issue of mental health so important to you? It's because you've been struggling for a long time. Um and also because you are teenagers, so you have a lot of friends. And I'm just curious about if you could share with everybody here today uh if if you could talk a little bit about what you see are the struggles for teenagers, especially when it comes to their mental health.
SPEAKER_00So definitely I think one of the biggest struggles is opening up because a lot of teenagers are scared of judgment. Oh yeah. And you don't know how someone else is going to react. And you don't want your parents to worry either. You kind of want them to think that you're okay, even when you're not okay.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And sometimes I think I have learned from the number of teenagers that I have worked with and counseling that um that you're you're almost expected to be okay and to be able to pull yourself together and put on a happy face and that kind of thing. What do you think are some of the things that are um causing some of these challenges, the depression, the anxiety, um, even some of the PTST, like what do you see as a teenager are some of the factors?
SPEAKER_00Um, definitely some of the factors are kind of the things that go on in your daily lives.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_00I think a lot of people don't really know someone. And when you go to school and you put on a fake smile and do your work, you kind of seem like you're okay. And it starts to pile up on you like you're not okay, and nobody else knows that. And I think when you stress about being stressed, or about school in general, it definitely has a big part in your mental health, especially with depression. Um, I think a lot of teenagers struggle with just being able to show their emotions.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01Why is that? Can you do you have any insight on why is it hard to show emotion or to to be in that space with other people where it's acceptable to have an emotion of any kind?
SPEAKER_00You kind of just don't want to feel judged. I think that when you tell someone, well, I'm going through this, they start to look at you different. Like, okay, like I thought you were okay, I thought you were normal. But that's not always the case for everyone. I think you just are scared of what people are gonna say, and you don't know how anyone else can help you. Feels like you're alone.
SPEAKER_01Like you're alone. Yeah. So even if you reach out or try to share, you still end up feeling a bit alone. Yeah. Yeah.
School Pressure And Feeling Not Enough
SPEAKER_01Talk a little bit. I think we've talked a little bit before about like what's what where's the pressure come from? Like where what where are you experiencing you and your friends to your um other teenagers? Where is the stress coming from?
SPEAKER_00Um, I think a lot of the pressure comes from school and your parents.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00I think when your parents like expect so much from you, and sometimes you really can't give them everything that they expect from you, and it just starts to make you feel like you're not enough. And them constantly telling you they're disappointed in you or you didn't do that good enough, it makes yourself feel worse. And then within the school, I think teachers also will always just like expect you to do so much in your schoolwork.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And it's hard, like it is hard to keep up with work and just having them be like, Well, you need to do this and you need to get a good grade on it, and constantly being on you is like super stressful. And it's like um when two different kinds of people are kind of expecting a lot out of you, it definitely stresses you out.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. And and does some of it come from within too? You mentioned like not good enough. I hear that a lot from teenagers, that sense of I'm not good enough, you know, in in all kinds of arenas, like at home and at school and with friends and all of the things. And so uh, can you talk about that a little bit? Because that's a very that's a hard hit to to your self-esteem when you felt not good enough. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So definitely I think the not feeling good enough can come in multiple forms. I mean, like as a teenager, you always feel like you're in comparison with other kids your age.
SPEAKER_02Sure.
SPEAKER_00And you kind of want to fit in to the certain standard that people should hold up for you. So it's really hard, especially if you see like the kid next to you in class is doing so good and you're working, you're just not where they're at. It can definitely make you feel not good enough. Or as a girl, I definitely think um the confidence when you see other girls, you're like, oh, like, well, I want to have similar features as them. And then that can also definitely make you depressed and make you feel really bad about yourself.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So how do you how do you keep from letting that stuff in? That's such a hard thing, I think. What what do you think are some of the factors that um teenagers or adults or that are around teenagers should be aware of in terms of uh all of that not enough stuff?
SPEAKER_00I think you kind of need to be patient with yourself. With your kid, I think you kind of can't push them either. You can't be like, oh, don't feel that way, or there's nothing wrong with you. Because your words aren't really gonna affect the way somebody else feels. It kind of comes from within. And I don't think if you tell someone else, oh, well, you're fine, you're good enough, that doesn't that's not gonna change how they feel about themselves.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. That self-esteem comes from yourself, it doesn't come from somebody else, right? Yeah. So um, so one of the things that that you feel like is uh when you when you say when you and most people would say you are good enough. You're you you are great, you're wonderful. Of course they want to say good things. It's not not that you shouldn't say good things, but to understand that it doesn't get received in the same way as you hope that somebody would receive it. And so are there things that that you do that you've done over time that help you not feel the pressure or not feel the comparison? You are your friends, like are there things that you do?
SPEAKER_00I wouldn't say there was anything that like I really did. I think it all kind of comes on its own time. I don't think you should rush anything like you telling yourself, well, I want to feel better now. Like I don't want to feel this way now. It's not gonna change anything. You have to be patient and know that over time it will get better, even if you don't feel okay then.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. It'll it'll come. Yeah. It'll come. Yeah.
Social Media Connection Versus Comparison
SPEAKER_01We've talked a little bit, you and I, about social media. And I I I know that there are adults that are like, social media is the problem. That's the whole, you know, the whole issue, the pressure that you have, the um comparison that you do, that teenagers do, all of it's coming from social media. It's um it's it's not a good thing. And so I wonder if you would you talk about that a little bit, what you think about social media, you and your friends, and how you try to manage that.
SPEAKER_00Um I don't really think social media takes that much of a big impact on mental health. I think it kind of is more of a way to make connections and connect with uh your friends or other people your age. I think it's kind of in the way that you view it, if you use it like against yourself, being like, well, like if you look up other people's things and you kind of compare your life to theirs, that's just the way of you the way that you use it. And I don't think every teenager is like that. I think most of them just use it for connection and being able to connect with their friends, especially since COVID, I think not many people like go and hang out or spend time together. It's really all online. And that's kind of how it is gonna be from now on.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And it's so, so the social media connection, or even if you're talking about a phone or a you know, tablet, whatever, where you're texting for connection, those things are they're they're critical to the relationships you have, is what kind of what you're saying, right? I have a lot of parents who, you know, feel like their kids are addicted to their phones and they, you know, when they're taken away, it seems to be a big problem, but it is because it's relational, not just because they are addicted to it necessarily. Okay. I I I know we talked about that, like you how you use social media is can be detrimental or it can be helpful to a teenager, right? Yeah. And so detrimental, you said, is when you use it to compare yourself to other people. What would you say to a teenager who um who did that? How how would you encourage them to kind of rethink that?
SPEAKER_00I think you kind of can't really get stuck on something you can't change if you're looking at other people's lives and thinking, well, why is it my life like that? You kind of get stuck in that and it's a cycle. And the only way that you can really not think like that is just breaking the cycle. And I think when you enjoy your own life and look at the good things in your life, it kind of will go away eventually. Cause I think that envy is definitely something uh any not even just teenagers, but anyone should not really like put themselves through. I think it's kind of a waste of time. It just looking at other people's life instead of looking the at the good in yours will kind of just affect you in a bad way.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So and let's talk about the positive things about social media and some of some of that. Um what what what do you find is a positive thing? And or you or your friends, like what are some of the positive things about having access to to social media and those connections?
SPEAKER_00Well, definitely I like to like chat with my friends, like through social media and like see what they're up to. And the other positive thing is social media spreads a lot of awareness about really anything you see, like cancer awareness, mental health, suicide. And it's not really all that bad. They're trying to spread awareness to everyone and kind of just like speak up. And you get to see that like on your daily feed.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So you get to see how it can be used for good. Yeah. How it can be positive. I have a lot of teams who um they'll come in and uh they'll want to show me a TikTok, they want to show me a reel or something about something somebody said that inspired them, that helped them think about something differently. So again, it goes back to what what you're focused on, what you're what you're looking at. That's that's a great thing. Thank you for for giving us some
A Phobia That Sparked Anxiety
SPEAKER_01insight on that. I I think the other reason you and I talked about you being part of this podcast because it is focused on mental health awareness, um, is just kind of a little bit of your personal journey. And I am so grateful that you're willing to share that a little bit today. So um so would you mind just sharing with our listeners a little bit about your own personal mental health journey, which you said started pretty young. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So I was diagnosed with anxiety when I was in the third grade. And it kind of didn't really start out of nowhere. There's always a route. And I think that most people will be like, well, I just started feeling like this out of nowhere. But I don't really think that's the case. I think deep down there is something that had to have started. And for me, it was a phobia. Actually, um, I struggle with amidophobia, the fear of throwing up. Yeah. And it changed my life so much. I struggle with it like every day, um, all through elementary school, like towards the end. I was always that kid who was crying, who did not want to go to class. Yeah. And every time um, like a student would throw up, I just remember everyone laughing. And I would be the one in the corner, shaking, crying, wanting to go home. And they were like, What's wrong with her? Like, why is she like acting like that? I would just start freaking out. And I always felt like there was something wrong with me. Like, well, why do I feel like this? Or even just when I'm sitting in class and I see everyone else around me also just doing their work, and I just feel this sense of like fire flight. So suddenly it just comes, and it's like, well, what's wrong with me? Like, why is no one else in the classroom? Like it's like I was in my own world, but the world I was in wasn't.
SPEAKER_01So you're in a room with everybody, and you feel like everybody else is acting different. But but what's wrong with me? Why why do I feel this way? Was it unsafe? Did you feel unsafe?
SPEAKER_00I would really say like I felt unsafe. I just felt so different because I just didn't want to feel this way. Basically, it kind of felt like it was for no reason. Even though I knew I had a phobia, it kind of was affecting me every day. I did not want to go to school, and I just wanted to stay home and locked in the room because I felt like, well, if I never go to school, I won't have to see anyone throw up or I won't feel sick. I won't get sick from other people. And I kind of just wanted to be by myself. But it kind of my mental health got a lot better in middle school. I think middle school, I didn't really deal with much anxiety. I think depression comes and goes, but definitely the start of my freshman year was when I really got really bad panic attacks again because of an incident where I felt like I was gonna throw up at school and I started freaking out. And I just wanted to go home and I was crying, and I thought it was just a one-time thing. I was like, okay, I'm okay. And then the next day at school, the same thing happened to me again. And I was like, no, like this isn't right. So I stayed home for like the whole week, and then my parents took me to the doctor, and that's where I got diagnosed again with anxiety and depression. And this time they put me on medications. And I didn't really want to take medications. I kind of felt like, no, I can do this by myself. Like, I don't need any help. I'm okay. I'm fine. And my parents knew I wasn't fine. But it got really bad. I remember I couldn't even sleep at night. I started struggling with insomnia really bad, which is another side effect of having anxiety and depression. And it just got really bad. I did not want to do anything or go to school.
SPEAKER_01It's just kind of a cycle, right? Like you have one thing, you worry about it all the time. You feel like there's something wrong with you. So now depression hits, then you can't sleep, and lack of sleep makes it really hard to go to school and fee physically feel okay. And so that can just be a cycle that yeah, just one thing on top of the other. So I how did you handle it? What what did what things did you try? And did they work well or did they not work well?
SPEAKER_00So something that I first tried was kind of just sitting through it. I kind of would just sit there and let it all happen. But I wasn't really doing anything, and I could feel like they were only getting worse over time.
SPEAKER_01Troubles concentrating.
SPEAKER_00And I like I was like, well, this isn't good. Like, this isn't good for me. So they actually took me to the doctor again, and I remember they um upped my dose like in my medication. So I started taking my medication, and it definitely helped. I think I think I kind of I got a lot more sleep and my anxiety was kind of going down a little bit. The panic attacks were still like always there.
SPEAKER_01Um that made it hard to go to class, like hard to go to school and um and concentrate while you were there. So yeah, so that was a really hard thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Um I think with time, I kind of learned that a comfort, I kind of learned something that comforted me, and I used that as my safe place, I would say. Because I would like sit on my couch and like put on the TV and just relax and be like, it's gonna be okay, like nothing's gonna hurt me. Like I'm fine, I'm fine. And then throughout time, like if I was getting panic attacks at school, I kind of went to that safe place in my head. Your head. And I would just be like, it's okay to just pretend like I'm here. Yeah, I'll be okay. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I do remember you sharing with me that it got a little challenging because you were having so much trouble going to school that you started not going to school, like skipping class and finding a way to take care of yourself so that you didn't have to go
Skipping School And Family Fallout
SPEAKER_01to school. But that caused a whole lot of difficulty too. So you have challenges with mental health, and then now you're having academic challenge because you're getting behind in school, and then that causes a problem for you at home. Can you talk about that a little bit?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So whenever I started to skip class, I was my sophomore year. I think it was constantly, I kind of felt comfort in not going to class because I was like, well, if I don't go to class, I'm not gonna feel this way. I'm gonna be okay. And I just remember my parents getting the phone calls and being like, Why weren't you in class? I dropped you off at class. What were you doing? Like you were doing something you're not supposed to. And I would just be like, I don't want to talk, like I'm just leave me alone. And then I could tell like they would get really frustrated with me. And honestly, I don't blame them for it. At the time I did, I would be like, You don't know what I'm going through, like you don't see anything, like you don't care about me. That's kind of just that was like what was going on in my head at the time because I felt like, well, they can't see what I'm going through. But I also wasn't telling them, but I felt like if I told them, they're gonna be like, that's just an excuse.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. It's hard for parents. I I know your mom's working today and she wasn't able to join us, but um, but it it is. Parents don't really know like what's going on to your point, unless kids can really tell them. And sometimes it in your state of anxiety and depression and all that, it's very hard to articulate it. And you don't want to disappoint and you want, don't want to feel like you're not good enough. All of the saying there is just a perfect storm. So I wonder what you would suggest to parents. Like you and your family have navigated through that. Um, what what would you suggest? Or maybe what would your mom maybe say if she was here that that was helpful or was not helpful?
SPEAKER_00Um, the first thing was I would say be patient and listen. You don't want to jump to conclusions or assume the worst. Right. You have to listen to them. I mean, it's not easy being a parent. And sometimes you can feel like it's your fault also. Because I know my mom would feel that way, like everything that I was going through was her fault. Because she also went through a similar thing, because it's not really uncommon for teenagers to go through mental health, I think super common. Yeah, and my mom kind of felt like it was her fault, like she wasn't there for me enough, or she wasn't listening to me enough, and my mom actually started to get help as well. And I think it also depends on the way you parent. I think my mom was a lot more open and more listening, more patient. I think my dad kind of closed down, which is like he didn't really know what to do, right? Which is fine. But I think just listening and getting your own help as well, because you don't want to blame yourself either. I think it's not anyone's fault for the way anyone feels. It kind of is an inner thing. And the way you parent or the way you did things isn't gonna like, is it always the reason?
SPEAKER_01Right, right. There's a reason, like you said, there's always a root, and then it's how everybody behaves. So to be patient, very important. Um, to try to create safe space for listening and not expecting the worst. Like you're doing this to be rebellious, or you're doing this to push my buttons or make me look like a bad parent, because the school obviously, or other um other systems are pushing parents to make sure that kids are doing what they need to do. And so it's really hard, I know, for teens and for parents of teens to kind of do that um collaborative work of how do we make this better? And um your parents took you to the doctor and then they um and then they took you to counseling. That's kind of where you and I met and and kind of began this journey
Therapy Tools That Actually Help
SPEAKER_01together. And so I wonder if you could talk about that. You you said, you know, it's hard for teens to reach out, it's hard for families and parents to reach out if they think they have a mental health crisis or concern. I think people don't like to do it because there's a stigma, maybe I didn't parent well or whatever it is. And for teens, it's like, oh, now I have a therapist. And so, you know, we're not that bad, therapists. We're just not that bad. So talk a little bit about how therapy helped you counseling.
SPEAKER_00So at first, my doctor was like, yeah, no, she needs extra help. She needs to go to therapy. And um my parents were like, okay. And I remember being, no, absolutely not. Not like, I'm not going to therapy. And they're like, why? I was like, because I don't want to talk to someone about my feelings, a random person. And they were just like, okay, that's not what it is. They're here to help you. I remember being like, no, that's so dumb. I'm fine. I was like, I'm okay, I can do this by myself. And they were just like, they didn't really know how to help me. And I remember with my sister, she also had like kind of the same reaction. Yeah. She was like, no, I don't want to go. I don't want to talk to somebody. And it's like a lot of people feel that way. It's like, no, like, I don't want to go to therapy. Or what is what are other people gonna think about me going to therapy? Like they're gonna think something's wrong with me. They're like, I'm like special, like I need help or something, and you don't want anyone to know. Right. You kind of feel embarrassed or like other people are gonna look at you differently, like, okay, there's something wrong with her. Sure. But that's that's not always like the reason. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So it helped. You said it helped. What what do you think uh that this the process of therapy did to help you help yourself?
SPEAKER_00So at first I was like, I was kind of just talking like my basic problems, but the more you like build a relationship, you kind of get deeper into like why you feel this way or why you are that way. And I think that being able to talk with somebody else and then being like, well, we can relate that to this certain thing definitely helps a lot because you're not doing it all by yourself and you have someone guiding you, right? And it's really helpful, especially when you get coping skills. But yeah.
SPEAKER_01What what was what was a coping skill that maybe you still use?
SPEAKER_00I always do like the breathing one. I think everyone always says, oh, just breathe. But it's not just breathing when you're like having a panic attack. You feel like you're in control of something when everything else feels like you're out of control. Like when your own body feels like you can't even control what it's doing or how it's feeling. You know, like you're in control of your breathing and to just like focus on it like distracts you from that. I think I use that like every day.
SPEAKER_01Good, good. Yeah, there is a lot of times when we tell people to just breathe. They're like, I'm already breathing, but it's that concentrated. I'm in control of how deep I breathe, how much air I let out. And there's a physiological part of that, right? Like so far, your body that's in fight, flight, or freeze mode, anyway, for you to be taking in lots of oxygen is can can be super helpful. Um, we've talked about grounding and how important that is, and you know, five utilizing your five senses, all the basic stuff to to sort of reassure yourself that you're that you're okay, that you can be okay. Um, did you use any what we call historic thinking? Like I've been through this before and I and I did okay or I figured it out, and that that means I can do it again. Did you do you do that at all?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'll be like, well, when I felt like this, it passed. Like I'm not gonna feel like this forever, even though it doesn't feel good now. It'll pass. I know that it will. Because it's happened before.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. So that that's I think that that's really um, I think that's really important.
How Teens Support Friends
SPEAKER_01How do you help your friends? Um I'm curious about how you as a teenager and other teenagers too, um, how do you help one another out?
SPEAKER_00Well, I think there's not much you can do for somebody else, even if you want to fix their problem for them. It's not really what you do for others. But I think even them being able to open up to you is a lot because they feel safe enough to tell you things. And you kind of just want to be there for them. If maybe they don't have a good relationship with their mom and they don't want to be home, being like, well, let's go and do something. I think distracting them or taking them out of the problem will help them because you can't fix it for them. You can't just be like, you're gonna be fine because you're not, but even just being there for them is a lot. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I love that. Not not um, not saying the things that all the adults would say, like you're gonna be fine, just move past it. Instead, you're just present, you're listening, you're um taking them outside the problem. We love that. Um, because if you can distract or at least reorient somebody to it's it's right now I'm okay, you know, then they can figure that out on their own. I I think that that's a really, I think that's super, that's really helpful. Um, what what advice would you have for teenagers who are maybe struggling right now with anxiety or depression or any of the other things that we know kids are really um trying to push through? What what would you tell them?
SPEAKER_00I think the most basic kind of advice is really the best when people say reach out if you don't feel if you feel depressed or having these symptoms. Um, I think that it is a very crucial thing. Um, a lot of people kind of will just be like, no, I'm not gonna reach out, like I don't want to tell anyone. But even if it's just one person, you tell, even if it's just your dog, I think that it's so much easier to let it out, let everything you feel out, then hold it in and feel like you're doing this all by yourself because you're not, and you have a community to help you. And I think that raising more awareness is definitely needed. Not being scared of opening up, like it's okay to not be okay.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And that that's the thing is just doing that raises awareness that, oh, hey, the person next to me that I thought was doing great isn't. Yeah. Now I'm aware that there's somebody else. And that I think that that's I think that's really helpful. Um, so I want to finish up by um just allowing you an opportunity to um just share some hope about where you are.
Hope Ahead And Where To Get Help
SPEAKER_01Tomorrow is a big day for you. What's tomorrow? Um, tomorrow's my birthday. I want to turn 18. Yes, you will. By the time this airs, you'll actually probably be an adult. You'll be a you'll be a teenager, which is awesome. And I know that I I've felt really privileged to be a part of watching you heal and um and help yourself and become um stronger as you're dealing with some of the things you've dealt with for a very long time. Um, and you are a senior in high school. And so um talk a little bit about what your future looks like.
SPEAKER_00So for my future, I'm so starting in the summer, I'm gonna working full-time in a clinic. I think I will have my medical assistant certification if I pass, but hopefully I will. And then um starting in the fall, I'll be attending John Brown University and I'll be doing the nursing program there to get my bachelor's, and then once I get my bachelor's, I'm gonna do another two-year program. I'm looking at hoarding. Okay. And getting my master's nursing. Amazing.
SPEAKER_01Did you think when you were a freshman, when you were first struggling and really dealing with this thing full-time or head-on, I should say, um, did you think you'd be here? No, I didn't think I would finish high school. Okay. You were worried about that. Yeah.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01And now you're preparing for your future. I'm so proud of you and so excited for you and what that's gonna look like. So I hope maybe you'll come back and talk some more on um on our podcast. So thank you for sharing. That's a that's a courageous thing and it helps raise awareness and um hopefully encourages another teenager. And just to encourage our parents, we want to just remind you too that um walking alongside a teenager who's struggling with mental health is a difficult journey for parents. And we want you to have the support that you need. So, just a little bit about the Teen Action and Support Center. Um, we have opportunities for mental health services. Um, we are so lucky we don't have a very long waiting period for people to be able to receive the services they need. And so, if you need help, whether you're a parent or a teenager, um, we encourage you to reach out, just like you said, um, just reach out and um get the support that you need. We have a website that um that you can contact us and put an application in. Um, you can also reach us by looking at the website and finding our phone numbers. You can reach out that way. And we have programs for parents so that they can help walk alongside their teenagers better. And if you um need any kind of additional information, we'd love for you to reach out to us and find ways that we can partner here in our community to take care of the teams that we have right here in Northwest Arkansas. So if you want to support our work or if there's a way we can support your work, we would love for you to reach out and to allow us the opportunity to do that. So we just want to encourage you to let our teenage voices be heard. And when they can't be heard, um, we want to encourage you to speak loud enough so that others know really what's going on in the lives of our young people. We hope you'll join us again soon at our podcast or visit us on our website. Take care.