Minute: a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or a sixtieth of an hour “In a minute!” How often do you use that phrase? “I’ll be there in a minute!” “I’ll do it in a minute.” “It will only take a minute!” In a minute you can microwave chicken nuggets from frozen to …
Does living in Poverty affect Mental Health?
Diane Kelly, retired Executive Director of Mental Health America of Roanoke Valley, joined the Board of Directors for Family Service of Roanoke Valley in August 2017. She brings a wealth of knowledge about mental health advocacy in Virginia, and the overall landscape of mental health services in the Roanoke Valley. Family Service is fortunate to …
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Google Depression on National Depression Screening Day
A truth for you all to know about me: I Google everything. It might be the millennial in me or maybe something else, but if I don’t have an answer, I immediately search for it. This is why for National Depression Screening Day, I Googled depression. Google and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) …
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Let’s get social about mental health
Let’s get real for a few seconds here. I love social media. I’m on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest all the time. And I’m not in the minority here. Millions of people are with me and on other sites I don’t use. Literally millions. So it can be a tad, okay extremely, alarming to see …
Discussions about the News with Kids
Earlier this year, our very own Jennifer Nolley was the winner of a Golden Halo award from Children’s Trust Roanoke Valleyfor her outstanding work as a counselor. Her award-winning expertise was called upon this week do discuss how to keep kids informed during a tough news cycle. In the interview with WDBJ7®, Jennifer says, "[for] elementary school …
Be the One to…
Throughout September, Family Service and our fellow mental health organizations across the Roanoke Valley focus on Suicide Prevention and Awareness. Part of the reason Suicide Prevention Awareness Month is in September is because incidents ofsuicide actually increase in the fall and also in the spring–as seasons change and life changes pace from the leisure of …
Table Discussions and Speaking of Suicide
Sitting at our family’s fourth generation dining room table, my brother and I talked. More like I talked. I thought he listened. My grandmother gave me the table for my first real house, the one I shared with my first husband. My marriage ended and I moved home to live in my parents’ basement. So …
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When Mental Health Days Don’t Help
I’m taking today and tomorrow to focus on my mental health. Hopefully I’ll be back next week refreshed and back to 100%. @madalynrose The Tweet capturing attention of mental health professionals and mental health warriors this summer was an email sent from a boss to her team about taking a couple of days off to …
Standing in the light after Charlottesville
Following the events in Charlottesville last weekend, I needed some time and space to reflect. I have read a lot. I have watched way too many news broadcasts. And I have listened as colleagues and friends talked and cried. Every day at Family Service of Roanoke Valley, we work to heal and inspire children, youth, …
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Woebot: A Review of AI and Mental Health
“Hi Tyler! Can we do a check in now?” Woebot has been asking me that question every single day in Facebook’s Messenger app since June. For those unfamiliar with Woebot, it is an automated conversational agent that is “trained” in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and describes itself as a life coach and philosopher. So to …
