Youth Voices Rising: Arya Smith Explores Mental Health, Healing and Helping Others

By Arya Smith
Companion reel by Nymeria Jordan and Myana Mosley

This story is part of Youth Voices Rising, a Black By God narrative-change project supported by The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation and produced in partnership with the Norman Jordan African American Arts and Heritage Academy at West Virginia State University.

During Black By God’s Youth Voices Rising journalism workshop, I sat in on a session with Alicia Allen, a licensed clinical therapist, and Brian Mitchell, a therapist and social worker. I listened and took notes as they talked about their experiences, why they help others and what they have learned about taking care of themselves.

Brian shared a personal reason for wanting to help people with their mental health. He spoke about difficult experiences when he was younger, including losing friends and struggling with his own mental health. Now, he wants to use those experiences to help other people.

The session also explored trust and patience. People may need time to feel comfortable opening up about what they are going through. Building trust can help them feel more comfortable being vulnerable and sharing their experiences.

Both Alicia and Brian talked about the importance of caring for yourself while caring for others.

“If you don’t like anyone in this world, you have to like yourself,” Alicia said.

Brian shared another lesson: “If you’re helping other people heal, make sure you have someone helping you heal.”

Their words showed me that helping other people doesn’t mean ignoring what you are going through yourself. Even people who spend their time helping others sometimes need someone to help them heal, too.

Behind the Reel: Belonging in West Virginia

Youth contributors Nymeria Jordan and Myana Mosley interviewed Allen and Mitchell about belonging in West Virginia for their accompanying reel.

Jordan, a 12th grader from West Virginia, said working with friends helped her recognize the importance of cooperation.

“One thing I learned during this project while working with friends is that our community is built off of working with each other as one!” Jordan wrote in her project reflection.

Mosley, an 11th grader at South Charleston High School from Dunbar, said the interview helped her learn about “the resources we have in our community and the things they do to help.”

Watch their reel for more from the conversation about trust, belonging and finding purpose.

About the Reporter

Arya Smith is a middle school student. During Black By God’s Youth Voices Rising journalism workshop, she practiced listening, taking notes and turning what she learned into a story.