Nationwide — May is deemed Mental Health Awareness Month. Dr. Linda J.M. Holloway, a Professor at Alabama State University, has taken a personal call to duty to speak out about mental health in the Black community. Often, mental health is viewed as a taboo topic to speak on, and many people suffer in silence.Dr. Holloway’s children’s book, Linda Miss Linda Goes to Counseling, was designed to start this conversation early with children. It has been reported by the United States Department of Health and Human Services that 1 in 5 children ages 3 -17 would more than likely experience some form of a mental, emotional, behavioral, or developmental disorder.

Many of our children suffer from extended periods of unhappiness, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, mass violence within their schools or local neighborhood, bullying, natural disasters, eating disorders, and gender identity concerns. Therefore, it is imperative we create a safe environment to speak with children concerning their emotional and mental well-being.

Dr. Holloway’s book helps children navigate their emotions, develop coping skills, learn healthy social skills, cope effectively with their problems, monitor their mental health, and determine where to go to seek professional help.

What the book is about:

Little Miss Linda Goes to Counseling is about a little girl who has everything going well in life. She lives in a beautiful home, has very lovely parents, caring friends, and makes really good grades in school. However, she has a deep, dark secret she has been carrying around for many months. She has been feeling really blue. She tries to discuss it with her parents, but they just think it is because she is going to a new school. Finally, she tells her friends who support her by taking her to seek professional help. As a result of Little Miss Linda getting the help she needed, she makes it her personal mission to help other children with their mental health.

You will find this book both educational and uplifting because it has a scavenger hunt to locate all the hidden smiling faces throughout the book. There are also some LOL (Learning Out Loud) questions to answer related to mental wellness, as well as a pledge to make a commitment for children to care for their mental wellness.

You can purchase this book on Amazon

Book Trailer:
YouTube.com/watch?v=Mc71zDuA5R8