Wesley Greenfield and Tiffany Franklin are future and current Toccoa Falls College students who live with autism. The Talon got to speak with Greenfield and Franklin about their opinions on common stereotypes and individual, everyday experiences an autistic mind.

Toccoa Falls College Men's Basketball players discuss mental health in the sports industry, misconceptions, and what people can do to support them.

Toccoa Falls College’s (TFC) Student Wellness Center is a safe space on campus for students to seek support, help and guidance as they navigate the stressors and obstacles of school and life. The Wellness Center offers Student Counseling Services that aim to support the emotional needs of students in a secure and confidential environment. The counselors are capable of handling various forms of psychological distress, grief and trauma, and adjustment to college life. TFC and the Student Wellness Center are dedicated to providing students with the means to effectively manage and process mental health struggles. 

When we are weighed down by painful burdens, it can feel like we are ultimately alone in our sorrow. With our individual sufferings and personal situations, it is easy to find ourselves in a pit of despair and think that nobody can understand what we are going through. To some extent this may be true, but we are not alone in the endurance of suffering.

Suicide. The first time I remember hearing this word I was 11 years old. It was a beautiful November day, and my mother came into my room crying. She told me that my great uncle had killed himself. At the time, I did not really understand what had happened. I just knew that I was confused and sad. My uncle had been an outwardly happy person. He was funny, loved his family and served in his church. How could someone who seemed “okay” not really be, okay?

In today’s society, the topic of mental health appears to have a negative connotation. The issue seems to get kicked under the rug until it is pushed onto the surface.

Anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses are no match for God. Keep reading to learn how one TFC student invites God into their battles with mental illness and be reminded of the role He plays for each of His children as Healer.

I have Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy. I have scoliosis which has been surgically corrected. I have had my hamstrings and tendons lengthened. My ankles have been repositioned. I am able to walk with a walker. I use a power wheel. That’s what I say when someone asks, “what happened?”

Keep reading to learn more about how cerebral palsy affects, but does not fully define, the life of a TFC student.

Grief. It’s not a pretty word, which is good considering the concept is so far from beautiful.

Keep reading to learn more about one student’s experience with grief. It may relate to your journey and/or help you to be there for others who have a similar experience.

Let’s be honest – every single one of us has picked a scab or a hangnail at some point in our lives. It’s not unusual to be curious and pick at something on your skin. But have you ever had a moment where you stopped and realized that you had been picking at your skin or nails for an extended period of time without even knowing it?

Keep reading to learn more about dermatillomania, a soul-sucking skin picking disorder, and how it affects the life of at least one TFC student.