Clarendon minister pens book to help troubled minors

Clarendon minister and teacher Shauna-Kay Douglas is hoping to inspire youths through her latest book, Winning With The Word, A Devotional for Children and Teens.

Released in April, Douglas, who is a trained guidance counsellor, said the 14-chapter book merges psychology and theology.

"I allow children and teens to see themselves in the way God sees them. It speaks on the importance of journaling, as that is therapeutic. It is a very interactive book with devotion and prayers and other activities," Douglas said.

Douglas, who ministers at Mount Providence New Testament Church of God, said the thought of writing the book came to her earlier this year. After many prayers and consultations with the Almighty, she penned the first chapter.

"In January the Lord lead me to start a Bible study for children and teens called 'Winning with the Word', so that is how the name of the book came about. I am also a teacher at Denbigh Primary School and I have to put a lot into lesson planning. So the Lord worked as an inspiration, and the same way I put so much in lesson planning, I need to invest in their eternity," she said.

In February, after the Office of the Children's Advocate (OCA) conducted its first full-year assessment of persons who contacted the SafeSpot helpline during 2022, mental illness was found to account for the majority of the issues children who called in said they were challenged with. From data collected during the helpline conversations, the OCA placed these challenges into several categories, including: fear and anxiety problems; suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts; and academic issues.

Douglas emphasised that she is fully aware of the stress that the nation's children endure and hopes that after reading her book, they will find meaningful channels to deal with the challenges.

"I want them to know that when they are faced with stressful situations, there are therapeutic ways to deal with it. All 14 chapters of the book are in the affirmative and our children are stressed and we just want them to know that they should run to God's word and fill their minds with positive thoughts and hold on to what God says about them," she said.

"I want this book to change the thinking of our children and cause a massive positive impact on our future generation. Our children are bombarded with a lot of negativity through the music, social media and so on. I hope that this book will raise up a generation that is confident and one that is anchored in the word of God," Douglas added.

Douglas has also authored the books Poetic and E.P.I.C. Edifying, Practical, Inspiring, Compelling and Recipe for Success - The Sure Way.