The Curriculum
by Scott Manningham MS LMHC and Jordan Sims LCSW
What if healing didn’t mean silencing the darkness… but learning how to light your way through it?
Light Up the Darkness is a powerful, soul-stirring journey through fear, anxiety, and emotional pain—told through words, images, and reflective exercises that speak directly to the reader’s heart.
In a world where it often feels like you’re expected to “just get over it,” this book invites you to slow down, look inward, and find your light—even when the world around you feels heavy.
Written by licensed mental health counselor Scott Manningham, this book blends poetry, storytelling, and therapeutic guidance to help you turn your silence into strength and your struggles into purpose.
You don’t need to erase the darkness.
You just need to learn how to shine through it.
Light Up the Darkness is a transformative journey through emotion, identity, and healing, designed to reach the parts of us that don’t always have the words to speak. Created by licensed mental health counselor Scott Manningham, MS, LMHC, this visually powerful, emotionally intelligent book invites readers to confront their inner battles with grace, creativity, and purpose.
Told through a unique blend of narrative, introspection, artwork, and self-guided reflection, the book follows the emotional evolution of a young man grappling with anxiety, pressure, and self-doubt. As he navigates a world that often fails to understand or validate his pain, he begins to discover the light within himself—and the power of intention, community, and imagination.
Each page is crafted to help readers not only process their emotions but reframe them to turn fear into fire, isolation into insight, and uncertainty into purpose. Light Up the Darkness is not just a story; it’s a blueprint for mental and emotional resilience. With space for reflection, prompts to spark self-awareness, and empowering affirmations, this is more than a book, it’s an experience.
Whether you’re a young adult struggling to find your voice, an educator looking to connect deeper with students, or simply someone searching for meaning in your own healing journey, this book offers a rare and powerful companion for the road ahead.
Scott R Manningham MS, LMHC
Scott Manningham, MS, LMHC, is a licensed mental health counselor, visionary educator, and founder of Talk2Me Unconventional Therapy. With a passion for transforming pain into purpose, Scott blends clinical expertise with storytelling, music, and creative expression to reach those often left in the shadows. Through his “Light Up the Darkness” initiative, he empowers youth and adults alike to confront their struggles, reclaim their identity, and walk boldly toward healing.
From Silent Struggle to Powerful Purpose
by Scott Manningham MS LMHC and Illustrator Ruestasha Walker
The darkness was never meant to be erased. It was meant to be lit.
Bryce thought he was alone, until one phone call lit the first spark of change.
Light Up the Darkness is not just a story, it’s an invitation. Through the voice of one young man facing the shadows of depression, loss, and doubt, this book guides readers on a journey of self-awareness, emotional healing, and personal transformation.
In a world that often tells us to “just be positive” or “get over it,” this book offers something deeper:
The understanding that darkness is always around us, but so is our light.
We don’t escape the dark.
We illuminate it.
We don’t wait for hope.
We become it.
This is your moment.
Not just to move forward… but to move forward on purpose.
With clarity. With vision. With light.