Navigating the Barren Lands of Therapy Deserts: Expanding Mental Health Access
By Sarah Rawlings, LCSW – Bradley REACH Referral Coordinator, Florida
What is a Therapy Desert?
Therapy deserts are defined as areas across the United States with limited access to mental health services.
These regions lack the resources for modern mental health access and pose a significant challenge for individuals seeking support for their mental well-being. Specifically, the term was coined to describe large parts of the county with no available mental health providers for over 50 miles.
To put this into perspective, Rhode Island is 48 miles North to South (1545 square miles, thanks Google!). Apalachee Center, the agency that is helping to bring Bradley REACH to Florida, is located in Tallahassee, well… we have a service area of 160 miles East to West and 80 miles North to South (about 9000 square miles, thanks again Google). Now Tallahassee is fairly centralized in this service area, but let’s see what that means for our average client. If a client in our furthest county is having a mental health emergency and needs an inpatient hospital setting, they are driving about 1.5 hours (or about 80 miles) to seek care.
Falling Through The Gap
Our struggles do not end at the inpatient level though. At the “traditional” outpatient level we may have an office within 20-40 minutes (or about 10-30 miles) of a client, but those offices are harder to staff and can have lengthy waiting lists. If we are looking for a more intensive level of care like a partial hospitalization program (PHP) PHP or intensive outpatient program (IOP), well back to Tallahassee we go with two (very small, in-person only) IOPs and one (very small, in person only) PHP for the entire panhandle (9,000 square miles) service area. To say this leaves giant cracks would be putting it lightly. It’s not is not at all surprising that clients fall through the metaphorical and physical gaps.
The impacts we see living in a therapy desert are again, widespread. These include, but are not limited to the following:
Limited Access to Care
Untreated Conditions: Individuals living in therapy deserts often face delays in receiving mental health care, leading to untreated conditions that can worsen over time.
Escalation of Symptoms: Without timely intervention, manageable symptoms can escalate, affecting daily functioning and overall well-being.
Emotional Toll
Increased Stress and Anxiety: The awareness of limited access to mental health services can create stress and anxiety, compounding existing mental health issues.
Feelings of Isolation: Lack of support can intensify feelings of isolation, particularly for those already struggling with mental health challenges.
Cultural and Social Stigma
Perceived Weakness: Stigma surrounding mental health can prevent individuals from seeking help, fearing judgment, or being labeled as "weak." In the South, there is still a message that therapy is “unhelpful” or “not needed”.
Cultural Barriers: Cultural norms or beliefs in therapy deserts might discourage open discussions about mental health or seeking professional help.
Clinician Burnout
Overworked and burnt out: Clinicians around our area are feeling the pressure to keep up a hefty client caseload, even though wait lists are constantly expanding.
We just went through a mental map of our struggles here in the panhandle with a LARGE service area, and I want to stress that sadly this is true for most of our state. 65,757 square miles (Google, winning) of the Sunshine State with therapy deserts throughout!
Now for the good news.
Bradley Hospital has expanded the REACH of mental health access for adolescents to the ENTIRE state of Florida. The virtual PHP program from Bradley REACH has made it possible to not just bridge the gap between therapy offices, but literally meet the clients where they are at - in their homes! Clients and families in our area light up when we tell them they can enroll in an intensive therapy program, with amazing clinical staff… from their couch (or bed, no judgment).
No more driving for 1.5 hours. No more waiting on an endless list. No more struggling to get the help they know they need. All they have to do is REACH out to me to start the process of enrollment! Bradley REACH has changed the game on treatment access, and one by one it is breaking down the barriers that come with providing services in a therapy desert.
DISCLAIMER:
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
If you or your child are in crisis or experiencing mental health problems related to seasonal affective disorder or other have other mental health concerns, please seek the advice of a licensed clinician or call 988 or Kids Link in Rhode Island.
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