Rural Mental Health
Accessing mental health care in rural America can be a daunting journey. The unique features of life in agriculture make us prone to many mental health issues – most specifically depression and anxiety. I have both. I have spoken openly about my journey through mental health issues on social media. See video links here, here, and here. So in light of that I wanted to provide a mental health resource page here for anyone who needs help.
Resource Links
Linked Resource Background
I would also like to provide quick background on the above links. These were largely provided to me after I reached out for help on Twitter.
- Farm Aid Resource Network is run by FarmAid. It is not a resource I have personally used but it’s often recommended by others in agriculture.
- Suicide Prevention Line: this is available to everyone who is in need.
- Farm Counseling.org is an organization I learned about from an episode of AgriTalk. A link to the Apple Podcast of the episode is here. Ted Matthews did an incredible job.
- TalkSpace is a subscription service for online based therapy. There are various plans available, you are matched with a therapist, and you can manage the frequency in which you engage.
- HeadSpace is a meditation based website and app. It teaches mindfulness and helps you learn to practice meditation.
- Psychology Today is a service that allows you to narrow down providers in your area. You can filter by location, insurance, tele-medicine, and other factors.
- DoMoreAg is a Canada based organization. They do not provide direct counseling or therapy but they provide support for the agriculture community. They can also point you towards local resources if you are Canadian.
- A Brave Life provides personalized day planners and guided journals for individuals struggling with mental illnesses. They create them based on your information and the help of an advisory board made up of licensed mental health professionals.
- Thrive for Montana is a program through Montana State University and designed for Montanans specifically.
- The Recovery Village is a rehabilitation center based in Columbus Ohio, they have an extensive resource page of mental health resources. They break down the various resources into categories for men, women, children and young adults, as well as veterans. They also provide a breakdown of resources for depression, bipolar, and more.
This is by no means a comprehensive list but it is a start. I hope to continue to add to this list as I am exposed to more resources.
** As always – this is not meant to be medical advice. Please contact your physician or treatment. If you are in crisis please visit your local emergency department or call 911. **