Living in a small town can sometimes mean a small amount of solutions to big problems, like mental health. One group from Indiana University is trying to break down those barriers to access.

Professor John Keesler of IU’s School of Social Work partnered with David Wilkerson and Todd Burkhardt, director of campus partnerships at the Center for Rural Engagement. Together with students, they teamed up to bring services to public libraries located in Bedford, Petersburg, Salem and Sullivan.

“Libraries are really moving in a direction of ‘not just a place for books’,” says Professor Keesler, “they’ve become a hub for many social services and referrals.”

The group wanted to open up the opportunity for small town communities to come to a place with social workers, access to stress management, programs to deal with depression, anxiety, and motivation. It can be a tough project at times, due to certain obstacles the team faces.

“There are many barriers, not enough providers. Long wait lists, one to three months in some cases to access providers,” says Keesler.

More than 76-percent of rural counties in the Hoosier State reported mental health care as a top community need, according to a 2020 briefing of community needs assessments. Addressing that need is the long term goal for Keesler and his team.