Thinking Outside the Box on Mental Health
In some Chicago libraries, now you can not only check out a book but talk to a therapist, CBS News reports. Instead of walking into a clinic, people can access counseling services at their local library branch. The pilot program in four libraries – a collaboration between Chicago Public Libraries and the Chicago Department of Public Health – is an effort to destigmatize mental health care and bring down barriers to access.
Although the location may be unorthodox, “This is a safe space to share.” The comfort level people already feel with libraries can encourage people to get help who would not otherwise have access. “The library is a very public space, everyone can come and that takes away from the stigma from going into a clinic,” said Francisco Rodriguez, Chicago Department of Public Health Director of Mental Health.
Mental health clinicians are available at four library locations, with sessions offered once a week. “We offer continuing sessions. So you can come back for another session. Schedule a time, come back and meet again,” says clinical therapist Latesha Harris-Boyd. Clinicians provide “no barrier services,” free to anyone 13 years or older, irrespective of your immigration status or whether you have insurance. “We’re trying to bring high-level services to the community, especially those communities that have no services,” said Rodriguez.
Public libraries are the latest additions to the Chicago Department of Public Health’s expansive plan to create more community-based mental health services. Since 2019, the department has grown from 13 mental health service locations to over 170 centers. The next stop for its extension clinics? The airport.
Get the full story at CBS News.
At CASSY, we applaud this kind of creative thinking, as we share a conviction about destigmatizing mental health and bringing down barriers to care. Passionate about serving kids, we go to where the kids are, in schools – providing professional, on-campus mental health services to students free of charge.
Gray, Shardaa. “‘Safe Space to Share’: Chicago Libraries Now Offer Mental Health Services, Therapists.” CBS News.com, 6 Apr 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-public-libraries-mental-health/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h.
Image from Wikimedia Commons