HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and experts say it’s important to remember that mental healthcare is not accessible everywhere. While some areas may have care that’s easily available, that isn’t always the case.
Alexandra Cromer, a licensed professional counselor at Thriveworks, said some of the biggest barriers to accessing mental healthcare for people who live in rural areas are proximity, transportation and availability.
“Rural counties tend to be larger and have more sparsely spaced populations, so maybe the closest access point to care is an hour away, and if you don’t have a vehicle or a mode of transportation, you can’t really get there easily,” Cromer said. “Typically in rural areas, there’s also not a lot of public transit. … Mental health professionals tend to congregate towards more populated areas, and so there might only be one or two providers that are within a 30-, 40- or 50-mile radius of where you live.”
Cromer said some care options, such as telehealth, have helped bridge the gap for those with limited access to care in rural areas.
“It does greatly increase access for people in rural communities to be able to get mental healthcare in their home. It’s a great way to mitigate some of those barriers, such as transportation, access to getting to clinics, and even scheduling options,” she said. “It just tends to provide a lot more flexibility and can meet a lot more client needs.”
Cromer said less than half of people in rural areas turn to their primary care practitioner.
“Thriveworks did a study in 2025 that found that 39% of people in rural areas turn to their PCP for mental health,“ she said. ”Your PCP is your point of care provider and you might not even know where to begin to look. There might not be a clinic. There might just be a couple individual practices scattered around.”
In rural areas, Cromer mentioned that many times minorities and people with disabilities can struggle to seek out the help they need as well.
“Black, Indigenous and people of color, are disproportionately more disadvantaged when accessing care due to … institutionalized racism that is pervasive throughout our society,” she said. “They also face stigma, discrimination, and then just the ability to access care.”
For people with disabilities, Cromer said, not being able to transport themselves or access public transit can also present barriers.
She said the best way to make sure people in rural areas have this kind of access is by ensuring, both as a society and here in the Valley, that there is infrastructure that supports mental health and provide more available public transit so people can access the services they need.
Workplace burnout and mental health
While people may think of mental health as something people only deal with at home, that’s not necessarily true. Studies show that people are showing signs of stress outside of their homes and in the office.
According to a 2025 Thriveworks study, workplace stress and job security rank as the second-leading cause of anxiety.
Another factor that adds stress is the economy due to recent changes that have impacted the country, particularly working Americans, Cromer said. With a combination of stress from work and other external factors, people may face feelings of burnout, fatigue, anxiety and depression, Cromer added.
There are other ways to support employees than just providing benefits, she said, adding that it’s important for employers to create a workplace that can fiscally and emotionally support employees.
“Creating a workplace environment where your workers are compensated fairly and also feel like they are able to have some autonomy and balance in their day-to-day schedules,” Cromer said. “We understand that there’s some days where you might have a shorter lunch break or you might not be able to have as much balance, but overall, focusing on employee wellness.”
Cromer also said young adults tend to experience a lot of stress and anxiety when starting a new job, as they may feel extra pressure to meet expectations.
“I think it’s really important to highlight, too, that those younger employees who are just entering the workforce for the first time have a significant amount of stress,” Cromer explained. “I think it definitely can be daunting and it can feel overwhelming.”
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