TAMPA, Fla. — Florida faces a challenge with a scarcity of mental health professionals throughout the entire state.

What You Need To Know

  •  Florida ranks 49th in Mental Health Services according to the American Psychological Association

  •  Citrus County is facing a shortage of mental health clinicians

  •  County leaders are trying to find new solutions to combat growing mental health crisis

Currently, Florida ranks 49th in mental health services, according to the American Psychological Association.

In places like Citrus County, officials there are trying to find new solutions and approaches to treating mental health.

Melissa Bowermaster is the Executive Director of Jessie’s Place Child Advocacy Center in Citrus County.

The organization deals with kids who have experienced abuse and are given comfort, safety, and treatment.

Bowermaster says she is dealing with a clinician shortage; she only has 4 on staff, and they treat anywhere from 80 to 90 kids a week. They are dealing with a long waitlist.

“The waiting list is the one thing that keeps me up at night. There are a lot of stressors that come with running a non-profit organization, but the one thing that really bothers me is because I know what that means. I know it’s kids that have been through horrific traumas and they’re waiting for services and that’s the worst,” Bowermaster said.

She says funding is also an issue and the need for more resources. Beket Lott is a therapist at Jessie’s Place. She says more people need to understand how crucial mental health care really is.

“I think I would want legislatures to know that these are needs that need to be met. That we need more funding for more clinicians. We need more space and that our kids should be a priority,” Lott said.

Citrus County Commissioner Rebecca Bays says she is working with local organizations like Jessie’s Place, county health officials, and the state to come up with better ideas to tackle the mental health problem.

“I am willing to listen to anybody. What’s working for you? What did you try that was wrong and didn’t work? How do we find the blend and really get to the bottom of this?,” Bays said.

Bays says she wants to identify those who need help and get them the services early on, saying this could help lower the number of those going to mental health facilities later in life or jail.