Before the Crisis: How Communities Can Proactively Support Mental Health
Photo Credit: Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan
By Lucia Stephen and Dr. Merle Massie
Most rural communities understand that emergencies happen—and they plan for them. Those who understand a community’s assets, strengths, resources, and people come together before a crisis to develop a strategy. Here’s what we do when the air ambulance is coming to pick up someone who has had a heart attack. Here’s what we do if a grass fire threatens the edge of town. When an emergency erupts, the community relies on that planning to marshal resources and rise to the occasion.
A mental health emergency rarely comes with warning signs—and it’s common for communities to think: “That’s a personal health issue. Let’s give them space.” In rural and agricultural communities, distance, stigma, and limited access to services can stop people from seeking help. When a person is experiencing a mental health crisis, they may not know what to do or where to turn.
The good news? Communities can play an important role in planning. Just like in other emergencies, communities can take meaningful, proactive steps to be ready before a mental health crisis hits.
At The Do More Agriculture Foundation, we champion mental health in agriculture by raising awareness and breaking the stigma, cultivating a strong sense of community and connection, and helping bridge the gap in access to mental health resources. One of the most effective things rural communities can do is build their mental health readiness, just like gearing up for harvest or preparing for an extreme weather event. Being prepared helps. Here’s how.
1. Create and Share Local Resource Lists
Every rural community is different. Knowing what’s available locally makes a difference when moments matter and someone needs help and they aren’t sure where to go. Communities can identify and develop a list of nearby mental health supports. This list can include:
Names and contact numbers for family doctors or nurse practitioners offering mental health check-ins
Names and contact numbers for local or visiting counsellors, therapists, social workers, and psychologists who provide mental health support
National and provincial call-in crisis lines and text-based supports
Contacts or regular dates and times for peer support groups (e.g., AA, grief circles, farming support networks)
Information about online platforms offering virtual mental health care
Make the list accessible—printed and posted at the post office, farm supply store, local diner, or shared on bulletin boards and online platforms. Sign up for mental health newsletters to stay up to date on events, ideas, resources and supports, which you can add to your list. Update that list regularly, and keep it handy. You never know who might need it.
2. Train Community Champions
Often, it’s not mental health professionals who notice first when someone is struggling — it’s family, neighbours, teachers, faith leaders, friends, and the people you meet walking down the street. Communities can help equip more people to recognize the signs by offering mental health first aid training or awareness workshops to increase mental health literacy in your community. Community champions can develop the language, confidence, and tools to support others—or guide them to help.
Training doesn’t make someone a therapist, yet it does help them recognize signs of distress, ask caring questions, and connect people with resources. Organizations like ours, along with many allies, offer farm-specific and culturally sensitive mental health training grounded in the unique pressures of agricultural life, that help people recognize when someone could use support for their mental health.
3. Talk About Mental Health
Reducing stigma is one of the most powerful things a community can do to prevent a crisis. When people know it’s okay to seek help for mental health challenges, they’re more likely to ask for support before things spiral. This culture shift begins with language, visibility, and leadership.
Share mental health information and resources in newsletters, at community events, or in farmers’ market updates. Invite local leaders or respected farmers to speak about their own experiences. Host focused mental health events, with trade shows and speakers. Encourage regular check-ins—asking “How are you doing lately?” should feel as natural as asking “How’s the weather?” or “How’s the farm?” Opening the conversation helps people realize that they are not alone.
Cultivating a culture of wellbeing in your community is a gift: everyone feels encouraged, supported, and empowered to care for their mental well-being. This shift builds trust and lays the groundwork for long-term resilience.
4. Embed Mental Health in Community Planning
Community safety and emergency preparedness plans often include floods, fires, or power outages—what about the mental health impact of such events? Do you have a community plan in place if there is a catastrophic accident or large-scale farm crisis such as avian influenza or BSE? Ensuring that mental health is considered in local planning is a smart, proactive move.
Planning and preparation for mental health could look like having clear referral pathways, ensuring first responders and local doctors and nurses receive mental health awareness training, bringing in counselors in response to crisis events, actively recruiting mental health specialists for your community, or budgeting for mental health support workers in the region.
5. Use Technology to Bridge Gaps
In agricultural and rural regions with limited mental health services, digital tools can play a critical role. Ensure your community knows about free or low-cost virtual counselling platforms, mental wellness apps, and text-based helplines. Set up a community Wi-Fi hotspot or telehealth space where people can privately access these services.
If digital literacy is a barrier, consider hosting informal tech tutorials at the local library or community centre. You never know what might help someone access what they need.
6. Support Youth and Caregivers
Young people and caregivers often bear invisible emotional loads. Youth in rural communities may feel isolated or unsure of where to turn, especially if their family isn’t comfortable talking about mental health struggles. Caregivers also carry a big load —whether they’re supporting children, elders, or partners—and can often neglect their own well-being.
Be proactive by including mental health supports in school programming, offering caregiver groups or respite services, and creating accessible spaces for youth to connect and learn about mental health, such as a Stigma-Free club or as an add-on to existing youth programming.
Preparedness is a Form of Care
Every farming community understands the importance of preparation—whether it’s before seeding or before winter sets in. Mental health is a good space to prepare. The more we equip ourselves, our neighbours, and our communities before a crisis, the better we can respond with compassion, clarity, and care.
At The Do More Agriculture Foundation, we believe that community is an essential part of a mental health journey. By building proactive, people-centred support, agricultural and rural communities have the power to ensure that help is always within reach—long before any moment of crisis.
This article is shared in the summer edition of Women in Ag magazine (online) as well as the June newsletter for Alberta Lamb Producers.