[ad_1]
On Oct. 24 at 7 p.m., the town of Deerfield will hold a special Town Meeting to vote on several warrants, including the opportunity to expand our fabulous (small) local library using a $4 million grant from the state, privately raised funds, and town resources. I have been a lover of libraries all my life. My parents were public school teachers; I spent much of my youth working in libraries; I am currently the vice president of Friends of Tilton Library.
I write this piece in support of our library expansion, not just as a library lover but more importantly as a licensed marriage and family therapist. As is well documented, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues and addiction. For those of us who work in the mental health field, these have been difficult years. We have increased our caseloads, worked primarily online while trying to stay connected to many different populations, served on committees, and done additional community work. Almost everyone I know has called me at some point in the past few years looking for mental health resources for themselves, their kids, their isolated, aging parents.
Thankfully, throughout this time (and always) I have access to Tilton Library. How does a library support mental health? A few specific examples:
We live on a hill, and when a storm hits, we often lose power. One morning, in a panic trying to figure out how to serve my clients, my husband asked, “What about Tilton Library? They probably have internet.” More than once during the height of the pandemic, I cautiously drove down the hill and conducted therapy sessions from my car outside Tilton, using the consistent, free internet connection.
As the pandemic wore on, mental health issues were getting particularly intense for isolated teenagers. I asked teachers, coaches, and counselors at the local high school what they thought would help. They talked about heightened anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and how they were trying to introduce…
..
[ad_2]
