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1 in 5 U.S. adults experiences mental illness each year.
An estimated 796,000 adults in Florida didn’t get needed mental health care in the last year.
Nearly half of the adults in Florida who needed mental health care in the last year and didn’t get it said cost was the reason.
Floridians are five times more likely to have to go out-of-network for mental health care than for primary health care — making services harder to find and much more expensive.
Overwhelmed: Lakeland therapists say they’re seeing a wave of demand for mental health services, especially from families with children, couples in crisis and trauma survivors.
Finding a provider is difficult.
“Therapists that see kids, couples, or do trauma work like EMDR have waitlists that are weeks long,” said Araceli Gauna-Scattolini, a licensed counselor at Lakeland’s Atala Counseling.
Try summer: If you’re having trouble finding a provider, try booking during June through August, says Jessica Dobbertin Burruso, a licensed clinical social worker at Lakeland’s Willow’s Path Counseling.
Summers can be a surprisingly good time to start therapy, Dobbertin Burruso said. “There’s a lull during the summer months. It’s a great time to build the habit before fall and get a jump-start on your mental health.”
Cost: Health insurers can be an obstacle to getting mental health care, with high deductibles, limited coverage or no coverage at all, as well as people who may need the care but don’t have insurance.
Some mental health therapy may be available through workplace Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), which typically cover six sessions with a licensed therapist. “It’s worth checking to see if your employer offers this benefit — especially for families that are just above the poverty line,” Dobbertin Burruso says.
When insurance doesn’t cover care, some providers will offer a “superbill” — a detailed invoice clients can submit to their insurer for possible partial reimbursement. But this still requires clients to pay up front, a hurdle for most.
Joanna’s journey: Joanna, a Lakeland resident, had her first breakdown in high school. After being laid off in 2020, she was struggling again.
For years, she pushed through it alone — until 2021, when caregiving for a grandparent and grief brought her to the edge again.
“My whole life has changed,” she said recently. “I have a great job, stable relationship. This is a whole new experience — I’m living life instead of surviving it.”
Her success didn’t come easily. “You have to be your own advocate and that’s hard when you’re struggling,” she observed.
Start here for mental health service in Lakeland:
Atala Counseling – Individual, couples, family therapy, LGBTQ+ (sliding pay scale)
Insight Polk examines community conditions and solutions in six target areas from UCIndicators.org: economic & employment opportunity, education, housing, food security, transportation & infrastructure, and quality of life.
LkldNow’s Insight Polk independent reporting is made possible by the United Community Indicators Project with funding by GiveWell Community Foundation & United Way of Central Florida. All editorial decisions are made by LkldNow.
Kayla Borg is a Lakeland native and graduate of Western Carolina University, where she earned her degree in English and film production. She began her media career in Atlanta at CNN, quickly rising from production assistant editor to technical director/editor, leading live broadcasts alongside field reporters. Since then, she’s worked in education, instructional design and independent filmmaking.
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