In Independence County, An Urgent Conversation About Mental Health

At a recent meeting in Independence County, a simple truth emerged again and again: if we want better outcomes for families, we must confront the mental health crisis head-on—and together. The room was filled with service providers, school staff, a law enforcement officer, and nonprofit leaders. 

The panelists noted that more people are showing signs of untreated mental illness and the resources to help them are often fragmented, underfunded, or simply unavailable. They noted that people with untreated mental health needs often struggle with multiple compounding issues, like poverty, addiction, and trauma.

Leslie Tullos, a program coordinator at the community mental health center Arisa Health, said service providers are adapting to meet people where they are, trying to be responsive and innovative, especially for working individuals who might otherwise go untreated. “We do 7 a.m. appointments so they can have their therapy and then go to work,” she said. 

She said recovery for parents often involves logistical challenges, like making sure that kids have a place to go while parents are engaging in therapy. “We have a playroom set up where we have a staff member that can see them and make sure that they're safe and where they're supposed to be while the parent is getting what they need,” said Tullos. 

“Our big struggle, other than not having enough staff to really do what our hearts are wanting to do, is transportation. We’re all outpatient. Getting clients to us is a huge struggle,” she said.

Tullos said therapeutic communities (TCs) are becoming available as a treatment option. A therapeutic community is a structured, residential program where individuals support each other in making positive behavioral and emotional changes through shared responsibilities and peer-led activities. It emphasizes mutual accountability, community living, and long-term personal growth.

“We have therapeutic communities that we’re opening. We actually just opened one in North Little Rock and we have one in Jonesboro for the seriously mentally ill who probably still need someone around 24/7 but they don’t have anywhere to live, there is nowhere around for them to get services, or they are not consistent with services. As they maintain stability or reach stability, we work on integrating them back into the community.”

She also mentioned a tool called parent-child interactive therapy (PCIT). It is an evidence-based treatment for young children with behavioral problems that strengthens the parent-child relationship through live coaching sessions. During therapy, parents learn effective techniques to manage behavior while increasing warmth, communication, and positive attention. “We have a room set up where the parent and child are in one room and the therapist is in another room with a one-way window so they can see the interaction. The parent is wearing an earbud and the therapist is guiding the parent in how to interact with the child, how to correct and redirect, and how to provide appropriate consequences.”

Director Autumn Raviscioni of the organization Our Father’s Table said housing also continues to be a barrier. She noted that housing approval does not necessarily equate to housing access. “There is a very long list of people who have been approved and are ready and excited to get into their place—and there's no place to rent.”

She suggested landlord incentives to increase available housing.  

Raviscioni noted that even when individuals are ready for help, they sometime face long waitlists. Many also face difficulties securing identification—often something required for care. “Most of the time the people that I work with don’t have proper identification. They don’t have social security cards. They don’t have birth certificates. They’ve lost them or they have been stolen.” 

Another panelist was Director Amy Ibarra of the nonprofit John 3:17, which is designed for women needing recovery services. She sent a message of hope to women needing these services but feeling trapped by financial limitations: “We are an option. We're free.” 

Ibarra highlighted the urgent, real-life dilemma that many families face when trying to enter recovery: where are the children going to go? She noted treatment isn’t just about the individual; it’s about the entire family.