‘Taking that step, like being with people, knowing that it'll be a safe space, I would hope that would help people,’ - George Barrera
BUDA — For many years, George Barrera struggled with anxiety and depression; knowing what he had previously faced in his life, he stepped up to the plate when the Buda Public Library was looking for peer support specialists.
The library hosts peer support groups — anxiety/depression and divorced/single parent — after being offered to be apart of a pilot program for the Libraries for Health grant from the St. David’s Foundation. In response to inadequate community mental health services, according to its website, the St. David’s Foundation is reimagining the delivery of mental health by building upon trusted community networks and piloting Libraries for Health, an initiative that enables non-clinical mental health supports and practices within libraries. Eight libraries in Central Texas are participating in this pilot program, with Buda being one of them.
As a component of the grant, the Buda Public Library was able to get peer support specialists stationed there, including Barrera and Victoria Alaniz and, previously, Emma Dixon.
“We were talking about different ways that they could connect with the community and to get to know people, get to talk to people and we identified the peer support groups as a way that they could make those connections and also provide services,” explained Melinda Hodges, library director. “Both of them have lived experience with anxiety and depression and then, George also has lived experience in different parenting, co-parenting situations, so that's why we chose the peer support groups that we have.”
The library, and city of Buda, found that this resource was needed for members in the community, Hodges explained. While there were studies conducted that showed the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on individuals’ mental health, there were others that also shared that people were struggling with certain issues before that, she continued.
“People were having a harder time getting out, communicating with each other, finding friends [and] finding people they could talk to. And then, during the pandemic, that just threw everything [off] and it just made it very apparent that everything was made worse by the pandemic,” Hodges said. “Since then, we’ve been building our program back up. We thought this would be a good way for people to be able to communicate with others that experience these issues and know that they're not alone [and] to have a really low-stress, no-risk way to meet people.”
Barrera, who started as a peer support specialist at the Buda Public Library back in January, said that he knew that he wanted to help others because he has that lived experience and he has faced his own set of struggles as a single, divorced father who has dealt with anxiety and depression. He said that in the groups that he hosts, there is no true format to it, as he keeps it open-ended as a space where all of the participants can talk and share what’s on their mind that day.
There are times when some people think they are the only ones who are dealing with the issues and, for Barrera, he wants them to know that they are not alone.
“There's a big stigma around mental health and even divorce. Being a single parent, there's a stigma around that keeps people from seeking help. I think a lot of times, those create issues; even people that come to those groups, a lot of times tell me, ‘Hey, I haven't been coming for two or three weeks’ or like, ‘I've been wanting to come for two to three weeks and this is my first one because I didn't want to come. I was kind of embarrassed or I didn't want people to know,’” he said. “I think just giving people a space where they could talk to people that kind of have had similar experiences, it's creating a safe space for them. I think those are important. I know that was important for me and I think that's important for other people, too.”
“The big part is, I think, talking to people that had similar experiences, that have gone through the same things, that are going through the same things right now and you could talk through them and say, ‘Oh, I’m not the only one’ or like, ‘How do I deal with this?’ The personal experience part they could share is one of the biggest aspects that's really important about groups like that,” he continued.
For those who may be hesitant about attending one of the peer support groups, it takes wanting to make that change, but then also taking the necessary steps in order to achieve it, Barrera said.
“I know that sometimes it can be really hard, especially if you have anxiety or depression or something like that. A lot of times, it could be really hard to take that first step. You'd feel alone or something like that. Taking that step, like being with people, knowing that it'll be a safe space, I would hope that would help people,” he said. “Take baby steps, whatever you're comfortable with and, little by little, build on to that.”
To become a peer support specialist, an individual has to take a core course that teaches the basics. After that, Barrera said that he took a mental health peer support specialist focused training course and another in trauma informed peer support. He is currently working on obtaining his full certification.
Any adult who has experiences or struggles that they wish to communicate with other peers about are welcome to attend the groups. Hodges emphasized that the groups are not medical treatment or counseling, rather it’s just peers talking about their experience.
The anxiety/depression group meets at 1:30 p.m. the second and fourth Monday and at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month; the divorced/single parents group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Monday of each month at the Buda Public Library.
To learn more about all of the programs the library, located at 405 E. Loop St. in Buda, offers, visit www.budalibrary.libcal.com/calendar/programs.
