Raised in Algona, a rural community in north central Iowa, Aubrey McEnroe’s early life was steeped in the rhythms of farm life.

“My earliest memories of being on the farm are riding on my dad’s lap in the tractor,” she recalls.

By the age of 8, she was driving tractors, honing her skills and understanding of farming long before she could legally drive a car. As she grew, her responsibilities on the farm expanded, from picking rocks, to operating complex machinery, to managing the business side. This hands-on experience cultivated not only a deep understanding of crop farming but also a sense of pride and accomplishment.

McEnroe has paired her agricultural roots with her academic pursuits in the field of psychology. During the spring of 2020, while working the land on the farm, she began contemplating how she could integrate her passion for psychology with her commitment to her rural community. Her reflections in the tractor cab sparked an idea.

“I want to be able to farm but also offer mental health resources and break the stigma, because I didn’t have that when I was growing up,” McEnroe says.

After receiving a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Iowa in 2021, McEnroe shadowed a licensed social worker and a psychologist. These experiences solidified her commitment, as she witnessed the profound impact mental health professionals could have, especially in underserved areas, and recognized the significant stigma surrounding mental health in rural communities.

McEnroe resolved to address this issue head-on and decided to return to school.

Learning from a team of dedicated psychologists

McEnroe is involved with the Counseling Psychology program in the UI College of Education, particularly through the college’s Rural Psychology Collaborative and Telepsychology Training Clinic (TPTC). These initiatives, funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Education’s Health Resources and Services Administration, serve underinsured and uninsured Iowans, primarily from rural areas.

The stigma behind mental health care comes with many barriers, says Martin Kivlighan, who co-directs the TPTC and Rural Psychology Collaborative with Saba Rasheed Ali.

“We’ve found that telepsychology can be a helpful way to overcome some of those barriers, as clients can seek teleservices more easily and often from the comfort and safety of their own homes,” Kivlighan says. “Not having to travel to a physical clinic can contribute to our services being more accessible and less stigmatized for clients, especially those in underserved and rural areas.”

McEnroe is one of dozens of future counseling psychologists currently training in the UI doctoral program. Her research focuses on the intersection of discrimination, well-being, job satisfaction, and burnout among women in agriculture.

“I particularly want to be working with women in agriculture from my own experiences and lived experiences as a woman in agriculture,” she explains.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, women make up only about 36% of the farming population. This disparity is even more pronounced in leadership roles within the agricultural sector. Women farmers often face unique challenges, including gender bias, limited access to resources, and the struggle to balance familial responsibilities with the demands of farming.

McEnroe says growing up in a male-dominated field has not been without challenges: “It has been a very interesting dynamic, being a woman in a male-dominated field.”

Despite these challenges, she credits her father for instilling a belief that she could achieve anything. “My dad always taught me, ‘You can do anything you set your mind to, regardless of your gender,’” McEnroe says.

McEnroe says her grandmother’s strength also supported her dreams of farming.

“My role model growing up was my grandmother. She was the strongest person I knew, and I still aspire to be her today,” McEnroe says. “She always told me to be proud of who you are and be proud of being a woman. Although my grandpa is the one that started the farm, my grandma was the rock and the heart of the farm.”

McEnroe wants to ensure that other women also have a voice in the field, reflecting her commitment to advocacy and change.

The coming seasons

McEnroe envisions a harmonious blend of farming and psychology. Her goal is to sustain her family’s farming legacy while also opening a private practice in her hometown to provide essential mental health services.

“Her lived experience provides an invaluable perspective as we seek to expand clinical services across Iowa,” says Chelsey Gates, former TPTC clinical director who served as McEnroe’s clinical supervisor. “Our work together further demonstrates the importance of accessibility in rural mental health care.”

McEnroe’s academic pursuits are driven by her desire to effect tangible change in the intersection of mental health and rural life. Through her studies, McEnroe explores how the stressors of agricultural work influence mental well-being, and she seeks to develop strategies and interventions tailored to the needs of rural populations, ensuring that mental health support is accessible and relevant to those it serves.

McEnroe’s work is not confined to theoretical exploration. She is active in community outreach, organizing workshops and support groups that provide practical tools and resources for mental health management.

Moreover, McEnroe is aware of the financial constraints that often prevent rural residents from accessing mental health services. To address this, she intends to offer sliding scale fees and work with local organizations to provide affordable care, part of her commitment to making mental health care accessible to everyone.

“Mental health care should not be a luxury,” she says. “It should be a fundamental right.”

McEnroe’s dual roles as a farmer and a mental health advocate are not mutually exclusive but rather mutually reinforcing. The skills she has honed on the farm — patience, problem-solving, and a deep connection to the rhythms of nature — enhance her capabilities as a counselor.

Conversely, her psychological insights inform her approach to farming, enabling her to foster a workplace culture that prioritizes mental well-being and support. This symbiotic relationship between her two passions allows McEnroe to approach each with a depth of understanding and a unique perspective.

“Aubrey is truly a community-engaged scholar and clinician. She is so passionate about rural mental health and caring for the communities she grew up in and plans to return to,” says Kivlighan. “It really is inspiring to work with her and witness the amount of care and commitment she has for this work.”

McEnroe remains deeply committed to her vision of creating a supportive and inclusive environment for her community, ensuring that even the most remote areas have access to mental health care. She also hopes to collaborate with local schools and community centers to provide education and resources on mental health, fostering a culture of openness and acceptance from a young age.

“Growing up, there was such a major stigma around mental health,” McEnroe says. “I want to help break that cycle and offer mental health care to everyone that needs it, especially in rural communities like my own.”