ABSTRACT

This book provides a comprehensive overview of mental health in rural America, with the goal of fostering urgently needed research and honest conversations about providing accessible, culturally competent mental health care to rural populations. Grounding the work is an explanation of the history and structure of rural mental health care, the culture of rural living among diverse groups, and the crucial "A’s" and "S": accountability, accessibility, acceptability, affordability, and stigma. The book then examines poverty, disaster mental health, ethics in rural mental health, and school counseling. It ends with practical information and treatments for two of the most common problems, suicide and substance abuse, and a brief exploration of collaborative possibilities in rural mental health care.

chapter 2|20 pages

Rural Mental Health Policy and Parity

chapter 3|16 pages

Obstacles to Treatment— The Four “A’s” and an “S”

Accessibility, Availability, Acceptability, Affordability, and Stigma

chapter 4|4 pages

The Structure of Rural Mental Health Care

State, County, Town, Village

chapter 5|29 pages

Understanding the Culture of Rural Living

chapter 6|13 pages

Agricultural Roots of Rurality

chapter 7|7 pages

Disaster Mental Health

chapter 8|7 pages

Poverty

chapter 10|7 pages

Treatment Philosophies and Models

chapter 11|9 pages

Issues in Rural Practice

chapter 12|7 pages

The Three “R’s” of Schools in Rural Areas

Reassurance, Responsibility, and Resolution

chapter 13|13 pages

Substance Abuse in Rural Areas

chapter 14|9 pages

Suicide in Rural Areas

chapter 16|8 pages

The Rural Economy in Transition

chapter 18|14 pages

Looking Forward

Collaborative Possibilities