Rural Project Examples Addressing Mental health

Mental Health First Aid
Updated/reviewed July 2022

Need: Rural areas face challenges in access to mental health services, including shortages of mental health providers.
Intervention: This 8-hour course trains rural community members to recognize mental health and substance use issues and learn how to help someone who is developing a mental health concern or experiencing a mental health crisis.
Results: Numerous studies of this method have found that course participants are better able and more likely to help others regarding mental health issues.

Wyoming Trauma Telehealth Treatment Clinic
Updated/reviewed February 2023

Need: To provide psychotherapy to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Intervention: University of Wyoming psychology doctoral students provide psychotherapy via videoconferencing to crisis center clients in two rural locations.
Results: Clients, student therapists, and crisis center staff were satisfied with the quality of services, and clients reported reduced symptoms of depression and PTSD.

STAIR (Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation)
Updated/reviewed January 2023

Need: To increase access to telemental health services for rural veterans, especially women, with a history of trauma.
Intervention: STAIR (Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation) is a 10-week program designed to reduce PTSD and depression symptoms and increase emotional regulation and social functioning in clients.
Results: Therapists reported that clients attended more sessions when offered via teleconferencing, and clients reported satisfaction with the program.

Kitsap Mental Health Services: Race to Health!
Updated/reviewed November 2022

Need: To improve the physical health of individuals seeking mental healthcare.
Intervention: Race to Health! in Washington integrated mental health, substance use disorder treatment, and primary care for individuals with severe mental illness.
Results: Race to Health! helped reduce emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and costs (a total savings of $5,144,000 for Medicare patients).

University of Vermont Medical Center's Nursing Home Telepsychiatry Service
Updated/reviewed September 2021

Need: To improve the health status and access for rural nursing home patients in need of mental health services.
Intervention: The University of Vermont Medical Center provides telepsychiatry care and education to nursing homes in communities that face shortages of mental health professionals.
Results: These telepsychiatry consultations have eased the burden on nursing home residents by saving travel time, distance, and money it takes to travel to the nearest tertiary facility.

I Got You: Healthy Life Choices for Teens (IGU)
Updated/reviewed September 2020

Need: To improve awareness of behavioral and mental health issues by students in rural, east central Mississippi.
Intervention: An intensive community mental health outreach program was implemented for students in rural Mississippi.
Results: As of 2018 and on a yearly basis, 6,000 7th and 8th grade students receive mental health education on a variety of topics which improves their ability to recognize mental health issues, high risk behaviors, and their self-concept.

Strong African American Families-Teen Program
Updated/reviewed April 2019

Need: There is a lack of interventions that addresses teenager behavioral problems, particularly for rural African American adolescents.
Intervention: Rural, locally trained leaders administered five 2-hour meetings for teenagers and their primary caregivers. Trainings focused on reducing risks that prevent positive development, specifically sexual risk-taking that can lead to HIV and other STIs.
Results: Teens reported reduced conduct problems, depressive symptoms, and substance abuse. Families were strengthened, and SAAF-T reduced unprotected intercourse and increased condom efficacy.

Schools That Care
Updated/reviewed August 2022

Need: To provide mental health services to rural Kansas students and their families.
Intervention: The Schools That Care project provides mental health treatment and case management as well as community education events.
Results: From 2018 to 2021, 3,456 individuals participated in health education and counseling activities offered to the public, and 964 individuals and 303 families received direct services through the Family Advocate.

Cross-Walk: Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care
Updated/reviewed October 2021

Need: To address and treat substance use disorder (SUD) and depression in the Upper Great Lakes region.
Intervention: Cross-Walk, a program that integrates behavioral healthcare into primary care services, was developed in Michigan's Marquette County.
Results: The collaborative efforts strengthened care management services in local healthcare facilities as primary care patients were referred to a behavioral health specialist.

Felton Early Psychosis Program
Updated/reviewed April 2019

Need: A treatment model for those showing early signs of schizophrenia.
Intervention: The Felon Early Psychosis Program program was started in rural and urban California counties. The program encourages schizophrenia remission in clients through medication and psychosocial initiatives.
Results: Clients' hospitalization and psychiatric emergency room visits were reduced by 70% after 1 year of treatment. Schizophrenia symptoms also reduced significantly among their clients.

Rural Project Examples: Mental health