Book Review: Rural Mental Health: Issues, Policies, and Best Practices

Abstract

Addressing the needs of America's most underserved areas for mental health services, Rural Mental Health offers the most up-to-date, research-based information on practice, policies, and pressing needs in rural and frontier populations. This highly readable book addresses best practices and new models of service delivery in rural populations throughout the world, with a specific emphasis on those in the United States. Eminent clinicians and researchers examine the complexities of improving mental health in rural practice and offer clear recommendations that can be adopted into current practice and training programs. They bring an incisive lens to factors that contribute to mental illness and prevent access to treatment in rural areas. These include limited resources, reliance on urban models and assumptions, and a pervasive misunderstanding of rural realities by policy makers. The text discusses ways to advance federal policies in rural mental health, citing the importance of personal involvement in advocacy and long-term vision. Diversity issues and mental health stigma in relation to the culture of rural living are examined along with their implications for training programs and practicing therapists. Also addressed are interventions with specific rural populations, such as substance abusers, minorities, men, women, older adults, veterans, and others. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)