According to the Veteran Affairs Office of Rural Health, 4.7 million veterans live in the rural United States. Of these rural veterans, 8% are women. According to a 2014 Journal of Rural Health article, rural women veterans were less likely than their urban counterparts to seek mental healthcare from Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities. The VA […]
POPULATION(S) OF FOCUS
Self-Care Toolkit for Mental Health Professionals
Although self-care is considered necessary for improving the well-being of our clients, it is often times forgotten as an equally important tool for mental health professionals. Given the nature of the services we provide, burnout and compassion fatigue are not uncommon consequences in our helping profession. However, when we engage in self-care, we are better […]
The Community-Based Medication-First Program for Opioid Use Disorder
Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a serious health condition that is effectively treated with buprenorphine. However, only a minority of people with OUD are able to access buprenorphine. Many access points for buprenorphine have high barriers for initiation and retention. Health care and drug treatment systems have not been able to provide services to all […]
It Takes a Village: Addressing Behavioral Health Disparities in the Black Community
In honor of Black History Month, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) hosted a virtual roundtable featuring speakers with lived experience, community leaders, and practitioners to discuss behavioral health challenges in Black communities. Through personal stories and innovative programs, speakers highlighted the often untapped cultural resources that lessen the burden of disease […]
The Coffee Break Project
The Coffee Break Project is a community-driven model to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of farmers and ranchers in rural eastern Colorado. The program is led by Southeast Health Group, in partnership with a number of local businesses and organizations in the region, with biweekly gatherings held in the town of Rocky Ford. […]
Centering Indigenous Knowledges and Worldviews: Applying the Indigenist Ecological Systems Model to Youth Mental Health and Wellness Research and Programs
Globally, Indigenous communities, leaders, mental health providers, and scholars have called for strengths-based approaches to mental health that align with Indigenous and holistic concepts of health and wellness. We applied the Indigenist Ecological Systems Model to strengths-based case examples of Indigenous youth mental health and wellness work occurring in CANZUS (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and […]