Counseling: Rural Mental Health

Special issues in counseling, administration and planning, social work or higher education not appropriate to content of existing courses. Courses reflect the social services orientation of the Department of Integrated Professional Studies.

Course has asynchronous online and in-person elements, Open to CNSL students and SW; Education, & Psych students with instructor permission

This graduate-level course supports students in the helping professions to critically examine mental health in rural contexts. Students will gain an understanding of place-attentive philosophy, exploring how geography, culture, and social structures shape mental health experiences and service delivery. Students will also engage with the social construction of rurality, interrogating dominant narratives and considering how rural identities intersect with mental health stigma, access to care, and help-seeking behaviors. The course will emphasize structural and systemic factors influencing rural mental health, including disparities in service utilization, workforce shortages, and the role of social and structural drivers of health. Strategies for resource development and service innovation will be explored, with a focus on building sustainable, community-driven mental health supports. A key component of the course is the examination of collaborative partnerships, particularly the role of rural schools as community hubs for mental health services. Students will analyze models of integrated care, school-based interventions, and cross-sector collaborations that address mental health needs while leveraging local expertise, strengths, capacities, and knowledges. Through case studies, role plays, applied projects, discussion, and reflection, students will develop the critical skills necessary for ethical, strengths-based, and culturally responsive practice in rural mental health settings.

The course methods include a combination of required readings, in class learning activities, out of class independent work, research, and project development, large group and small group discussions, case presentation and conceptualization, and presentation development. The course will require a sense of collective responsibility for encouraging a climate of openness, curiosity, critical thinking and reflection, self-awareness, the ability to hold multiple perspectives, and to engage in courageous dialogue.

Students will select a specific topic related to rural mental health, conduct a comprehensive analysis, and present their findings. The presentation should demonstrate an understanding of rural mental health disparities, service utilization challenges, and equity-focused interventions. Details will be further outlined in the Syllabus.