This handbook offers a comprehensive overview of school mental health (SMH) initiatives in rural areas in the United States. It offers clinical and administrative guidelines for innovative and effective programs addressing critical problems among rural youth and in areas where funding and resources are scarce. Chapters cover program development, implementation, sustainability, and evaluation; consider issues of community and policy support; address barriers to access and delivery; and debunk misconceptions about the region and its cultures. Chapters also discuss rural SMH applications relating to special populations, including students with autism, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, conduct disorders, and ADHD. In addition, the book examines the potential of school-based programs as a counter to the stigma and distrust of mental health services common to the region.
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Topics featured in the Handbook include:
- The value of rural SMH from an educator's standpoint.
- Preventing suicide among students in rural schools.
- Substance abuse in rural school settings.
- Bullying and cyberbully among rural youth.
- Intergenerational patterns of mental illness in rural settings and their relevance for SMH.
- The importance of involving communities in culturally competent rural interventions.
The Handbook of Rural School Mental Health is a must-have resource for researchers, scientist-practitioners, and graduate students in child and school psychology, educational psychology, social work/counseling, educational policymakers, pediatrics/school nursing, teaching, and teacher education.
