Supporting Mental Health in Rural and Indigenous Communities

Medical leaders have declared the state of youth mental health a national emergency. In rural and Indigenous communities, young people face unique mental health risks and barriers to care. Now, experts working to support children and adolescents living in rural regions join us to share experiences and best practices in providing services and safeguarding mental health.

Guests:

• Blake Berryhill, Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Studies; Director, Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate Program, University of Alabama
• LaVonne Fox, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Turtle Mountain Community College, North Dakota
• Robert Roark, Project Director, Full-Service Community School (FSCS) Leslie, Partners for Rural Impact, Kentucky; former principal, Leslie County High School, Kentucky

Host:

Richard Weissbourd, Senior Lecturer on Education and Director, Making Caring Common, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Key takeaways:

• Adolescents in rural and Indigenous communities can face significant access, stigma and cultural obstacles to mental health services — schools can help.
• Loss of cultural identity and historical and generational trauma can contribute to current mental health challenges. 
• Educators can be trained to identify and respond to red flags and intervene with creative tactics. Involve families and students.

Resources:

• Strengthening Resilience: Promoting Positive School Mental Health Among Indigenous Youth  
• National Center for Rural School Mental Health (Rural SMH)
• Making Caring Common's Teen Mental Health Primer
• Rural Resilience
• Implementing Full-Service Community Schools in a Rural Setting