Social Work Commons^™

Addressing Rural Mental Health Crises: An Alternative To Police, Faith Ann Weatheral-Block

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

There has been an increase in contacts between law enforcement and people with mental illness since the start of deinstitutionalization in the 1960s. When law enforcement officers respond to crisis calls without the proper training, the likelihood of that interaction ending fatally is far greater. The purpose of this study is to determine mental health professionals' readiness to serve as an alternative to law enforcement in addressing mental health crises in rural areas. Using the nonprobability sampling methods of convenience and snowball, this exploratory qualitative study involved semi- structured interviews with 10 adult mental health professionals from various backgrounds in …

Domestic Violence In Rural Areas, Priscilla Ayala, Patricia Sanchez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Domestic violence (DV) negatively impacts individuals and families, including children, across the U.S. Yet, there is little research on the barriers and facilitators to services these families encounter, especially in rural areas. The goal of this study was to examine service availability in rural areas for families who have experienced domestic violence.

This study was conducted using a qualitative research design. Researchers conducted face-to-face and phone interviews with nine human services professionals in one rural California community. The study used in-depth interviews with open-ended questions to encourage participants to share their views and experiences.

The findings were categorized into six …

Challenges And Advantages In The Delivery Of Mental Health Services To Adolescents In Rural Areas, Shannon Uhl

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

While the rates of adolescent mental health problems in rural areas are similar to those seen in urban areas, serving adolescents in rural settings poses some particular challenges. This research focused on the challenges and advantages in the delivery of mental health services to adolescents in rural areas, surveying a total of 98 respondents with 28 responding, over four rural counties in western Wisconsin. Respondents consisted of mainly school-based providers. The survey utilized both quantitative and qualitative questions developed by this researcher and questions grounded in existing literature. Respondents noted the importance of social support, including family members and the …

Survey Of Emergency Department Patients' Perceived Barriers To Accessing Services And Community Resource Utilization, Kelsey Ann Wilke

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to describe the patients being served by Avera McKennan’s emergency department (ED) and to explore perceived barriers to accessing services and current community resource utilization in order to prevent further non-emergent visits.

Research Questions: 1) What are the demographic characteristics of emergency department patients that are referred to the emergency department social worker? 2) What are the perceived barriers that emergency department patient’s encounter when trying to access services and community resources?

Evidence-Based Strategies For Working With Veterans, Bethany Fopma

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

According to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), 3.3 million veterans (41%) live in rural areas. Due to geographical barriers, these veterans often lack access to needed services and providers. This research project analyzed studies that utilized telehealth in delivering services to veterans with PTSD. While more research in this area needs to be conducted, telehealth technology shows promising results for improving veterans’ symptoms and providing veterans with satisfactory services. Research Question: Is telehealth medicine an effective intervention in treating veterans with PTSD?

Defining Exemplary Children's Mental Health Services In Minnesota's Rural Communities, Melanie Wurtzberger

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Research shows that children’s mental health services in rural areas are not likely to meet all the qualities to be determined ‘exemplary’ with regards to diverse groups and at-risk populations due to: limited community resources, decreased funding and reimbursement rates, geographic distance from consumers, lack of collaborations from primary care physicians, and sparse number of adequately trained mental health (Fenell & Hovestadt, 2005; Gamm, Stone & Pittman, 2003; Moore et al., 2005; Powell & Dunlap, 2005) The purpose of the research was to define exemplary services as it applies to rural county children’s mental health services so as to assist …