Addressing the mental health needs of the rural underserved: Findings from a multiple case study of a behavioral telehealth project

Authors

Richard Bischoff, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Cody S. Hollist, University of Nebraska LincolnFollow
Craig W. Smith, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Paul Flack, Loa, UT

Date of this Version

June 2004

Comments

Published in Contemporary Family Therapy, 26:2 (June 2004), pp. 179–198. Copyright © 2004 Human Sciences Press, Inc./Springer-Verlag. Used by permission. http://www.springerlink.com/content/1573-3335/

Abstract

Behavioral telehealth is a reasonable solution to the accessibility to mental health care problem that exists in many rural communities. This paper reports the results of a multiple case study of a behavioral telehealth program administered through a marriage and family therapy training program. The results suggest that mental health services can be effectively delivered using existing distance education technology to underserved rural populations. Rural communities have unique barriers to accessing mental health care, some of which can be overcome through the distance delivery of services and some of which cannot. In order to effectively deliver treatment, accommodations to the technology must be made by both therapist and client.