The delivery of mental health services in small communities: An experiential model

✍ Scribed by Arnold Leunes

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1975
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 450 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0090-4392
• DOI: 10.1002/1520-6629(197510)3:4<374::aid-jcop2290030407>3.0.co;2-n

✦ Synopsis

A model for the delivery of mental health service to people residing in small communities (less than 10, OOO population) is presented. It is the product of personal consultation experience over the past three yeam with a modestly Staired and financed but very succ+~ful mental health agency. Emphasis is placed on community action, political and financial autonomy insofar possible, economy, intelligent use of araprofeasionals and the careful hirin of permanent and consultative st&. f n easence, it is tke creation of a gened model based on the aucces9 of one specific agency which epitomizea the points previously emphasized.

The provision of mental health services at the community level is a reasonably recent innovation. Perhaps it is equally safe to say that an even more novel undertaking is the delivery of services to the citizens of small communities. Segal (1973), among others, draws special attention to the latter problem. At the same time, he makes particular mention of five specific programs in four states with recent annual budgets ranging from $4OO,OOO to $1,4OO,OOO that are responsible for mental health problems in rural areas. It is presently contended that the provision of these services is essentially, but not entirely, a community matter, that it can be done with a minimum of staff and facilities, and that it can be done without excessive expenditures of money. A case in point is the Brenham-Washington County Counseling Service, located in Brenham, Texas. The model it provides is rather