A commonly reported feature of rural mental health services is the ongoing difficulty agencies experience in the recruitment and retention of professional staff. The problem is compounded by negative portrayals of rural service by practitioners gleaned from the literature. The authors describe an exploratory study of the perceptions of 84 rural mental health professionals about their jobs. The professionals surveyed reported generally high levels of satisfaction with their jobs and rural life. Implications for rural mental health administrators and professional educators are offered.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BachrachL. (1974). Characteristics of federally funded rural community mental health centers in 1971 (statistical note 101). Rockville, MD: National Institute of Mental Health.
2.
BachrachL. (1983). Psychiatric services in rural areas: A sociological overview. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 34, 215–226.
3.
DentonR.YorkR., & MoranJ. (1988). The social worker's view of the rural community: An empirical examination. Human Services in the Rural Environment, 11(3), 14–21.
4.
EwaltP. (1991). Trends affecting recruitment and retention of social work staff in human service agencies. Social Work, 36, 214–217.
5.
FalconeA., & RosenthalT. (1982). Delivery of rural mental health services.Cleveland, OH: Synapse.
6.
GertzB.MeiderJ., & PluckhanM. (1975). A survey of rural mental health needs and resources. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 26, 816–819.
7.
GlaserB., & StraussA. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory.Chicago: Aldine.
8.
HargroveD. S. (1986). A commentary on rural mental health training. In MurrayD., & KellerP. (Eds.), Innovations in rural community mental health (pp. 239–249). Mansfield, PA: Mansfield University Rural Services Institute.
9.
HeymanS. (1986). Utilizing formal and informal networks in the rural community. In MurrayD., & KellerP. (Eds.), Innovations in rural community mental health (pp. 145–162). Mansfield, PA: Mansfield University Rural Services Institute.
10.
MillerR. S. (1981). Successful urban-to-rural professional role transition. Community Mental Health Journal, 17, 143–152.
11.
MillerR. S., & RayJ. (1988). The satisfaction of community mental health professionals with life and work in rural areas. Human Services in the Rural Environment, 11, 5–11.
12.
MurrayJ. D., & KellerP. (1991). Psychology and rural America. American Psychologist, 46, 220–231.
13.
OsgoodM. (1980). Rural and urban attitudes toward welfare. In JohnsonW. (Ed.), Rural human services (pp. 159–171). Itasca, IL: F. E. Peacock.
14.
PippardJ. (1989). Training rural staff who work with people who are chronically mentally ill. Human Services in the Rural Environment, 12(4), 25–29.
15.
ReedD. (1992). Adaptation: The key to community psychiatric practice in the rural setting. Community Mental Health Journal, 28, 141–150.
16.
SolomonG. (1986). Entering the rural human service delivery system: Some practical issues. In MurrayD., & KellerP. (Eds.), Innovations in rural community mental health (pp. 3–16). Mansfield, PA: Mansfield University Rural Services Institute.
17.
SpradleyJ. (1979). The ethnographic interview.New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
18.
StarrD. (1986). Preventing burnout in rural mental health services: Suggestions for the manager. In MurrayD., & KellerP. (Eds.), Innovations in rural community mental health (pp. 17–26). Mansfield, PA: Mansfield University Rural Services Institute.
19.
StraussA., & CorbinJ. (1990). Basics of qualitative research.Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
20.
SullivanW. P. (1989). Community support programs in rural settings: Developing programs without walls. Human Services in the Rural Environment, 12(4), 19–24.
21.
SullivanW. P. (1990). Technical assistance consultation with community support programs in rural settings. Human Services in the Rural Environment, 14, 23–28.
22.
SundetP., & CowgerC. (1990). The rural community environment as a stress factor for rural child welfare workers. Administration in Social Work, 14, 97–110.
23.
TesslerP.BernsteinA.RosenB., & GoldmanH. (1982). The chronically mentally ill in community support systems. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 33, 202–211.
24.
WagenfeldM., & RobinS. (1976). The social worker in the rural community mental health center. In GinsbergL. (Ed.), Social work in rural communities (pp. 69–83). New York: Council on Social Work Education.
25.
WinslowW. (1989). Providing psychiatric services for the mentally ill in rural areas. Human Services in the Rural Environment, 12(4), 32–36.
26.
WodarskiJ. (1983). Rural community mental health practice.Baltimore, MD: University Park Press.
