Rural Mental Health & Farm Stress
Focus Area for the Mountain Plains MHTTC
The rural mental health vision for the Mountain Plains MHTTC is to support increased access to providers of mental health services for the more than 60 million Americans living in rural communities. To achieve this, the Center develops and promotes training and technical assistance which supports the rural mental health workforce and reduces barriers to mental health treatment for rural residents.
The Center also recognizes that the agricultural community encounters unique challenges related to the accessibility, availability, and acceptability of mental health services. Specific training and resources have been developed to address mental health and suicide among agricultural workers and their families. Unless otherwise specified, “farm” and “farmer” refer to ranchers, farmers, farm managers/owners, and agricultural workers.
Our Products
Voices From the Field: A Blog About Resilience During the Pandemic
2021
- Farm Stress Grab-n-Go Kits
- Healing Our Protectors: Building Resilience Among Tribal Law Enforcement Officers Through Cultural Interventions
- Building Resilience Among Physical and Behavioral Healthcare Providers During a Global Health Pandemic
2020
- Farm Stress: Facts, Impact of COVID-19, and Resource and Training Needs of Mental Health Care Providers
- Depression, Alcohol and Farm Stress: Addressing Co-Occurring Disorders in Rural America
- Rural Mental Health in a Pandemic: Q&A with Thomasine Heitkamp and Dennis Mohatt
- Talking Farm Stress Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Podcast
2019
- Promoting Positive Mental Health in Rural Schools: A Resource Guide
- Measuring Stigma Around Mental Illness in North Dakota
- Addressing Rural Behavioral Health Workforce Shortages: Lessons Learned from a Rural Psychology Internship Initiative
Our Past Training Events
2020
- Improving Mental Health Care by Understanding the Culture of Farming and Rural Communities
- Approaching and Treating Co-Occurring Mental and Substance Use Disorders in Farming and Rural Communities
- Providing Mental Health Telehealth Services in Farming and Rural Communities
- Rural Primary Care Tools and Resources for Managing Suicidal Ideation During COVID-19
- Compassion Fatigue: Farm Stress and the Mental Health Provider
- Psychosocial Impacts of Disasters: Assisting Community Leaders
- Farming and Faith Supports: Cultivating Spiritual Resilience in Challenging Times
2019
- Hands-on Tools and Strategies to Assist Providers Working with Farmers
- The Economics of Farm Stress
- Introduction to Farm Stress: Mental Health Needs among Diverse Farm Populations
- Building Capacity of Rural School Personnel to Address Mental Health Needs of Students through Communities of Practice
- Housing for All in Rural Communities
- Together with Veterans: A Rural Veteran Suicide Prevention Program
- Farm Crisis and Behavioral Health
- Rural Mental Health Disparities and Workforce Implications
Resources by Topic
There are several resources available that provide summaries of agricultural mental health concerns, up-to-date data visualizations, and toolkits for addressing barriers to mental health services for farmers, farm managers/owners, ranchers, agricultural workers and their families.
Direct Supports for Farmers
These resources offer a variety of support for farmers including stress hotlines, disaster recovery, opioid abuse resources, and educational opportunities.
Farm & Ranch Stress, and COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed additional stress on farmers and ranchers, harming financial stability and increasing isolation. These resources consider the impact of COVID-19 specifically.
Managing Stress, Building Resilience, and Suicide Prevention
Stress management is an important skill for workers in high stress fields like farming and ranching. The following resources offer strategies for recognizing and managing stress, including suicide prevention hotlines, tools to identify risk.
Resources for Healthcare Providers Caring for Agricultural Families
The following resources are learning and development tools for individuals serving persons with mental health disorders. Resources include toolkits, webinar recordings, and upcoming trainings.
Research, Reports, and Data on Farm Stress and Mental Health
These resources provide information and data on topics related to farm stress and mental health including demographics, the agricultural workforce, the opioid crisis, suicide rates, health care professional shortages, disasters, and others.
United States Department of Agriculture’s Extension Offices: Mental Health Topics
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds state and county extension offices. These offices provide local resources on managing the financial and emotional stressors of farming, among many other topics.