Digital Tools Connect Rural Texans to Mental Health Care

Some youth are using mental health apps to supplement therapy or help them manage their emotions, making mental health care more accessible. While there are limitations regarding the apps’ regulations and validity, some research has found that mental health apps have moderately reduced anxiety, depression and suicide risk among the youth who use them.

Sonar Mental Health, the developer of the AI-powered “wellbeing companion” named Sonny, is offering its services to schools that struggle to meet students’ demand for mental health services. Sonny’s algorithm also has trained humans working behind the scenes to ensure students receive proper care. The hybrid bot is available in more than 4,500 public middle and high schools across the country, many of which are in rural and low-income areas.

Teen Space expands free access to mental health care. With parental consent, teens can sign up online or through the app and be quickly matched with a therapist. Since its launch last November, more than 6,000 students have signed up, and each one has been connected with a therapist within 24 hours.

After the pandemic, many teens are still opting for telehealth therapy rather than in-office care. Telehealth makes therapy more accessible for those who need it, particularly through collaboration with mental health platforms like Daybreak that partner with school districts across the U.S. to provide access to virtual therapy in schools. Daybreak’s data shows that 92% of families see behavioral improvements and 80% of school staff see attendance and grade improvements in students who participate in therapy.

Teletherapy has seen a rapid increase since the COVID-19 pandemic and is helping meet the increased need for mental healthcare services by allowing people to easily access care from the comfort of their homes, with significantly fewer barriers to entry than traditional therapy offers. Practices that have begun offering teletherapy have seen a decrease in their no-show and cancellation rates and both private insurance and Medicaid have expanded coverage to improve access to care.

Telehealth visits are helping residents in rural nursing homes to access mental health care. In areas where mental health care is scarce, companies like Encounter Telehealth are connecting patients with providers, serving more than 200 nursing homes and assisted living centers. Mental health professionals working with Encounter Telehealth complete up to 2,000 virtual visits a month.

Instead of calling 911, people experiencing a mental health crisis can contact new crisis response teams, like the Virtual Crisis Care program, to receive a visit from a mental health professional rather than a law enforcement officer. The service is free and the goal is to stabilize people at home instead of admitting them to a crowded psychiatric units or jailing them for behaviors stemming from mental illness.

The AgriStress Helpline for Farmers and Ranchers is a 24/7 mental health support resource for farmers. The helpline is staffed with trained mental health professionals, who are also experienced in agriculture to provide those in need with a more personalized help response.

She Writes Woman, provides safe spaces for those in need to receive mental healthcare services. As of this year, She Writes Woman receives about 200 calls on its toll-free helpline each day, serving a community of about 45,000 people.

In rural parts of Wyoming, many people have trouble accessing mental health care resources, but telemedicine is changing that. Employing graduate students as counselors, people can access a telehealth clinic in order to obtain support in the form of specialized trauma care.