Co-author Names and Affiliations: Michael R. Rosmann, Ph.D., Director, Sharing Help Awareness United Network
Agricultural Mental Health:  A Collaborative Project

The National Association for Rural Mental Health and Sharing Help Awareness United Network have determined to collaborate on a project to formulate an agricultural mental health curriculum for professional mental health providers who serve farmers and ranchers, farm workers and family members.  Working together, a steering committee has proposed to produce a textbook about agricultural mental health which serves as a foundation for a course to be taken by mental health professionals and students and which leads to their certification as agricultural mental health providers upon completing the course successfully.

The National Association for Rural Mental Health will help certify this course.  The training will be offered to licensed mental health professionals and graduate students in relevant mental health disciplines.  Sharing Help Awareness United Network is developing a cadre of paraprofessionals who provide services to farmers and their families that experience a farming related fatality, serious injury or mental health impairment.  Paraprofessionals who provide these services and a pool of licensed mental health professionals who will serve as backup resources, will complete the course in agricultural mental health.

Additional aims of the project are to collect relevant literature and deposit this collection at a major university.  Long term plans are for the development of an agricultural mental health residency in psychiatry and a post doctoral agricultural fellowship in psychology, social work and other relevant mental health disciplines.
 
Agricultural Mental Health:  A Collaborative Project
David Provorse, Ph.D., Washburn University, Department of Psychology, Topeka, KS  66621
Co-author:  Michael R. Rosmann, Ph.D., Director, Sharing Help Awareness United Network

Sharing Help Awareness United Network and the National Association for Rural Mental Health are collaborating to develop an agricultural mental health curriculum, leading to the production of a textbook and certified course in this specialized area.