Rural mental health, a TAMUK priority

New institute to focus on rural mental health

When problems are accurately identified, it is easier to focus on a solution. That is Dr. Steve F. Bain’s plan of action now that the Institute for Rural Mental Health Initiatives (IRMHI) finds a home at Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK) as of Sept. 1.

“The vision of the IRMHI is to help educate leaders who will make a difference in the lives of rural populations in South Texas and beyond,” Bain said.

The associate professor and former Dean of the College of Education and Human Performance will now serve as the Founding Director of the institute.

The Institute will utilize multi-disciplinary and system approaches to help support the academic and clinical needs of students within the College of Education and Human Performance and in other programs across campus related to mental health education.

“The institute has been founded to support our students through our counseling-related program as they receive a world-class education via mental health research advocacy and instruction related to mental health issues impacting rural and remote South Texas,” Bain said.

Housed within the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling, the Institute will support graduate students who are pursuing their professional counseling degree or related degrees.

“We want to provide support, research and any resources we can to help them become the best graduates, who then become mental health professionals, that anyone in the world can produce, and we believe we can do that,” Bain said.

The institute was founded for TAMUK students and rural populations. The primary tasks will be to enhance current graduate programs to focus on rural mental health, drive forward a robust research agenda related to rural mental health and to serve as an advocacy force for rural populations.

Bain felt that TAMUK needed a program like the IRMHI because Texas ranks low in the nation when it comes to availability and accessibility to mental health services in rural communities.

“The institute is a proactive response to the mental health needs of our state,” Bain said.

Bain mentions that the institute is a product of the work started through the TAMUS Chancellor’s Research Initiative in 2014 .

Dr. Robert Vela, president of TAMUK, was also involved in the creation of this institute. Vela is a founding member of Bain’s dean’s advisory board. He had the vision of starting an institute that would have a number of focal areas.

“I was able to help clear the path to ensure that we, as an institution, can be responsive to community needs, particularly in light of recent tragedies that often involve mental health crises in our communities,” Vela said. “We must be responsive to those communities, providing resources, training and support.”

Vela explained that the IRMHI allows TAMUK to align education and counseling programs that prepare future mental health counselors with the needs of rural communities.

Under the leadership of Dr. Bain, TAMUK began offering the only Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with an emphasis in rural mental health in the state of Texas.

“Dr. Bain’s extensive knowledge in the field of rural mental health makes him a great choice to lead this new initiative,” Vela said.

Vice President of Enrollment and Student Affairs Dr. Rito Silva was another individual who aided in the creation of this institute.

“While the Division of Student Affairs was not directly involved in the creation of IRMHI, we do share in the institutional priority placed on mental health, and we are continuing to invest in expanding mental health resources for our students,” Silva said.