Background: Youth who live in rural communities are significantly less likely than urban youth to receive needed mental health services. One promising approach to expanding access to evidence-based mental health programs (EBPs) is “task-shifting” delivery of interventions that are typically led by professional providers to volunteer youth mentors who are trained by experienced supervisors. Within the right conditions, training mentors in EBPs has tremendous potential to significantly expand the mental health workforce, increase access to care, and improve rural youth mental health. Research is needed to assess the feasibility of training and supporting mentors to deliver EBPs and to understand how EBPs may need to be adapted to be relevant for youth in rural communities.
Our Study: With input from rural youth, parents, mentors, and school partners who identified a need for mental health programming that supports interpersonal relationships, we adapted Interpersonal Psychotherapy–Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST), an evidence-based depression prevention program, for delivery by mentors in an after-school setting. We are currently assessing the feasibility, acceptability, and implementation of mentor-delivered IPT-AST, as well as preliminary youth outcomes.
