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About NARMH

The National Association for Rural Mental Health (NARMH) was founded in 1977 in order to develop and enhance rural mental health and substance abuse services and to support mental health providers in rural areas. NARMH has added two additional goals of proactively supporting initiatives that will strengthen the voices of rural consumers and their families and to develop and mentor the next generation of rural mental health leaders and researchers.

NARMH is a membership organization composed of organizations and individuals from across the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii) and a few foreign countries. NARMH's membership includes the entire spectrum of the rural mental health community: consumers, family members, practitioners, administrators, educators, researchers, and policy makers. A focus on and a commitment to rural people and their problems has always been the priority and unifying force in NARMH. This belief that "rural" comes first has allowed NARMH to be relatively free of the turf battles and guild issues that have so fragmented the general field of mental health.

NARMH, since its inception, has had a strong commitment to rural people and rural providers. This commitment has allowed NARMH to be focused on what it takes to provide quality services and meaningful research for rural consumers and providers alike. NARMH also has several core functions that include:

  • Supplying high quality training opportunities for members and non-members through our annual conferences,
  • Serving as an advocate for members and rural consumers,
  • Articulating policy recommendations to improve accessibility, availability and acceptability of mental health services,
  • Providing a forum for practitioners, researchers and consumers to network and dialogue,
  • Disseminating best practices and research findings through our publication Rural Mental Health and on our web site.
  • Offering leadership opportunities for the next generation of rural providers and researchers

NARMH Board of Directors

The National Association for Rural Mental Health is governed by a volunteer board of directors. A list of these members and contact information is available on our NARMH Board of Directors page.