Equity Associates

Equity Associates provides integrated mental health services for schools and community organizations in rural settings using telemental health delivery to match adolescents and their families with highly qualified and specialized mental health providers. Our services are designed to minimize barriers to accessing quality mental health services for youth in rural communities and are based on the following core themes, each well established within research on adolescent mental health in rural communities-Telemental health promotes greater access to specialized care without the limitation of proximity-Telemental health allows adolescents in rural communities to have the same access to care as their urban counterparts-Telemental health has been identified as a promising practice in the delivery treatment of anxiety, depression and substance abuse treatment among adolescents-Aligning care with evidence-based practices in mental health treatment, such a collaborative care model, is essential for improving mental health outcomes in rural communities-Telemental health lends itself to intersystem integration within rural schools and community agencies. This supports a stronger collaborative care process for adolescents receiving mental health intervention-Telemental health allows youth to access mental health treatment in the places they are most likely to do such as their schools and within trusted community settings-Telemental health can increase an adolescent's feeling of anonymity and decrease potential stigmas of being seen at a mental health clinic-Telemental health increases scheduling flexibility and while decreasing dependence on transportation in order to access services.