Eoff, Shirley MKreitler, Crystal MStarkey, Thomas W2017-06-062018-02-162017-06-062018-02-162017-05May 2017http://hdl.handle.net/2346.1/30689San Angelo and surrounding communities suffer from both a lack of adequate mental health services and a lack of professional staffing to serve the entire community (American Medical Association Physician Masterfile, 2017; U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). A 2011 data report collected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) found that over 10 million adults age 18 or older felt that, although they needed mental health treatment, they received inadequate or no mental health care. Rural Texas communities, as opposed to urban communities, are more likely to face difficulties in providing adequate mental health treatment options to residents. As such, mental healthcare providers must identify relevant challenges in providing care and adapt evidence-based practice methods to meet the needs of individuals living within these rural communities. This thesis analyzes existing mental health services available to Tom Green County residents to discover issues currently limiting access to proper care and make preliminary recommendations to address those limitations.application/pdfsocial work, mental health, evidence-based practices, rural health, Tom Green County mental healthThesis2017-06-06