Notwithstanding the many factors involved in choosing a future profession, it is clear that without financial support, most minority and disadvantaged students cannot fund graduate education in mental health. According to the Bureau of Primary Health Care, there are over 600 designated mental health professional shortage areas nationwide. Until recently, there has been little attention paid to the special problems of rural mental health service delivery. Most mental health professionals in rural areas are not licensed or certified and have less experience than their counterparts in urban and suburban areas. Over one third of the country's youth reside in rural areas, yet evaluation and treatment of emotional, social and mental disorders are provided by staff with limited training, no child expertise and access to few referral sources.
Minorities make up a large portion of rural and other underserved populations.
Given these projected demographics, the likely increased need for behavioral and psychological services for minority persons in underserved areas will be enormous. The shortage of minority psychologists is especially serious for the field of psychology. Clearly, without federal support, the substantial commitment of time and money prohibits many qualified minorities from pursuing a career in psychology. American Psychological Association, August 2000 APA Home Page .