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According
to the Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health published by the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Service in 1999, an estimated
20 percent of the U.S. population suffers from a mental disorder
each year, and many also struggle with co-occurring disorders, such
as substance abuse or a chronic physical illness. Despite the need
for mental health services, almost half of these individuals are
not accessing and receiveing treatment.
Individuals
with mental health issues experience various barriers to accessing
mental health services, including issues of stigma, limited knowledge
and/or understanding of mental illness, fragmentation of services,
and a limited supply of mental health providers; particularly, providers
with the skills and exeprience to work with diverse, multicultural
populations who often speak languages other than English and bring
different world views about mental health.
SEMHSOC
seeks to develop the clinical and nonclinical work force in mental
health by using a variety of training and capacity-building strategies.
These strategies may include traditional academic preparation, continuing
education and in-service training for mental health allied service
providers to enhance the knowledge and skills, and recruitment and
retention strategies.
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