Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)

School

Psychology

Advisor

Richard Thompson

Abstract

Mental healthcare is a primary focus for rural behavioral health nonprofit agencies. Often, multiple agencies have a similar purpose, client base, and sources of funding. In these situations, and especially in rural areas, interagency collaboration is critical for the organization's and stakeholders' success. This study examined the behavioral health leaders’ barriers to interagency collaboration and the perceived benefits of such cooperation. The Baldrige excellence framework grounded this case study and focused on the organizations' structures and leadership dynamics. Nine leaders within three nonprofit agencies served as the participants in this study. Secondary data included organizational records, website information, and an academic literature review. Four themes emerged from the data: barriers to interagency collaboration, problematic outcomes without interagency collaboration, satisfaction with interagency collaboration, and identified solutions to enhance collaboration. Recommendations were created based on the results to improve collaboration with training and communication between senior leaders. The recommendations include interdepartmental training, interagency training, and closing the gap in interagency communication. If these recommendations are implemented, the clients can receive more specified care by seeing the most appropriate agency without being waitlisted, stakeholders can be more informed through agency sponsored community trainings, and licensed staff can ensure they follow their board requirements with communication between agencies. This study contributes to positive social change by helping rural behavioral health organizations support clients and maximize the use of limited resources.

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