Faculty Candidate Public Presentation: Elliot Spengler, Ph.D. Faculty Candidate, Psychology Department

Candidate for a faculty position in the Department of Psychology
Elliot Spengler, PhD
Department of Psychiatry
University of Rochester Medical Center

Beyond the Individual: Advocating for Equitable Mental Health Care

Ideally, people would be willing and able to seek out the help they need when they begin to experience significant psychological distress. The treatment gap – that over half (56.7%) of adults living in the United States with a diagnosable mental health disorder do not receive mental health care (SAMHSA, 2019) – indicate this is not the case.

This research talk reviews several studies that discuss factors contributing to the treatment gap and avenues to promoting more affirmative and effective mental health care, especially for marginalized populations. Findings from these studies contrast with previous mental health help-seeking research by emphasizing the importance of structural vulnerability, which refers to the external forces that frame and constrain choices, thereby impeding decision-making and limiting life options for those who are in systemically disadvantaged social positions. These findings are discussed in terms of psychology training, practice, social justice advocacy and future healthcare research.