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If you've had to wait weeks, even months, to see a psychiatrist you're not alone. Minnesota is part of a 

 in a shortage of mental health counselors at a time when roughly 

 Americans will experience a mental health problem as an adult. 

The shortage is most acute if you are looking for help in rural America or if you're hoping to see a counselor of color.

How did we get here? And what are the consequences of such an urgent shortage?  

MPR News Host Kerri Miller spoke with two guests:

 practices family medicine in Ely with Essentia Health 

 is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota

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Kerri Miller

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How did the demand for mental health services outgrow the supply of trained mental health workers?

If you've had to wait weeks, even months, to see a psychiatrist you're not alone. Minnesota is part of a national trend in a shortage of mental health counselors at a time when one in five adults will experience a mental health problem. The shortage is most acute if you are looking for help in a rural area or if you're hoping to see a counselor of color.
How did we get here? And what are the consequences of such an urgent shortage? MPR News Host Kerri Miller spoke with two guests: Dr. Joseph Bianco practices family medicine in Ely with Essentia Health and Dr. Katharine "Kaz" Nelson is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota

The mental health care shortage reaches Minnesota

An estimated shortage of mental health care providers

The 'silent shortage' of mental health workers

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