Geographical Diversity: Unique Issues Facing Rural vs. Urban Populations

Chapter Highlights

• 1.

  Rural and urban areas have unique challenges yet share commonalities.

• 2.

  Residents in rural areas are subjected to many stereotypes.

• 3.

  Rural areas are disproportionately affected by less access to healthcare and counseling services.

• 4.

  Rural areas have higher physical and mental health disorder incidents than urban areas.

• 5.

  Diversity in rural areas is increasing and requires an intersectional approach to cultural competence.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this chapter, the reader should be able to:

• 1.

  Distinguish between rural and urban characteristics and elements of culture.

• 2.

  Identify ways in which rural residents are diverse.

• 3.

  Identify overlapping or common characteristics for both rural and urban populations.

• 4.

  Describe cultural factors that influence the behavior of rural and urban residents.

• 5.

  Identify elements of geographical diversity competence.

Introduction

Geographical diversity is defined as “the set of physical, human, and cultural elements, differentiated from each other, that converge in the same relatively small geographic space that is part of the same zone, region, or county” (Life Persona, 2022, p. 1). The multiplicity of characteristics includes biological, linguistic, sexual, cultural, gender, etc. diversity, and all these elements coexist within the same geographic space, it is called geographical diversity (Life Persona, 2022). Even though most of the United States is rural, very little of the population fully resides in rural areas (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2017). Only 20 percent of Americans live in rural areas, which account for 97 percent of the U.S. land mass (National Institute for Health Care Management [NIHCM], 2022). Geographical diversity requires an understanding of multicultural competencies to work with populations across rural and urban areas. Ratts et al. (2016) developed multicultural and social justice counseling competencies for the counseling profession. The theoretical and empirical foundations of the multicultural and social justice counseling competencies (MSJCC) are predicated on the counselor and client “(a) understanding the complexities of diversity and multiculturalism on the counseling relationship, (b) recognizing the negative influence of oppression on mental health and well-being, (c) understanding individuals in the context of their social environment, and (d) integrating social justice advocacy into the various modalities of counseling (e.g., individual, family, partners, group)” (pp. 44-45). For people living in rural and urban areas their identities are formed and influenced by their environment.