BACKGROUND:
Youth mental health is a growing concern globally – including in Kenya. This means that it is crucial to prioritize mental health as a critical aspect of overall socio-development and public health care. In Kenya, many rural communities continue to face persistent shortages of mental health care practitioners, which results in delayed care, limited interventions, and increasing health disparities and injustices. Considering this, the research question that guided this study is “What are the perceptions of service providers in rural areas regarding youth mental health interventions?”

METHODS:
The study adopted a qualitative approach. Data was collected using individual interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Ethics approval was received from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) and University of Calgary ethical review boards and Kenya National Council of Science Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) prior to data collection.

RESULTS:
Findings indicate mental health practice and workforce gaps that can be addressed through a transdisciplinary intervention framework. Drawing on systems thinking and community responsive scholarship, we identified how task sharing and collaborative care approaches can benefit youth with mental health challenges in rural settings. In addition, the following were identified as interconnected aspects of sustainable youth rural mental health ecosystem: schools as mental-health hubs, culturally informed programs, primary care integration and tele-mental health innovations. These findings highlight the significance of flexible occupational policies and intersectoral collaborations that bridge formal and informal supports.

CONCLUSIONS:
Transdisciplinary intervention frameworks offer promising pathways to strengthen access, reduce disparities, and build resilient systems capable of meeting the mental health needs of young people in rural areas.