After State of Mind,
keep building coalition with
Montana Service Organizations
As State of Mind enters Year Four as a program, (and Year Two of its statewide tour), we’re committed to deepening our ongoing engagement with communities. Part of this commitment involves gathering information from some of our statewide partners who focus on bringing communities together to work for better behavioral health outcomes, and making our local State of Mind site hosts and collaborators aware of these potential resources; and where we can, making introductions and searching for opportunities.
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Below are some Montana organizations doing impactful work to help galvanize and organize local coalitions and efforts. Whether you've had one of our State of Mind residencies and are looking to build upon our work, or you're simply here at our site looking for specific services to address needs in your community, these organizations are excellent resources for you. Take a look, and reach out.
Montana Public Health Institute
Mission: The Montana Public Health Institute optimizes the health and quality of life of Montanans by strengthening the public health system through collaboration, leadership and the advancement of health equity. Vision: Healthy Montana communities supported by a cohesive, responsive and informed public health system. Whether it is suicide, substance use, incarceration, or child abuse and neglect, public health is being called upon by community leaders and elected officials struggling to address these challenges. The Montana Public Health Institute is committed to supporting local and tribal public health departments to build capacity in behavioral health to reduce the rates of substance use and mental health issues. Public health works across the behavioral health continuum of care to improve outcomes. Public health is well-positioned to deliver prevention programming while bringing together sectors to collaborate in crisis diversion, treatment, and recovery efforts.
Rural Behavioral Health Initiative (RBHI)
RBHI's mission is to reverse the alarming rise in mental health challenges and suicidality among youth in Montana and other rural regions. Our fully virtual Screening Linked to Care (SLTC) program, tailored by and for Montana communities, brings universal mental health screenings, same-day care for high-risk students, and care navigation support right to students at their schools. Thanks to state and private funding, our program is free to schools and students (grades 3-12), so every child has the opportunity to receive the support they need to thrive. When schools and communities want to understand how kids are feeling or what supports they need to thrive, RBHI can provide: *Education on mental health for Montana youth *Education on implementing screening and understanding results *Same-day check-ins so youth voices are heard and there is an understanding of what they need to thrive *Follow up care to assist in finding long term support for students and families
The University of Montana Center for Children, Families and Workforce Development (UM Center)
The UM Center is committed to strengthening systems of care that support the health and well-being of Montanans. Since 2015, we’ve supported Montana’s behavioral health, child welfare, health care, early education, and public health systems through workforce development, training, research, evaluation, and technical assistance. With a statewide team of 30 professionals serving most Montana counties, we act as a modern-day extension office for higher education—strengthening communities with relevant resources and training, and workforce support. If communities have workforce training needs, we have a menu of offerings that could assist. We also offer capacity building and technical assistance if communities need 1:1 thought partnership and/or assistance with sustaining or growing their work.
The Montana Institute
Creating Conditions Where the Positive Can Grow At The Montana Institute, we help organizations, schools, and communities grow the good—focusing on strengths, resilience, and protective factors to create positive, lasting change through the Science of the Positive. We use cutting-edge norms science, the research behind strength-based approaches, and transformational leadership development to help our clients to decrease harm by increasing health. Instead of focusing on problems, we help communities measure and grow their strengths to shift behaviors, improve systems, and transform culture. From 90-minute introductory trainings to five-year in-depth research projects, The Montana Institute can help you envision and enact custom solutions that transform community health. We take a spirit first approach to everything we do, centering your goals, organizational culture, and the positive that already exists in the communities in which you work. Get in touch to find out how we can support your work. Our clients include school districts and state universities, community coalitions and Federal agencies, and everything in between. They work with youth, parents, and adults on issues ranging from substance use, suicide prevention, traffic safety, violence prevention, child maltreatment and more. We help them apply the Science of the Positive and Positive Community Norms in innovative ways to help them grow protective factors, increase positive norms, and increase health through services including: --Strategic & program planning --Survey development & implementation --Message development & campaign design --Trainings & custom workshops --Technical assistance & consulting
EmpowerMT
Youth Leadership Pathways
EmpowerMT’s Youth Leadership Pathways build on our 27-year history of serving Montana’s youth and schools by applying upstream, healing-centered approaches rooted in belonging, well-being, and purpose. We cultivate multi-tiered pathways that bring youth and adults together to co-design initiatives in schools, communities, and statewide systems, advancing mental health, learning, and leadership for Montana’s youth. -- Workshops & Trainings: Tailored professional development for educators and staff, and skill-building sessions for K–12 students that foster belonging, resilience, and leadership. -- Facilitation & Assessment: Support with comprehensive needs assessments, eco-mapping, and facilitated dialogues to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities. -- Coaching & Consulting: Ongoing leadership coaching and consulting to strengthen youth–adult collaboration and build sustainable systems for change. -- Youth–Adult Partnership Building: Guidance and facilitation to help youth and adults co-create strategies that elevate youth voice and leadership in decision-making. -- Civic Engagement & Advocacy: Resources and support for schools and communities to engage in policy advocacy, narrative change, and civic action that improve behavioral health outcomes.
Email: info@empowermt.org
Website: www.empowermt.org/youth