Montana Professional Learning Collaborative

THE EXPANDING MONTANA RURAL STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS INITIATIVE AIMS TO EXTEND MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES TO UNDERSERVED RURAL, TRIBAL, AND FRONTIER SCHOOLS IN WESTERN MONTANA. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, INCLUDING TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE, WELLNESS TRAINING, CURRICULUM, AND TELETHERAPY TO ESTABLISH SAFE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS AND ENSURE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. EXPANDING MONTANA RURAL STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS INCLUDES FIVE KEY COMPONENTS: THE MONTANA CARES APP FOR 24/7 ACCESS TO HELP, A RESOURCE NAVIGATOR FOR IN-FIELD SUPPORT, EXPANDED TELETHERAPY SERVICES, LIVE CLIMATE AND CULTURE PROGRAMMING THROUGH RACHEL'S CHALLENGE, AND ENHANCED MENTAL WELLNESS AND RESILIENCY TRAINING. THE MONTANA CARES APP PROVIDES CONTINUOUS ACCESS TO CRISIS COUNSELORS AND LOCAL RESOURCES, ENSURING IMMEDIATE AND APPROPRIATE SUPPORT. THE PROJECT BUILDS ON THE SUCCESS OF MONTANA CARES, WHICH CURRENTLY SERVES OVER 14,000 STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. EXPANDING CARE IN MONTANA WILL EXTEND THESE SERVICES TO THE WESTERN REGIONS, ADDRESSING SIGNIFICANT INEQUITIES IN SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES, AND SERVING AN ADDITIONAL 13,000+ STUDENTS AND THEIR SCHOOL COMMUNITY FAMILIES.

EQUITY OF SERVICES FOR RURAL, TRIBAL, AND FRONTIER SCHOOLS ACROSS MONTANA UNDER STOP ACT CATEGORY 2, PROGRAM AREAS 3) TRAINING SCHOOL PERSONNEL AND EDUCATING STUDENTS ON PREVENTING SCHOOL VIOLENCE, AND 5) HIRING SCHOOL SUPPORT PERSONNEL DIRECTLY SUPPORTING THE PREVENTION OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE, WESTERN MONTANA PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COLLABORATIVE (WMPLC), IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MONTANA SMALL SCHOOL ALLIANCE (MSSA), IS PROPOSING A PROJECT TO INCREASE THE EQUITY OF STUDENT SERVICES FOR RURAL, TRIBAL, AND FRONTIER SCHOOLS ACROSS THE STATE OF MONTANA. MSSA HAS CLOSE TO 150 SMALL SCHOOL MEMBER DISTRICTS AND 120 OF THEM ARE OPERATING WITHOUT A SINGLE CREDENTIALED SCHOOL COUNSELOR, LEAVING ONE OF THEIR TEACHERS TO TAKE A SINGLE THREE-HOUR SESSION (PROVIDED BY MSSA) AND THEN TAKE ON THE COUNSELING RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THEIR SCHOOL IN ADDITION TO THEIR TEACHING ROLE. SOME TEACHERS ALSO HAVE THE LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST TASKS AS WELL. THESE RURAL AND TRIBAL SCHOOLS ARE EXCEPTIONALLY UNDER- RESOURCED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DELIVER TO UNDERSERVED AREAS COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL COUNSELING, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, AND OTHER RESOURCES THAT ARE CRUCIAL FOR CREATING AND SUSTAINING SAFE SCHOOLS. INCREASED ACCESS TO RESOURCES, TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE, SCHOOL COUNSELORS, E-THERAPY ASSESSMENTS AND TREATMENT, AS PROPOSED IN THE PROJECT, IS VITAL TO IMPROVING THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY OF THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY. THE WMPLC/MSSA PARTNERSHIP AIMS TO SERVE NEARLY 150 SMALL SCHOOL MEMBER DISTRICTS, TRIBAL SCHOOLS, AND FRONTIER SCHOOLS BY PROVIDING COUNSELING SUPPORTS, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, AND PROVEN VIOLENCE PREVENTION TOOLS THAT ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED BY STUDENTS, STAFF, AND FAMILIES ACROSS MONTANA.