Expanding Montana Rural Student Mental Health Supports

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.