The ACE Task Force purpose is to increase awareness of adverse childhood experience research and promote trauma-informed approaches in our schools, community groups, and other services. They have conducted over 30 trainings, hosted a Mental Health First Aid course and purchased and disbursed educational material including two documentary films, and reached over 2,000 people in Beaverhead County with their message.

The Summit Planning Committee organizes a regularly occurring conference event as a resource for education and training targeting providers throughout the region. In 2017, over 130 individuals attended the conference luncheon hosted by the group. The featured keynote speaker was Jessie Close, sister of Glen Close the actress. The theme was Creating a Trauma-informed Community.

Crisis Intervention Team Training in collaboration with the Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Department and Dillon Police Department, offers a week long Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training to all local law enforcement and other first responders. CIT develops skills for responders encountering an individual experiencing a mental health crisis, including a protocol to deescalate the crisis, and to identify appropriate next steps.

The Resilience Oriented Community Curriculum (ROCC) Committee seeks to change the culture of mental healthcare in our community. We do this by raising awareness of mental health challenges, increasing skills to respond and identifying needed resources.  This committee is currently developing the multi-lesson curriculum and will begin presenting to businesses, community groups and other individuals before the end of 2019.

The Howard Gaines Community Service Award Committee accepts nominations and chooses a community member to honor each year for their service in promoting behavioral healthcare.  We believe scholarships and awards, such as this, bring visibility not just to the honored person for their significant contribution but also highlights the importance of this work.

In addition, we participate in the following collaborations:

• Women’s Resource/Community Support Center for Suicide Prevention Week events, Contact: 683-6106

Our community offers many choices for behavioral health (mental and addictive) type services. To help the community understand all of the resources available, the MHLAC comprised a list of all the licensed providers serving Beaverhead County residents. This list indicates whether practitioners serve adults or children, what services they specialize in, what types of payment they can accept, how long you can expect to wait, and how to contact them for appointments. This list is updated on a monthly basis by Brian Wheeler at the WRC. We are very grateful for this help! This list is currently not available in a mobile-friendly version but can be readily accessed via a computer.

Behavioral Service Providers

Judith Grisel, Ph.D. signs copies of her book Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addition.

On three occasions in the past four years, the Beaverhead County Mental Health Local Advisory Council has hosted a two-day conference focused on Integrative Healthcare.  The theme of 2019 was “Face to Face with Trauma…What’s in your toolbox?”.  The Summit again hosted renowned national speakers including, Kevin Briggs (a California Highway Patrolman who has successfully interrupted 200 individuals intent on a suicidal jump from the Golden Gate Bridge), Ijeoma Achara, PhD (whose work focuses on the strength of the person with mental illness and/or addiction in order to build a behavioral health system that can move from reactive to a recovery oriented approach) and Judith Grisel, PhD (A renowned behavioral neuroscientist and recovered drug addict, who provides an authoritative and accessible guide to understanding drug addiction).  Other presentations included:

• Georgia Kady, RN “Human Trafficking in Montana”
• Karl Rosston, LCSW:  “Caring for Patients with Suicide Risk”
• Benjamin Oosterhoff, PhD:  “An online depression screening”
• Mark Schure, PhD & Bill Bryan, PhD:  “THRIVE-Computerized CBT”

2018 Keynote: Chamique Holdsclaw

The Summit once again hosted presentations by regional and national leaders in mental health research and counseling.  The keynote speaker was Olympic basketball champion, Chamique Holdsclaw who told of her personal experience with mental illness. Other speakers included Dr. Judy Cameron: Helping Children Build a Resilient Brain and Impact of Life and Experiences on Brain Development: The Brain Architecture Game, Jerry Girard, LCPC & LAC: “I Got This!” – A Solution Focused Resilience Workshop, Mary Morgan, LCSW: You Matter – Integrating Self-Care Into Your Practice, Melainya Ryan, LCPC & E-RYT: Raising Consciousness – Meditation & Mindfulness Workshop, Dr. Dawn Cureton: How to Use Psychological Testing Reports to Guide and Enhance Therapeutic Interventions, and Vikki Howard, PhD & Erin Butts, MSW: Everyday Strategies to Strengthen Resilience

From left to right: Glenn Close, Katherine Buckley-Patton, and Jessie Close.

From left to right: Glenn Close, Katherine Buckley-Patton, and Jessie Close.On September 6-7, 2017,  the Summit featured exceptional presentations by some of Montana’s noted leaders in trauma-informed identification and care of children, substance abuse treatment and recovery models, and innovative interventions in our schools’ classrooms. In addition, nationally recognized Jessie Close, author of Resilience: Two Sisters and a Story of Mental Illness, presented the keynote address to about 130 people. Her sister, the famous actress Glenn Close, surprised the crowd with an unannounced appearance to support and introduce Jessie. It was a grand event.