State of Montana Newsroom
Thank You to Our Montana Counselors
HELENA - National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the Montana School Counselor Association and American School Counselor Association, is celebrated in the week of Feb. 7-11. This week highlights the incredible impact that school counselors have on helping students achieve mental health, school success, and a career path.
The Office of Public Instruction (OPI), in response to the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and in partnership with the Montana School Counselor Association, hosted a virtual workshop on February 1st with an internationally recognized national youth suicide prevention expert, Dr. Scott Poland. The 158 attendees were provided with information on:
- How to prevent youth suicides
- Proactively respond after a suicide has occurred
- School mental health worker self-care
“Montana families and children have faced the ramifications of masking, quarantining, loss of family, and economic instability. I want to take this opportunity to thank our school counselors every day for engaging students positively in mental health,” expressed Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “This is a partnership with schools and communities providing stability in learning as well as hope in a healthy future.”
“Montana school counselors are working tirelessly to promote safety, emotional well-being, and caring, compassionate school climates that allow every student to thrive. We are so grateful to partner with OPI on bringing Dr. Scott Poland to provide new tools and support to those working on the front lines every day. Thank you for recognizing the critical role that school counselors play and for providing this essential training.” – Reneé Schoening, Executive Director of the Montana School Counselor’s Association.
For more information, contact Tammy Lysons at tamara.lysons@mt.gov or 406-431-2309. A free online copy of the Montana Crisis Action School Toolkit on Suicide is available, courtesy of the OPI in collaboration with the Montana National Alliance on Mental Illness and Big Sky Regional Council of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Visit the Office of Public Instruction’s School Mental Health page for more information on supporting youth mental health.
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