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Yellowstone County Mental Health Alliance Celebrates Three Years of Connection and Collaboration

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


The Yellowstone County Mental Health Alliance (YCMHA) is celebrating its third anniversary this August, marking three years of connecting mental health professionals, strengthening referral relationships, and encouraging collaboration throughout Yellowstone County. The Alliance will recognize the milestone during its monthly meet-up on Wednesday, August 12, at 12 noon at the Billings Community Foundation Building at 404 N. 30th Street.


The story behind YCMHA began with a simple Facebook post. In 2023, a local mental health provider asked whether a networking group for area providers existed. Onnie Michalsky, LCPC, who had been looking for ways to connect with other professionals after moving to Billings at the onset of the pandemic, partnered with Jessica Kiedrowski, LAC, to organize an informal gathering.


On August 5, 2023, 15 mental health professionals gathered in a rented room at Mazevo Coffee on Grand Avenue. Their attendance confirmed what the organizers suspected: local providers wanted and needed more opportunities to connect.


As participation grew, the informal meet-ups evolved. Michalsky expanded and formalized the work as the Yellowstone County Mental Health Alliance, creating a broader professional organization with consistent monthly meet-ups, educational opportunities, communication resources, and new ways for mental health professionals to connect and collaborate.


Today, YCMHA is owned and led by Michalsky and continues to build upon the spirit of connection that inspired that first gathering.


From 15 Professionals to a Growing Statewide Network

In just three years, the effort has grown to include:


  • Nearly 600 professionals connected through our Facebook community

  • More than 400 professionals reached through our weekly newsletter

  • Monthly professional meet-ups averaging 25 attendees

  • An annual mental health conference that welcomed more than 115 attendees and 33 community sponsors and exhibitors in its first year

  • A statewide online community through the Montana Circle, serving more than 40 clinicians

  • More than 30 community partners who have presented, hosted, sponsored, or provided meals at our monthly meet-ups

  • Awarded more than 350 continuing education credit hours to mental health professionals as an NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider


“When 15 people came to that first gathering, we knew we had discovered a real need,” said Onnie Michalsky, private practice owner and director of the Yellowstone County Mental Health Alliance. “Mental health professionals do difficult work, and many of us were trying to do it without meaningful opportunities to connect with one another. Seeing the referrals, partnerships, ideas, and community projects that have grown from these relationships has exceeded anything we imagined three years ago.”


“We are proud of what this community has created, but we also feel like we are just getting started,” Michalsky added.


Anniversary Event

Mental health professionals are invited to celebrate the Alliance’s third anniversary at its monthly meet-up on Wednesday, August 12, from 12 noon until 1 pm at 404 N 30th, dwntown Billings. The event will include Zack Terakedis, Executive Director of the Billings Community Foundation who will be facilitating a discussion on setting your business up for receiving outside funding, time for networking, and an anniversary celebration. The event is free to attend and is open to professionals serving in the mental health field.


Media Resources

Members of the media are welcome to download and use the following materials when covering the Yellowstone County Mental Health Alliance and its third anniversary:


Please credit photos according to the information provided in the image folder. For interviews, additional information, or assistance selecting images, contact Onnie Michalsky using the information below.


Media Contact:

Onnie Michalsky, EdS, LCPC, NCC

Founder and Executive Director, Yellowstone County Mental Health Alliance

onnie@ycmentalhealthalliance.com

406-601-9175


What began as an informal gathering of 15 providers has become an infrastructure for connection and collaboration among hundreds of Montana mental health professionals.
What began as an informal gathering of 15 providers has become an infrastructure for connection and collaboration among hundreds of Montana mental health professionals.

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