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 Overview
Youth Dynamics, Inc. (YDI) is a private, non-profit behavioral
health agency, serving children up to age 21 and their families.
YDI officially began operations on June 12, 1981 when the agency’s
first Board of Directors met in Billings. Originally known as Volunteers
of America, the only program offered at that time was Therapeutic
Foster Care. By September of 1981, nine clients had been placed
in Therapeutic Foster Care, and there were 12 Treatment Foster Families.
In 1989, the agency changed its name to Youth Dynamics, Inc. and
became a Montana based agency. Four years later, Family
Support Services was added to program offerings with
the goal being to provide therapeutic services to clients before
they were removed from their families due to abuse and/or neglect.
Services included in-home care, Family
Support Assistants, and Therapeutic
Respite Care.
Another historical milestone was achieved in 1998 when the Billings
Community Mental Health Center proposed to transfer their Intensive
Case Management to Youth Dynamics, Inc., thus assisting
in creating a broader continuum of care for Montana clients. YDI
acquired six program staff during the transition and took on 120
Billings area YCM cases. Today, YCM serves more than 500 families
across Montana involving more than 30 program staff.
YDI added Therapeutic Group Care as a program component in 2001
with the opening of the STAR Youth Hostel, a short term intensive
level group home. In 2003, YDI took over operation of the Big Sky
Youth Center, a community based shelter care and group home program
and facility in Bozeman, MT. Another Billings group home, Rimview,
was added in February, 2005. In August of 2005, the group home
program expanded again with the purchase of Alternative Youth
Adventures, an experiential program in Boulder, MT. Additional
expansion at AYA led to the development of a program and group home
for highly sexualized youth in October of 2007. Substance abuse
treatment services were added in February of 2007 with the opening
of the Swiftcurrent Center and Recovery Homes.
Other historical milestones include the following:
- Bozeman / Livingston - March of 1991.
- Miles City, Glasgow, and Glendive -
October of 1995.
- Helena - May of 1996.
- Wolf Point - July of 2000.
- Butte - December of 2001.
- Sidney - April of 2003.
- Lame Deer - June 2003
- Great Falls-October of 2003
- Big Sky Youth Center (Shelter Care/Group
Home) – October of 2003
- Rimview Group Home – October of 2004
- Alternative Youth Adventures (Journey
Homes and Day Treatment)-August of 2005
- Glasgow - March of 2007
- Swiftcurrent Center - February of 2007
Youth Dynamics, Inc. follows the Girls and Boys Town Family Home
model of treatment with services focused on two primary areas—Youth
Support Services and
Family Support Services.
Goals |
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To provide consistent, individualized and therapeutically
aggressive care and treatment to youth and families in
the least restrictive setting.
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To implement programs and services for which there is
an identified need, local support, and sufficient resources.
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To maintain policies and procedures which promote efficiency,
communication, and responsiveness of the organization
to its employees, stakeholders, youth and families, and
to the general public.
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To recruit, retain, and support high quality staff and
Treatment Foster Parents: maximizing their potential by
providing training, clinical guidance and administrative
support.
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To maintain procedures which promote the improvement
of YDI services using continuous quality measurement.
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To provide community leadership in the care, treatment,
education and training of youth and families.
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Vision |
We are committed to providing comprehensive and progressive
behavioral health services to meet the ever-changing needs
of youth and families. |
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Mission |
Youth Dynamics, Inc. promotes partnerships with people
for the provision of progressive family and community centered
behavioral health services. |
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Principles and Values |
As a premiere provider of therapeutic mental health services
in Montana, we follow specific principles and values that
guide our daily work.
- We believe in providing care and treatment through a
partnership with natural, adoptive and foster families,
communities, and other providers.
- We maintain open and respectful communication both within
and with those outside of the agency.
- Decisions made by a team comprised of all relevant stakeholders
result in better decisions.
- Our first responsibility is to meet the needs of youth
and families by utilizing their inherent strengths.
- We strive to serve all those who would benefit from our
services with Montana families as a first priority.
- Our greatest resources are our youth, families and communities,
and we strive to educate and support them in reaching their
full potential.
- We recognize and value the worth, contributions and potential
of employees, and encourage them to share the responsibility
of attaining our vision.
- We strive to provide affordable services while generating
sufficient revenue to support our commitment to quality
care and treatment for youth and families.
- We strive to reduce prejudice and barriers to growth
through increased understanding of behavioral health issues.
- We promote culturally sensitive behaviors, attitudes
and policies.
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Themes |
- Every child deserves a family.
- Helping families develop healthy relationships and stay
together.
- Community treatment is the most appropriate for kids.
- Home community treatment is the best, if possible.
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Staff |
Youth Dynamics, Inc. employs the best professionals available
in the field of therapeutic mental health services—over
250 full-time and casual part-time staff, making us one
of Montana’s largest children's behavioral health providers. We have earned an outstanding
reputation because of our well-trained and qualified staff
and the compassionate, high quality services we provide.
Our clinical staff includes:
- Care Managers
- Youth Case Managers
- Licensed Mental Health Therapists
- Family Support Assistants
- Coordinators
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Licenses |
- Mental Health Center
- Child Placing Agency
- Therapeutic Youth Group Home
- Youth Shelter Care
- Youth Group Home
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Continuum of Care |
| The greatest resource we have is our families and communities.
At Youth Dynamics, Inc., we’re dedicated to providing
the least intrusive and least restrictive level of care for
the youth and families we serve. For every youth and family,
we put together an individualized, customized and comprehensive
treatment plan that reflects just the right level of care—no
more and no less than what is needed to help families and youth
achieve their full potential. |
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Services |
| At Youth Dynamics, Inc., we believe that every child deserves
a family and in keeping families together. While the focus of
our services is in two primary areas—Youth Support Services
and Family Support Services—each of these individual services
can be blended into an individualized treatment program. Click
on: Clinical Services &
Programs |
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Resources |
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