I’m not a professional therapist, and everyone has a different recovery story. Here are five steps that helped me recover after my suicide attempt…(Read More)
School is back in session, which can be a stressful time for teens and parents alike. Here are some simple strategies that you and your family can use to help ease back into the school routine…(Read More)
Coping skills are great tools for kids to have when the stresses and strains of life threaten to slow them down or overwhelm them. It can be useful to think of coping skills as tools. Just like no single tool is right for every home improvement project, no single coping skill will be right for…(Read More)
The early stages of fostering a child will include a major adjustment period. The first few days tend to be the most difficult, but if you follow these tips, you can ease that transition…(Read More)
A current foster parent and former foster child shares her tips below for helping a new foster child feel welcome and comfortable during their first week in your home…(Read More)
NPR – May 6, 2014 Children across the country will be rolling out the breakfast trays and handmade cards for Mother’s Day. But the holiday brings up mixed feelings for many foster mothers and their children. “It can be really confusing for a child when there’s Mother’s Day and the child is…(Read More)
Youth Dynamics First Annual #YDoI Campaign would like to thank and recognize community members who have pledged their financial commitments as Youth Dynamics Friends. In our daily lives when faced with success, questions and issues our friends play an important part in overcoming and working through many situations — mental health and otherwise. Friends support…(Read More)
It is easy to dismiss the budget cuts being considered by the Department of Public Health and Human Services as an easy way to save money. However, the latest round of proposed cuts to home support services and therapeutic foster care create a potentially serious situation when coupled with the drastic rate reduction for case…(Read More)
There are so many of us at Youth Dynamics that go above and beyond. We like to take the time to recognize some of the great work all of we do. Each day we touch hundreds of children’s lives. Sometimes it’s hard to see how much of a difference we make. Each one…(Read More)
Parenting a child who is struggling with their mental health is stressful. To help guide you as you reach out for help we put together this easy quiz…(Read More)
Mavis and Jim have fostered for 45 years. They’ve welcomed over 100 children into their home. Mavis and Jim gave us some good advice for foster parents…(Read More)
As we head into the summer it is time take a deep breath. Here are some tips from Barbara Smith, a therapist in our Bozeman office…(Read More)
Anyone who works with youth with mental or behavioral health diagnoses feels frustration. Behavioral health treatment takes time and you may not see the immediate results. As the Clinical Supervisor, I see the “big picture” of the many, many youth we help each year. Having my office in one of our youth homes gives me…(Read More)
The family support team service is an amazing program that helps keep children in their homes and community…(Read More)
Here are five ways that Youth Dynamics is working to address child abuse in Montana…(Read More)
We all know about the benefits of self-care but where many people get stuck is in how to self-care, We try to answer all of these questions below…(Read More)
The entire Youth Dynamics team met at the Chico Hot Springs on May 2-3 for our Annual All Staff Retreat. The theme of this year’s retreat was Dealing with Secondary Trauma – Self-Care. The two days was set up with stations for YDI staff to try new self care techniques. This week’s…(Read More)
![Screen Shot 2017 03 23 at 9.41.21 AM - [Infographic] 13 Reasons Why Talking Points](https://www.youthdynamics.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Screen-Shot-2017-03-23-at-9.41.21-AM.png "[Infographic] 13 Reasons Why Talking Points")
The show, 13 Reasons Why, depicts a teenage girl who dies by suicide. Youth Dynamics created an infographic to help you talk about the show…(Read More)
So, you’ve taken the plunge and have reached out for help for your child. Now you find your self rushing from place to place, meeting all sorts of new professionals who say they are here to help you. It can be very confusing! Here are some tips from a (former) case manager about how…(Read More)
Butte Therapist, Elizabeth Hausman, goes above and beyond on a daily basis to provide treatment and support to children and families in our community services. After we lost a therapist in Butte, Elizabeth took on a second caseload, holding 42 therapy clients. Elizabeth continues to hold this caseload, without complaint, until we are able to…(Read More)
Youth Dynamics in Helena offers more than therapeutic youth home services, we have an awesome team working with families in the community…(Read More)
Reaching out for help can be the scariest step for families. Here is what getting help with Youth Dynamics looks like for most families in our services…(Read More)
As Youth Dynamics expands across the state, we are truly fortunate to serve a growing number of Montana youth and their families and have a positive impact on their lives. It is an honor to watch many of the children we serve graduate from our services and stay on a path of hard work to…(Read More)
These five activities will help children build social skills to thrive in their homes and communities…(Read More)
Law enforcement in the United States arrests 1.3 million youth and children every year. In Montana alone, over 4,000 youth were arrested in 2014. These high numbers make it crucial to learn how involvement with the justice system influences the development and health of these youth. In January, the Journal of the American…(Read More)
Gerre Maillet discusses how anybody can support children in foster care, even if they are not ready to become foster parents themselves…(Read More)
![The Importanceof literacy 2 featured image - [Infographic] Montana Youth Suicide by the Numbers](https://www.youthdynamics.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/The-Importanceof-literacy-2-featured-image.png "[Infographic] Montana Youth Suicide by the Numbers")
Suicide continues to be a very big issue. This infographic highlights some of the most important statistics about suicide by Montana youth in 2015…(Read More)
Care Manager, Sara Gentry, in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle talking about her experience as a foster parent and the need for more foster parents in Montana…(Read More)
Peter Degel CEO hosted a call January 25th, to share the successes of the last year and exciting future plans with the Youth Dynamics team…(Read More)
Written by Kate Whittle for the Missoula Independent on January 19, 2017. Youth Dynamics is expanding to reach out to youth struggling with addiction…(Read More)
From December 5-9, a group of six Youth Dynamics employees from across the state came to Billings to learn how to teach Common Sense Parenting. This expansion will allow us to provide the Common Sense Parenting program to our foster parents across the state on an ongoing basis. This year, Youth Dynamics trained all…(Read More)
Youth Dynamics wishes you and your loved ones very merry holidays and a happy New Year…(Read More)
This is the one time of year we all (with the exception of Scrooge) share the common goal to be happy. We expect ourselves to be happy. Our favorite people who we may not get to see very often come to town. We feel happy with our lit candles, the taste of our favorite holiday…(Read More)
Peggy Leinart-Murch is one of Youth Dynamics most devoted therapists. She became a Licensed Therapist this December after 17 years with our agency. Peggy travels to the rural areas of South Eastern Montana every week bringing mental health treatment to youth and families who otherwise don’t have access to services. She often drives…(Read More)
The first purpose of the Angel Tree was to make sure that all of the kids in the Billings area group homes had a Christmas. “The kids are away from their families and being able to give them a little extra love in this time is important,” Shirley Bulluck, Intake Coordinator, explains. The tree has…(Read More)
At first, I mechanically wrote something that resembled other ‘asks’ from us and other nonprofits in the area when I wrote this blog post. When I finished I couldn’t figure out why I didn’t like it, until I saw that it was simply too similar to other holiday donation appeals, and that I…(Read More)
In the last few months, if you were to look for Kay Brown, administrative support, or Diane Ude, accounting technician, after work or on the weekends you would most likely find them behind a sewing machine. They have been busily creating weighted blankets and animals for Youth Dynamics therapists and clinical staff to use with…(Read More)
The practice of animal assisted therapy has been growing in research and application. Research shows that the elderly, adults, adolescents, and children benefit from the presence of animals. Therapy animals are found in settings ranging from assisted living to hospitals to residential treatment centers. Here are five key benefits of dogs in a mental health…(Read More)
Story originally published by ABC Fox Montana Great Falls Great Falls – About 3,000 children and teens are entering the foster care system in Montana every year. The need for foster homes is a statewide issue, and that need is borderline desperate here in Cascade County. The non-profit Youth Dynamics says that during the…(Read More)
Written by Briana Wipf, originally published by Great Falls Tribune on November 26, 2014 In a small room on the fourth floor of Great Falls’ Columbus Center, seven children and youths and their families celebrated significant milestones Wednesday. The children, 8 to 16, were clients of Youth Dynamics Inc., a statewide nonprofit service company that…(Read More)
Early intervention is important for youth that are experiencing substance abuse issues. Substance abuse issues can put youth at risk for physical injury, aggression, criminal activity, sexual risk taking, being a victim of crime, suicide or self-injury, and addiction issues later in life. Parents, caregivers, and professionals who interact with teens may notice a…(Read More)
When Joann Adney talks about her work her face lights up with passion. She is the newest therapist on our Livingston team. Joann is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in play therapy. She describes her approaches a strengths based and at times out of the box. Joann has written therapeutic books with her…(Read More)
Clinician, Beth Breen, discusses useful tips for helping children manage anxiety. Tip 1. Routine and Structure Simply being an adult who responds to a child in a consistent and reliable manner who they see on a regular basis can help them to manage anxiety in their daily lives. Tip 2. Cookie Breathing Cookie breathing helps…(Read More)
Faith lives at one of our group homes in Boulder. Faith wrote this wonderful poem about her mother and wanted us to share it. When I think about my childhood 1 thing sticks out the most…. My Mom She is always there Sometimes I thought it to be suffocating But these days I wish I…(Read More)
Where: Salvation Army Center, 1000 17th Ave S, Great Falls, MT When: August 13, 2016 from 8:30-5:30 Youth Mental Health First Aid USA is an 8 hour public education program which introduces participants to the unique risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems in adolescents, builds understanding of the importance…(Read More)
Youth Dynamics is working hard to integrate substance abuse services into our local offices so we are better able to “wrap around” youth and families in their recoveries. This is an issue that many families deal with every day. Our Licensed Addictions Counselors are working in communities across Montana to bring substance abuse services to…(Read More)
