In this episode, Colleen Rahn and Matt Kuntz of NAMI Montana discuss how important flexibilty is to successful advocacy campaigns. Colleen asks Matt to illustrate some examples of this from Veterans Mental Health, Mental Health Parity, and Research Grants.

At the end of the episode, Colleen and Matt mention that the Montana NAMIWalk is coming up on September 19th.  Sign up or donate today at https://www.namiwalks.org/montana  

Hannah Clemenson hosts this episode with Colleen Rahn. They discuss NAMI Montana's Education programs and support groups, including the relatively recent addition NAMI Friends and Family.

Listen to this episode to learn more about programs to help support you and your family.

In this episode, Hannah Clemenson and Matt Kuntz discuss how important meaningful work is to mental health and how disability systems need to be structured in a flexible manner that makes it possible for people to work towards meaningful employment without putting their disability benefits at risk during the process.

Hannah and Matt go into additional depth on NAMI Montana's efforts to address vocational gaps for veterans and native youth.

In this first episode of the Second Season, Hannah Clemenson asks NAMI Montana Executive Director Matt Kuntz about "Decriminalization of Mental Illness in Montana.

Hannah asks Matt about the broad issue of NAMI Montana's multi-year successful effort to create a new forensic hospital. Hannah then goes more specifically into the day-to-day issue of how NAMI Montana advises families with public defenders on what steps they can take to help ensure their representation goes as well as possible.

Mark Lukach is a teacher and freelance writer. He is the author of the international bestselling memoir My Lovely Wife in The Psych Ward. His work has been published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Pacific Standard, Wired, and other publications. He is currently the Ninth Grade Dean at The Athenian School, where he also teaches history. He lives with his wife, Giulia, and their son in the San Francisco Bay area.

Mark first wrote about his family’s story in a New York Times “Modern Love” column and again in a piece for Pacific Standard Magazine, which was the magazine’s most-read article in 2015. He has also shared their story at The Moth Main Stage, and at a TEDx conference.

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Miriam Feldman is an artist, writer, and mental health activist who splits her time between her Los Angeles workshop and her farm in rural Washington state. She has been married to her husband Craig O’Rourke, also a successful artist, for 34 years and they have four adult children. Their 33-year-old son, Nick, has schizophrenia. Miriam’s novel He Came In With It is the legacy of, and for, her son Nick.

https://www.miriam-feldman.com/

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This podcast episode is from Jordan's Brown webinar for NAMI Montana.  Jordan has been a long-time friend and ally of NAMI Montana and we are delighted to have Jordan share his journey on the podcast.

Jordan utilizes his combined experiences as a caregiver, social worker, and someone who has personally faced mental health challenges to create authentic mental health content that has been read by people around the world. Jordan writes The Mental Health Update newsletter. Over 30,000 people receive his mental health insights on Twitter and he has recently released the book, In Search of Happiness: Healing Through Mental Health Poetry.

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Matt Kuntz, NAMI Montana's Executive Director, talks to Laura Sebulsky of Charlie Health about their innovative online care platform for Montana.

You can find more about Charlie Health and their services at https://www.charliehealth.com/ 

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Special addition to the podcast from a public webinar.

Many mothers suffer in silence from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, which can lead to tragic consequences. Join this panel of experts and a survivor share their knowledge, compassion and experience.

Moderator: Dana Hillyer

Panelists: 

• Dr. Robert Caldwell
• Pam Ponich-Hunthausen
• Kelsey Kyle
• Stephanie Morton
• Sheri Walker

Sponsored by NAMI Helena

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In this episode, Matt Kuntz and Hannah Clemenson talk about how valuable it can be for mental health advocates to have an understanding of history. The historical realities and context of these conditions are valuable whether people are trying to come to grips with their own mental health conditions or struggling with large national policy issues. 

Hannah is interning with NAMI Montana and we are delighted to have her for this episode.

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