Rural Behavioral Health Institute

There is a nationwide youth mental health and suicide crisis. Suicide is preventable. Mental disorders are treatable.

Our flagship program, Screening Linked to Care (SLTC), is a FREE, school-based suicide prevention initiative tailored for 6th- to 12th-grade students. It includes universal mental health screening, virtual same-day safety check-ins/single-session interventions for students with suicidality, and wraparound services (case management and clinical care) to ensure students with mental health needs receive timely care. We are harnessing technology to deliver SLTC to students no matter where they live or the resources available to them. SLTC has made a notable positive impact on rural students’ mental health since its inception in 2021. We have successfully delivered SLTC to 36,000+ students and connected 2,700+ students with a higher risk of dying by suicide to same-day care. Students who received SLTC at least twice were over 3-times less likely to experience suicidality between screenings. Students also reported significant reductions in their depression and anxiety symptoms. SLTC is proving to be instrumental in enhancing the well-being of young people in both rural communities and larger ones. These types of mental health improvements mean students feel better and can live the lives they deserve.

We have successfully scaled SLTC in Montana and are now expanding to rural communities in other states.