At our September 2026 Professionals Meet-Up, Sara Beth Wald, BASW, MA, founder of Redefining Love, presented Expanding Pathways to Care Through Trauma-Informed Mental Health Education. Attendees learned how accessible, community-based education can complement therapy and specialized care, help more people receive support, and create stronger connections among mental health professionals and the communities they serve.

Sara also introduced the Redefining Love approach, which is rooted in boundaries, accountability, and grace, and encouraged professionals to consider how collaboration, rather than competition, can help us build a more connected and sustainable mental health ecosystem.

Sara began the presentation by naming a challenge familiar to professionals across Montana: mental health needs continue to rise while provider capacity remains limited. At the same time, compassion fatigue, isolation, and burnout are common among the practitioners working to meet those needs. Her message was that therapy and specialized treatment cannot carry the full weight of the mental health crisis alone. Communities also need accessible education and peer support to help people better understand trauma, relationships, boundaries, and emotional health.

Sara shared that her goal is to help “heal our culture by healing trauma in one individual at a time.” She emphasized that “cultural change starts with the individual” and that “being trauma-informed is crucial to healing the culture.” Through Redefining Love, she brings trauma-informed mental health education to a broader audience, helping people gain language, insight, and practical tools they can use in their everyday lives.

She introduced an integrated continuum of care that includes mental health education, peer and community support, therapy, and specialized care. Each serves a different purpose, and no single level can meet every need. Redefining Love’s workshops provide mental health education rather than therapy or clinical treatment, allowing them to complement the work clients may already be doing with a mental health professional.

The workshops may benefit people who are waiting to begin therapy, want additional education between appointments, need a more accessible place to start, or would benefit from continued learning and community support after completing treatment. Practitioners may also attend to explore the material personally or become more familiar with the resource before recommending it to clients.

Sara’s workshops are grounded in three central principles: boundaries, accountability, and grace. Together, these pillars offer a trauma-informed framework for understanding relationships, navigating conflict, and creating healthier patterns. Grace does not mean excusing harmful behavior, and accountability does not have to mean punishment or rejection. The three principles work together to help people care for themselves and others while creating greater peace in their relationships.

Another central theme of Sara’s presentation was “collaboration over competition.” She challenged the scarcity mindset that can develop among professionals and organizations working in the same field. Competition can create territorialism, disconnection, and exhaustion, while collaboration creates stronger systems and healthier ecosystems. Sara encouraged attendees to help change the narrative among professionals by recognizing that clinicians, educators, advocates, and community organizations each have distinct but complementary roles.

Sara also shared about Redefining Love’s collaboration with Dragonfly Counseling. This partnership provides a home for the Mental Health Education Workshops while demonstrating how community education and clinical services can work alongside one another. The workshops offer Alliance members another resource to explore for themselves and potentially share with clients who may benefit from accessible, trauma-informed education.

Ultimately, Sara invited attendees to think beyond individual services and toward a more connected continuum of care where professionals collaborate, people have multiple pathways to support, and mental health education plays an important role in creating lasting cultural change.

Thank you Catalyst for Change for providing lunch at our monthly providers meet-up! Catalyst for Change provides behavioral health services and support within our community, helping individuals and families move toward greater stability, wellness, and meaningful change.

Website: www.redefine-love.com/

LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sara-beth-wald

Facebook: www.facebook.com/redefinelovefirst

Our monthly Professionals Meet-Ups will always be free and open to the community but if you’re looking for even more ways to connect, collaborate, and get involved, consider becoming an Alliance Insider.

For just $49/year, individual members get access to member-only events and networking opportunities, a professional directory listing, our online community and resource hub, 50% off continuing education at eligible meet-ups, and other opportunities to build relationships and stay connected throughout the year.

If the Alliance is already helping you make connections, find resources, or grow your professional community, membership is a great way to get even more involved while supporting the work we’re building together.

Become an official Alliance Insider!

The Yellowstone County Mental Health Alliance brings together mental health professionals, healthcare providers, educators, nonprofit organizations, and community partners to strengthen connections, improve collaboration, and support mental health services throughout Yellowstone County.

We are always looking for speakers to present at our monthly meet-ups. We meet at noon on the second Wednesday of each month and would love to have you come share about your organization and how we can work together to serve those seeking mental health services! Email hello@ycmentalhealthalliance.com

Catch up on the latest YCMHA news, upcoming events, community opportunities, and announcements in this month’s edition of Inside the Alliance.

READ Inside the Alliance:

Edition 1 (September 9, 2026)

Edition 2 (September 23, 2026)

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