Yellowstone County Mental Health Alliance

2023

Founded in Billings, Montana

590+

Professionals in our Facebook community

400+

Newsletter subscribers

115

Attendees at the Bridging the Gaps 2026 Conference

56+

Speakers at Meet-Ups and BTG 2026 Conference

55+

Partnerships with community organizations

320+

Continuing education hours awarded

Bridging the Gaps brings together professionals, organizations, educators, and resources to strengthen mental health care.

Directories, resource sharing, and community partnerships that help people find providers, services, and support.

YCMHA is available to contribute to conversations about the challenges, opportunities, and changing landscape of mental health care in Montana. Founder Onnie Michalsky, EdS, LCPC-S, NCC as well as other Alliance members and community partners when appropriate, may be available for interviews, podcasts, panels, presentations, and media commentary.

Montana’s Mental Health Workforce
The realities facing Montana’s behavioral health workforce, including recruitment, retention, professional support, workforce development, and the challenges of serving communities across a large and rural state.

Access to Mental Health Care
Provider shortages, barriers to accessing services, referral challenges, and opportunities to create stronger pathways between individuals, providers, and community resources.

Connection & Collaboration Among Providers
Why professional relationships matter in mental health care and how stronger referral networks, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community partnerships can improve both provider experience and client access to care.

Professional Isolation & Provider Well-Being
The impact of isolation on mental health professionals, particularly those working in private practice or rural communities, and the role that professional community, peer consultation, and connection can play in creating a more sustainable workforce.

Mental Health Care in Rural & Frontier Communities
The unique challenges of delivering mental health care across Montana, including geography, workforce shortages, limited resources, and the need for creative community-based solutions.

Continuing Education & Professional Development
The importance of accessible, relevant continuing education and opportunities for clinicians to learn from one another, strengthen their skills, and stay connected to emerging needs within their communities.

Community Mental Health Education
How education outside of the therapy room can reduce stigma, increase awareness, help people recognize when support may be needed, and connect communities with appropriate resources.

Connecting Communities With Mental Health Resources
Ways communities can make mental health services and resources easier to find, understand, and access through directories, resource fairs, partnerships, education, and stronger communication between organizations.

Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Behavioral Health
Building new models of connection, education, collaboration, and professional support within the mental health field, including the role of entrepreneurship in addressing unmet community needs.

Trends & Challenges Facing Montana Mental Health Professionals
Emerging issues affecting therapists and other behavioral health professionals, from workforce pressures and changing practice models to professional sustainability, collaboration, and access to care.

For media inquiries, podcast interviews, speaking opportunities, or requests for expert commentary, please contact the Yellowstone County Mental Health Alliance.

Onnie Michalsky, EdS, LCPC-S, NCC
Founder & Executive Director, Yellowstone County Mental Health Alliance

Onnie Michalsky is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, entrepreneur, and founder of the Yellowstone County Mental Health Alliance. After seeing firsthand how disconnected mental health professionals can become from one another and how those gaps can affect referrals, resources, and access to care, she created YCMHA to make connection and collaboration easier.

Based in Billings, Montana, Onnie brings together mental health professionals, community organizations, and local leaders through networking, continuing education, community events, and the annual Bridging the Gaps conference. Her work centers on strengthening professional relationships, reducing provider isolation, increasing awareness of available resources, and creating stronger pathways to mental health care throughout Montana.