Behavioral health programs in Butte schools see success, hope to see expansion

In 2025, Butte's East Middle School became the third school in the district to see the implementation of school-based mental health support, with local clinic Blacktail Health providing those services.

In total the district saw nearly 1,200 therapist visits from students this past school year.

As Blacktail Health behavioral health special projects manager Laurie Andrews says, this is an encouraging trend, in that kids aren't afraid to take the steps to put their mental health first.

"Our hopes are that we can reach as many schools and as many children as possible," Andrews said. "One way of doing that is getting the word out so that parents know that this is available."

"We know that early intervention is the most important thing," Andrews continued. "So, for kids of all ages, especially when they get into those difficult times of transition in their life--high school is an important time--we would definitely like to do that."

Youth mental health remains a challenge in Butte and across Montana. Data says that 37% of high-school-aged students statewide have reported symptoms of depression. Nearly a fourth of all residents in Butte alone have had thoughts of suicide, which remains the second-leading cause of death in Montana teens.

Blacktail Health stresses the importance of providing these behavioral health services in-school: the number one most easily accessible place for kids to take advantage.

"School-based behavioral health is becoming a more prevalent way of providing mental health services to kids, and so we're starting to see that across the state quite a bit," Andrews said. "The more people that can get help to kids where they are in the community, the better. We're hoping that more people will kind of take this and run with it."

In addition to their current programs at East Middle School, Kennedy Elementary, and West Elementary, Blacktail Health hopes to expand to serve students at Butte High School as well.