Trainings and Consultation

The Montana Institute trains prevention leaders and change makers to elevate their effectiveness and increase their impacts. Below are some of the customizable trainings we offer:

Positive Community Norms Trainings

Improve health and safety in your community with Positive Community Norms (PCN), an approach that promotes protective factors, increases healthy norms, and changes community cultures on issues including substance use, traffic safety, child maltreatment, youth suicide, and more. PCN can help you design and implement powerful communications campaigns that shift perceptions, attitudes and behaviors to achieve authentic community transformation.

“It was truly a worthwhile investment for us to bring a TMI training team to our small, rural community. The training demonstrated a new and eye-opening approach for our community partners. We are confident it will strengthen our regional substance use prevention efforts.”


The Montana Summer Institute

Join us for TMI’s signature summer training event in beautiful Big Sky. Discover the most up-to-date information about Positive Community Norms, connect with colleagues, and be inspired by top-notch prevention leaders from around the country. Learn more here.

“The Montana Institute was one of the best professional development trainings I have ever attended. It was the first time I left a training feeling rejuvenated and empowered--a stark contrast to the usual sense of exhaustion and brain-drain I get after several days of training. They really focus on both personal and community development which makes every moment of the Institute worthwhile. It doesn't hurt that it takes place in a beautiful location, too!"


Science of the Positive Transformational Leadership

Boost your leadership capacity with TMI’s Science of the Positive Transformational Leadership Development Workshops. Strong leadership is the key to project success, and our unique Transformational Leadership assessment, individual leadership profiles, and skill development tools will increase your capacity for effective management and energize your whole team.

 

“I’ve attended many training seminars that provided information on how to run a Coalition. But no others have delved into the spirit and soul of effective, positive leadership.”


THE DNA OF HOPE: THE SCIENCE OF THE POSITIVE FRAMEWORK

One of the most exciting new applications of the SOTP is in the development of HOPE (Health Outcomes from Positive Experiences) as a counter-balance to ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). HOPE emerged through work at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (the CDC) and a statewide Positive Community Norms project in Wisconsin in 2014. Since then, research publications and widespread interest at state and national levels are transforming how we address the prevention and mitigation of trauma through the lens of the Science of the Positive.

HOPE continues to grow in a variety of ways: through the work of Dr. Robert Sege in the Building Blocks of HOPE Framework at the HOPE National Resource Center at Tufts University, through the efforts of leaders like Dr. Christina Bethell at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, and Dr. Melissa T. Merrick at Prevent Child Abuse America, where the new Theory of Change for Primary Prevention emphasizes the advancement of positive childhoods. 

The Montana Institute was pivotal in the development of this work, and continues to research the relationship between Positive Childhood Experiences and adult health outcomes, as well as the impacts of positive experiences across the lifespan. This workshop will present core concepts of the Science of the Positive and applications of HOPE and guide participants through interactive discussions and activities to uncover the ways positive experiences are already at play and explore ways to increase them. Participants will engage in chat box questions and self- reflection and participate in dialogue and discussions.


Positive Community Norms for Young Leaders

Amplify the voices of young leaders with trainings that focus on positive leadership, self-image, communication, teamwork, and upstander behavior -- all in an interactive, engaging environment that is perfect for teens. The power of perceptions and misperceptions resonates deeply with youth, who leave our events with insights that help them navigate their own lives and increase their positive impact on those around them.

 
You grabbed our youths’ attention with meaningful content, thoughtful activities, and consciousness-awakening questions. What a GREAT day!

Let’s Talk: Leading through Community Conversations

Leaders often do their most important work during conversations -- in meetings, hallways, or sitting in the bleachers during a ballgame. It is in these one-on-one conversations that misperceptions of norms and core assumptions can be challenged and shifted. Our interactive Let’s Talk trainings focus on how you can apply the Seven Core Principles of the Science of the Positive to effectively “hear and steer” public narratives in your personal and professional lives.

 
The training was super practical and hands-on, and provided information and tools to help us put the Seven Core Principles to work in supporting our prevention mission.

Positive Wellness Strategies for Colleges and Universities

Increase the effectiveness of your health and wellness programs with PCN. Correcting misperceptions of norms can impact student behavior around substance abuse, sexual assault and dating violence, suicide and mental health, and violence prevention. Learn the importance of including norms in campus climate assessments, and how those norms can be used to promote positive, healthy, and supportive campus environments.

 
Thank you so much for visiting our campus to teach us about positive community norming and the importance of ‘minding the gap’ through research and application. We have already made great strides towards releasing our first PCN campaign!

Custom Community Consultation

TMI offers a full range of professional services, including Survey Development, Administration and Data Analysis, Evaluation and Sustainability Planning, Executive Project Consultation, and Personal and Corporate Coaching. Get in touch to find out how we can support your work.


Keynotes and Presentations

For over 25 years, Dr. Jeff Linkenbach has been inspiring others to take a more courageous and authentic inner path to achieve positive results in their lives and in their work. Dr. Linkenbach’s presentations, speeches and workshops will help you serve more effectively as an individual leader and increase the impact of your community or organization. Each presentation is designed to meet the needs of your specific audience. Dr. Linkenbach will develop material and processes to ignite your conference, project, workshop, or seminar and help your team move from busy to effective through positive transformation.


For more information on any of our training services, or if you have questions about what we do, please contact us using the form below.