The Graduate School is dedicated to providing mentorship and guidance to students who struggle with their mental health. Our faculty and staff are compassionate and form a tight-knit network across campus to support your needs. Our students are also deeply invested in this community endeavor. To hear more on this topic, explore our selected Confluence podcast episodes below which feature students and faculty who work in the area of health and wellbeing.

Confluence aims to celebrate the rich culture of exchange and creativity through conversations with faculty and their graduate students about the ideas that move them and motivate their work. To learn more, visit the Confluence webpage.

Student Spotlight: Becky Kendall

In Episode 79, Confluence talks with UM Ph.D. student Becky Kendall, who work in toxicology has surprising implications for the use of antidepressants. Becky won the Best in Conference award for last year's Grad Con. In our conversation with Kendall we discuss her creative new research into antidepressants, her pre-doctoral fellowship, and making Montana a better place through her research.

Student Spotlight: Thomas Basolo

This episode of Confluence is the second in a two-part series honoring our graduate student veterans during Veterans Week. Thomas Basolo retired from the military in 2017. In this episode, we discuss his study in social work, his service ethic, and his support for other veterans who are struggling with a variety of issues as they acclimate to civilian life, especially addiction.

Student Spotlight: Julie Cahoon and D'Shane Barnett
 

This episode celebrates the success of two recent graduates of UM’s program in Public Health: Julie Cahoon, who completed her Masters last December, and D’Shane Barnett, who completed his doctorate in Spring 22. Listeners will hear about their academic and research journeys, which demonstrate the value of resilience in pursuing their graduate degrees. They share details on how their team deployed Indigenous Research Methods to draw on existing cultural strengths in Native communities to create public health interventions on addiction. 

Student Spotlight: Daniel Salois

In Episode 59 of Confluence, we hear from Daniel Salois, a Ph.D. student in the School of Education studying Counselor Education and Supervision. Daniel talks about his path to the field of counseling and his research on helping college students incorporate positive psychology techniques into their lives.

Student Spotlight: Nathan Stahley
 

In this episode, we hear from Bertha Morton winner Nathan Stahley on his goal of developing healthy communities through support of youth. He hopes to use his time in the Social Work program to enhance his skills in the interests of increasing access to mental health support in rural communities.  

Student Spotlight: Allison Cutuli

In this episode, hear from Allison Cutuli, a master’s student in sociology at UM. Allison talks about her work as a community organizer, why she selected UM, and her thesis research, which studies mutual aid networks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Student Spotlight: Helen Russette

In this episode, hear from Helen Russette, a Ph.D. candidate within the School of Public and Community Health Sciences. Listen in as Helen talks about her dissertation which focuses on children with prenatal substance exposure and the benefits of early caregiver-child engagement and green space exposure.

Professor Spotlight: Dr. Annie Belcourt

In this episode, we’re in the flow with Dr. Annie Belcourt (Otter Woman) who is a Professor in the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences. Annie reads an excerpt from Terese Marie Mailhot's memoir Heart Berries which sparks our conversation about her educational journey, the importance of building resilience in Native communities, and the unique research ethics that ground Indigenous research communities.