Profile subject: Doug Fontenot Clinical Site Manager at the Hope House campus

Interviewer: Anthony Johnson

Note: I was able to get my questions back from Doug briefly before writing my revised article

about mental health in Montana. The interview itself was done through email, though I’ve had a

handful of conversations with him while we worked together so I feel like he is well represented

in the article.

Questions/answers:

1. What is your connection to Montana? (how long have you lived here)

My father was stationed at the Air Force Base in Great Falls and he often spoke
about how much he loved living in MT. After spending 15 years in Fort Collins I
decided to look for work in MT and was able to find employment in Bozeman.

2. What are some consistent problems you have seen in Montana's current mental
health care system?

Compared to the three other states that I have worked in, MT ranks as one of the
worst in terms of completed suicides and access to quality mental health care.
Additionally, there is a shortage of mental health professionals in MT and that is
only going to get worse as inflation and that cost of living increases. Simply put,
clinicians cannot afford to live and work in the state of MT.

3. What are some active improvements you are seeing happen in Montana's mental
health care?

Currently, the ability to reach clients virtually has increased due to the pandemic
but clients still report that seeing a clinician face to face is more desired. I keep
hearing that more resources are being allocated towards mental health but we
have yet to see that at the local levels.

4. What are some things you believe will effectively improve Montana's situation if
they were to happen in the next few years?
 First having a uniform set of licensing requirements would encourage more
clinicians to move to states needing mental health professionals. Additionally, if
clinicians are already licensed in other states and that licensure is verified, allow
clinicians to immediately begin to practice without having to submit documents
from graduate schools and schedule another expensive exam. Finally, and most
importantly, allow licensed clinicians to place client’s that present a danger to self
and others on mental health holds. It makes zero sense to have the county
attorney’s involvement in this process. This would also expedite the process of
clients accessing the necessary treatment without all of the legal red tape.

Section used in revised article:

In an interview I conducted with Doug Fontenot, the Clinical Site Manager at the Hope
House campus, he suggested that the struggles Montanans are experiencing seem to steam more
from the “shortage of mental health professionals in Montana, that is only going to get worse as
inflation and the cost of living increases. Simply put, clinicians cannot afford to live and work in
the state of Montana.” He elaborates that if licensing requirements were more uniform and if
clinicians licensed in other states could start immediately working in Montana without the hassle
of expensive exams, more mental health clinicians would be willing to live and work in
Montana.