Caring conversations support mental wellbeing
COMET (Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory) is a two-hour interactive training that teaches participants how to reach out in a meaningful, respectful and supportive way to friends, co-workers or acquaintances who seem to be struggling somewhere between wellness and a mental health crisis.
Pastor Matt Danielson of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church of Baxter near Montevideo is certified to lead COMET through Extension. “COMET is simply just a way to open the door to tell someone, ‘I see you.’”
“It’s about noticing so someone feels seen and heard, and that is powerful,” said Mary Jo Katras, Extension family resilience program leader.
“It feels pretty good to know that someone cares beyond the surface,” said Danielson.
Participants report they have increased their willingness to engage in mental health conversations within their communities — with family, friends and neighbors.
Highlights
- Montevideo Community Education and Extension teamed up to offer 4-H Cooking 101, exploring kitchen tools and safety, food and nutrition facts, how to read and follow a recipe, using tools like the peeler, grater and, of course, using the oven — and cleaning up!
- Dustin Johnson, a corn and soybean farmer near Montevideo, is in Class 13 of the Minnesota Agricultural and Rural Leadership (MARL) program.
- U of M Farm Family of the Year: The Van Klompenburg family farm, managed by Dave and D.J. with support from other family members, produces beef cattle, corn and soybeans. D.J. serves on the Minnesota Corn Growers Association board.
- Minnesota Master Naturalist training: Prairies and Potholes biome (Watson)
- Master Naturalist volunteers participated in National Public Lands Day in Watson. This annual event of the National Environmental Education Foundation promotes enjoyment and volunteer conservation of public lands.
- RSDP impact: Working with the Upper Minnesota Valley Regional Development Commission, a short-term Empowering Small Minnesota Communities project in Chippewa County developed a resource handout on funding, training, and other opportunities available to local food producers.
- Extension provides financial capability education for participants in the judicial district’s treatment courts, including adult and juvenile drug courts, and courts for mental health, veterans, family dependency and DWI/DUI.
Chippewa County office
Extension has 14 regional offices supporting all 87 counties in Minnesota.
Chippewa County partners with Extension to deliver practical education and research you can use at home, at work and in your community. More about Extension in our county.
About the Minnesota 87 project
Spend time in any Minnesota county, and you will almost certainly encounter University of Minnesota Extension. Our faculty and staff, volunteers, participants, alumni and partners are woven into the fabric of rural, urban and suburban Minnesota life. This project showcases Extension in action through photos, stories and a sampling of the many ways Extension has touched the lives of people in every county.