Matt Drabenstott

About Matt Drabenstott

Innovative upstream think-tank, specializing in scaleable mental health initiatives…

Experience

1. Consultant

   Willow Consulting, Llc

   Jan 2022 — Present

   Program Development & Fidelity Lead: • Generated $2+ million dollars in revenue through authorship or review of successful grant- and RFP-funded mental health applications. • Authored 9-session curricula to spark and deepen online and in-person safer spaces for equity-seeking youth (e.g, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, incarcerated) laying the foundation in authenticity and growing towards empowerment and connection. Project to reach 8,500+ youth and 740+ practitioners by April ‘24. Principal Facilitator: • Large- and small-plenary lead facilitation and evaluation design for week-long conferences, gathering hundreds of youth furthest from opportunity from across the country to generate recommendations for community and country action. Recommendations delivered to decision makers at national showcases. • Co-creator and convener of user experience sessions prototyping novel pathways to care and tailoring services to meet unique needs for Canada’s largest youth mental health crisis line. Knowledge Mobilization Connector & Author: • Co-authoring anti-oppression practitioner-care book chapter that introduces a framework intentionally designed for youth to meet each other across difference to recognize systemic injustices and find belonging in shared purpose. • Spearheading monthly community of practice (CoP) meetings of 25 government and youth-serving organizations which catalyze program insights into timely best practices, active supporter to two additional youth wellbeing CoPs. • Co-developed black youth and family mental health strategy spanning 6 major cities. Research & Evaluation Lead: • Research and evaluation oversight and capacity building for 5 national multi-year, upstream youth engagement projects spanning opioid overdose prevention, gender-based violence prevention, and protective factors for mental health. • Hiring, training, and project manager of Research Assistants around data collection, thematic qualitative coding, and collaborative report writing.