If we have learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it was that our mental health simply wasn’t prepared for it. Your top priority has been to act as a guiding force for your residents, many of whom were experiencing job insecurity, anxiety about the pandemic and the economy, or the loss of loved ones. You have fought for greater support and resources for your community’s most vulnerable groups, including those with preexisting mental health issues.

The list can go on about the various scenarios we have faced, but one theme was clear: supervisors and employees quickly became overwhelmed, exhausted, buried, stressed—and it inevitably took a toll on our mental health. Many people, from your staff to your residents, struggle with anxiety, depression, and negative thoughts, but few learn how to fight back. A new ICMA product offering and partnership with Cope Notes, is the best first step toward a healthier brain.

Sign Up to Receive More Information

Explore how Cope Notes can help you create affordable and convenient mental health support for your community:

What is Cope Notes?

Cope Notes is an SMS service that delivers unique, handcrafted messages from mental health professionals that are proven to support, emphasize, and encourage recipients. 

The software connects individuals with anonymous, easy-to-use support on a daily basis, prioritizing prevention by investing in resilience and positive health outcomes to curb crises before they arise.

Cope Notes combines the highly impactful and proven sciences of ecological momentary interventions (EMIs) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to provide preventative mental health support and education to countless members of your community. 

A Solution for Proactive Mental Healthcare

• Qualifies for CARES Act funding.
• Proven to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and more.
• Fulfills the growing demand for virtual mental health support.
• Accessible to historically under-served populations without smartphone or internet access, such as seniors, veterans, foster families, low-income households, and the homeless community.
• Dramatically more affordable than traditional mental health services.
• A turnkey solution that takes almost no time or effort for the government to execute.

Who Would Benefit from Cope Notes?

Local government employees, at-risk populations, under-served populations, and residents at large. 

Cope Notes is designed to serve and improve any user’s mental health needs, regardless of a diagnosis. Even those in good mental health can benefit from Cope Notes. Cope Notes emphasizes preventative treatment strategies that seek to instill users with the skills, tools, and knowledge to manage their mental health and prevent potential crises.

How Cope Notes Works

1. Subscribers sign up to receive daily text messages from Cope Notes.
2. Cope Notes interrupts negative thought patterns by injecting positivity at random points throughout the day.
3. Subscribers are encouraged to read, internalize, and interpret these messages based on their current feelings and situation in life.
4. They are also encouraged to interact with the messages by writing back their feelings and thoughts - allowing them to speak freely without judgment.

Related Content

Quantitative Research

A research summary that shows Cope Notes is successfully decreasing depression, anxiety, and stress within 30 days

Learn More

Community Case Study

How Pasco County, Florida, used Cope Notes to impact the mental and emotional health of their community.

Learn More

Sign Up to Receive More Information

Complimentary ICMA Coaching Program webinars give local government professionals of all career stages the opportunity to bolster skills and learn about new and leading practices, strategies, tactics, developing issues, and trends in the profession of local government management. Participation in free coaching webinars also qualifies for ICMA-CM (Voluntary Credentialing Program) credit.

• Register for the coaching webinars or watch the archives from the links below
• Download the 2025 flyer
• Join our coaching email list to receive program information.
• Become a State Partner: We are grateful for the ICMA Coaching State Partners who enable us to provide this program free of charge to both members and non-members. State Partners are able to create their own coaching program by simply utilizing all of ICMA's resources. We encourage more state associations to become partners. For more information about partnerships, email: coaching@icma.org

Miss a webinar? Watch it anytime! High quality video recordings of Coaching Webinars are available in two places:

• 2020 up until present time can be found in our ICMA Learning Lab, simply click on the "Shop Courses" button and use the search function to look by name or by "ICMA Coaching". You will need to register in order to watch the video.
• If you are searching for a coaching webinar that took place in 2019 or earlier, you can find them in the 2008-2019 Archives.

2025 Live Webinars

Use these free webinars as professional development events for your team! Webinars are available free of charge to anyone with an ICMA free account. Your team can watch the event and use our discussion questions to have a post-webinar professional development session. Use the links below to register for the webinar through our ICMA Learning Lab.

All webinars are 90 minutes, and will be held 10:30 a.m. PT / 11:30 a.m. MT / 12:30 p.m. CT / 1:30 p.m. ET. Preregistration required for all live webinars. Can't watch it live? Register and watch the recording.

Questions or suggestions for an outstanding presenter, contact coaching@icma.org.

The United States has a long history of public efforts aimed at social and economic inequality. While many of these programs were developed at the national level, it has become increasingly evident that inequality manifests itself most clearly at the local level. Thus, many cities and counties had sought to address inequality through local policies and programs. Lessons about the better practices regarding the local pursuit of equity, however, remain difficult to come by. This report provides such lessons by summarizing the results of the Governing for Equity Project.

In this Leading Edge Research report, ICMA Research Fellow Benoy Jacob, Ph.D., highlights local governments that excel in increasing diversity and fostering inclusiveness. This report examines how American local governments—cities and counties—are actively addressing social and racial inequity in their communities. In particular, it considers the challenges and opportunities faced by public administrators when adopting an equity lens in their day-to-day operations.

Download Now

Expert Insight

Benoy Jacob, Ph.D.

Director of the Community Development Institute, Division of Extension, and Affiliated Faculty at the LaFollette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison

“The initiation of a change toward equity requires, first and foremost, bringing community stakeholders together around a shared vision of equity. Creating a vision for equity is critical for the initiation of equity because it formalizes the purpose of the organization in terms of equity.” 

ICMA Local Government Research Fellowship

This report was supported through ICMA’s Local Government Research Fellowship program. ICMA Research Fellows are practitioners and academics that conduct action-oriented research addressing important trends, drivers, and issues facing local governments. Their work advances ICMA’s strategic priority to provide thought leadership and resources that support members and other local government stakeholders in creating and sustaining thriving communities throughout the world. Learn more about ICMA's Local Government Research Fellowship. 

Looking for more resources from Benoy Jacob, P.h.D? Explore these selected publications: 

• Pathways to the Making of Prosperous Smart Cities, by Kevin C. Desouza, Michael Hunter, Benoy Jacob, & Tan Yigitcanlar, PM Magazine, 2020. >> Read article
• Advancing Social Equity: Lessons from (and for) Public Managers, by Benoy Jacob, PM Magazine, 2019. >> Read article
• Benoy shared his prediction on performance management for 2019 for ICMA’s Predictions on Local Government from 19 Experts. >> Read more
• Border Effects in Suburban Land Use, by Benoy Jacob & Daniel McMillen, National Tax Journal, 2015. >> Read article
• Big Data in the Public Sector: Lessons for Practitioners and Scholars, by Desouza, K. C., & Jacob, B., Administration & Society, 2017. >> Read article
• Beating the Clock: Strategic Management under the Threat of Direct Democracy by Ely, T. L. and Jacob, B., Public Admin Rev, 2013. >> Read article
• Tax Competition Among Municipal Governments: Exit Versus Voice, by Hendrick, R., Yonghong Wu, & Jacob, B., Urban Affairs Review, 2007. >> Read article
• Re‐thinking local autonomy: Perceptions from Four Rural Municipalities, by Benoy Jacob et al, The Institute of Public Administration in Canada, 2008 >> Read article

The ICMA Cybersecurity Leadership Program is a 12-week mentorship based collaborative readiness program led by CISOs and other experts who deliver their proven frameworks and insights on how to lead and secure a network and an organization – protecting data assets and the enterprise brand. This program coaches participants on what it means to think and act as a cybersecurity leader.

READ THE FAQS

 

As ICMA’s research has demonstrated, local governments of all sizes are susceptible to cyberthreats and must actively prepare for these threats with cybersecurity investments. This leadership development program prepares existing and emerging leaders to better defend their most critical assets.
— MARC OTT, ICMA Executive Director

What are the objectives of the program?

How is the program structured?  

With intentionally designed asynchronous and synchronous activities and rich content and application-focused outcomes, the program takes a whole-solution approach to cybersecurity leadership rather than a focus on siloed activities. You can find the complete course breakdown here. 

DOWNLOAD THE CALENDAR

Here is a list of program activities:

• Breakout Group Meeting – 60-minute meeting (in-person or virtual) amongst breakout group members (typically 10-12 participants).
• Breakout Group Summary – These posts are for the rest of the cohort to see what your breakout group discussed. Each week your breakout group’s designated leader or scribe will write this post which will be seen by the entire cohort.
• Discuss with Breakout Group – Share your thoughts, perspectives and comments with your breakout group. These will be seen by you, your breakout group, and faculty.
• Discuss with Cohort – Share your thoughts, perspectives and comments with your cohort. This is an online threaded discussion and you are expected to engage in with your colleagues. Posts will be seen by all participants and faculty.
• Live Event – 60-minute, virtual meeting conducted via web conference with your entire cohort and facilitated by your faculty mentor.
• Read – Read a document, case study or article.
• Reflect – Your online reflections are your private notes and thoughts. They will only be seen by you.
• Surveys or assessments –  You will also receive occasional surveys on the platform for you to answer questions and submit responses that will help you shape your own learning journey and provide us valuable feedback to shape future courses.
• Watch – View a brief video from your faculty presenters.  

How does the ICMA Cybersecurity Leadership Program compare to other cybersecurity programs?

What keeps you up at night?

WATCH MORE VIDEOS

	ICMA Cyber Program	University Training	Boot Camp Program	Technical Training
Scalable
Cost Effective
Mentorship Based Training
Online
CPE Credits Certified
Non-disruptive
Relevant Content
Fully Integrated Leadership Solution
Expertly Facilitated by PhD
Capstone Simulated Attack

Who Should Attend?

Existing and emerging front-line and mid-level leaders interested in improving their cybersecurity capabilities, team engagement, and organizational outcomes.  In addition to IT professionals, this program may also work well for cyber organizational partners in finance, operations, HR, and other disciplines who are interested in learning more about cybersecurity leadership and overall organizational risk management.

What is the Cost of the Program?

The retail cost is $2,495 per participant, however ICMA Members pay $1,995 - a 20% discount! Non-ICMA Member fee is $2,495. 

Can I count this toward my ICMA Credentialed Manager status?

Yes. ICMA will allow 48 credit hours for this program. In addition, completion of this course can be applied to other credentialing programs--for example SHRM, PMI, and CISSP.

Next Steps...

Whether you'd like more specific information about the program, or you're ready to register now, your next stop is the program registration page.

REGISTER NOW

The Life Membership category was established shortly after the association’s founding to recognize longtime members who dedicated their lives to local government service, as well as to the advancement of the profession.

Life Membership Eligibility and Criteria 

Must be a Full Member who at the time of retirement from full-time, active local government service, meets the following criteria:

Full Member (65 years or older) -15 years as an ICMA Full (Corporate) member, in-service, who during that time was eligible to serve on the board.

Full Member (under 65 years old) - 25 years as an ICMA Full (Corporate) member, in-service, who during that time was eligible to serve on the board.

Life Membership as written in Article VIII, Section 3c of the ICMA Constitution:

“Upon retiring from active service with a local government, any Full Member who has completed twenty-five years of membership and, for those same twenty-five years, has been eligible to be an officer of the Association shall become a Life Member. Also, any Full Member who has been eligible to be an officer of the Association for at least fifteen years and retires from active service with a local government at age sixty-five or older shall become a Life Member. In addition, any Full Member who has retired from active service with a local government and who, in the opinion of the Executive Board, has made an outstanding contribution to the development of the profession may be granted a Life Membership by vote of the Executive Board.”

Are you about to retire and think you might be eligible for Life Membership? Any member who believes they meet the requirements for Life Membership can contact membership@icma.org. 

Life Membership FAQ

What is the process to become a Life Member?

When a member announces his/her retirement and/or contacts ICMA, staff will check Life Membership eligibility. Once eligibility is confirmed, ICMA will update the member’s account to reflect Life Member category. Any member who believes he or she meets the requirements for Life Membership can contact membership@icma.org. 

How is individual Life Membership recognized?

ICMA wants to ensure Life Members are recognized for their commitment to ICMA and the profession. ICMA will recognize new Life Members in the weekly member newsletter, Leadership Matters. Each Life Member will be mailed a certificate and Life lapel pin. Upon request, ICMA will send the Life materials to a designee to be presented during a retirement ceremony. 

Are Life Members allowed to work and still retain Life Membership?

A Life Member may not work full-time for private sector or a university or as a consultant and retain Life status. In this scenario, the Life member should pay the appropriate 'not in service to a local government" rate of $200.  Working part-time for a local government or serving in an interim position is permitted as a Life Member.  However, if the Life Member returns to full-time local government service, his/her membership is changed back to Full Member for the duration of employment, paying appropriate salary-based dues.  Life Membership status is reinstated once the member leaves the full-time local government position. 

What are the benefits of being a Life Member?

Life Members retain all the benefits of Full Membership such as eligibility to vote and credentialed status (as applicable and if maintained).  As part of the benefit package, membership dues are waived, the registration rate to the annual conference is significantly discounted and website access for all content, including PM magazine, continues. Members who want to receive the print edition of PM have the option to pay a $25 annual fee to cover mailing costs.