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.
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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
- Subscribers sign up to receive daily text messages from Cope Notes.
- Cope Notes interrupts negative thought patterns by injecting positivity at random points throughout the day.
- Subscribers are encouraged to read, internalize, and interpret these messages based on their current feelings and situation in life.
- 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
Community Case Study
How Pasco County, Florida, used Cope Notes to impact the mental and emotional health of their community.
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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.
Succession Planning: A Guide to Unlocking Potential and Preparing for Leadership Transitions
Date: Wednesday, March 12
AI-Powered Governance: Transforming Strategic Planning in Local Government
Date: Wednesday, April 16
Resilience Reimagined: Building Unbreakable Communities, Teams, and Organizations
Date: Wednesday, May 14
New Job Overnight: How to Make the Successful Transition
Date: Wednesday, September 17
Your Career, Your Compass: Proactive Career Development Strategies
Date: Wednesday, October 15
Workforce Revolution: Trends Transforming the Workforce and What You Can't Afford to Overlook
Date: Wednesday, November 19
Questions or suggestions for an outstanding presenter, contact coaching@icma.org.
The Emerging Leaders Development Program (ELDP) is designed to help early- to mid-career professionals build knowledge, skills, and abilities in the basic management and technical topics that managers need to know to be successful. Through a unique format that blends monthly teleseminars with senior credentialed managers or public administration professors, ELDP minimizes your time away from work and maximizes your local government expertise.
Program Details
The Emerging Leaders Development Program is being reimagined. For other leadership opportunities, please visit our leadership development page.
