Entering year four: How Cuesta College’s sustainable partnership with BetterMynd complements its counseling team and scales to real demand
INSTITUTION TYPE
Cuesta College is a public community college serving students on California’s Central Coast.
LOCATION
San Luis Obispo County, California.
ENROLLMENT
11,200+ part-time and full-time total students served annually.
COUNSELING SERVICES
A blended model: in-house therapists on campus, supplemented by virtual services through BetterMynd.
PARTNERSHIP
Partnered with BetterMynd since October 2023, beginning its fourth year in fall 2026.
Impact across three academic years with BetterMynd
- 142 students attended sessions in AY 2025-26, up from 62 in the first year – highlighting the important role BetterMynd plays in expanding students’ access to mental health support
- 689 sessions attended in AY 2025-26, nearly 2.7x the first year’s 253
- Average sessions per user remained largely consistent YOY from 4.08 to 4.85
- Services that adjust each year to match actual student need
- Average counselor rating from Cuesta students: 9.7/10
Meet Nicole, Director of Health Services
Nicole Johnson is Director of Health Services at Cuesta College, where for nearly a decade she has led efforts to strengthen access to care, integrate health and behavioral health services, and develop sustainable, student-centered programs, including the college’s partnership with BetterMynd.
Building on its strong foundation of campus-based counseling services, Cuesta College partnered with BetterMynd to broaden the continuum of care available to students. The partnership expanded access to specialized clinical expertise, bilingual therapists, evening and weekend appointments, and virtual services that allow students to receive support regardless of location or academic calendar.
Through its partnership with BetterMynd, Cuesta has been able to complement and extend its existing services with additional flexibility and treatment options, creating a more comprehensive continuum of care that helps meet the diverse needs of today’s students.
Nicole Johnson, BSN, RN, PHN, MSN
She/Her/Hers
Director of Health Services
Cuesta College
Complement, not replace: closing the gap for students and staff
Cuesta didn’t need to replace its counseling team. It needed to extend it. BetterMynd expanded both the capacity and the flexibility of Cuesta’s mental health offerings. Students now have access to a broad network of licensed, diverse therapists who can meet a wide range of needs, and they can schedule outside traditional business hours, including evenings and weekends.
“Flexibility matters. The ability to access counseling outside of traditional business hours, including evenings and weekends, helps ensure students can get support when it fits their lives, not just their schedules,” shared Nicole.
Continuity of care during institutional closures means students are no longer left without support between semesters. Because BetterMynd fills the hours, specialties, and breaks that a small in-house team can’t cover alone, Cuesta’s counselors can focus their time where they add the most value.
What success looks like: data, access, and student voice
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Growing utilization and awareness: The number of students attending counseling through BetterMynd more than doubled from year one to year three, reflecting both increased awareness of mental health resources and strong student demand for flexible care options.
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A continuum of support: Across all three years, the most common number of sessions was one, while some students participated in as many as 20 to 27 sessions. This variation reflects the diverse needs of students and highlights the value of a model that can support everything from brief consultation to ongoing therapeutic care.
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Expanded reach and access: Utilization increased among historically underserved student populations, demonstrating the impact of offering counseling through multiple modalities, including both in-person and telehealth services, and providing students with greater choice in how they access care.
“Me siento complacida con esta secion, estoy aprendiendo a valorarme mas, gracias (counselor) por recordarme que soy una mujer fuerte y defensora y protectora de mis hijas.”
English translation: “I feel pleased with this session, I’m learning to value myself more, thank you (counselor) for reminding me that I am a strong woman and a defender and protector of my daughters.”
– Cuesta College Student
“My therapist does a lot to help me feel comfortable. The sessions we’ve had help me manage stress and prioritize the important things in my life.”
– Cuesta College Student
“(My counselor) was kind, direct, and provided sound counsel. I am glad that we met.”
– Cuesta College Student
A sustainable model that grows with real need
Cuesta’s partnership works because services align to actual need and utilization, not to enrollment or a prediction made at the start of the year. BetterMynd services are purchased in a flexible bucket, so Nicole can easily adjust the volume each year based on how students are really using care. In years two and three, when utilization rose in the spring, she added sessions to keep care available to every student who needed it.
That flexibility is what makes the model sustainable:
- For students: care is there when and how they need it, whether that’s a single session or a longer course of support, without a fixed allotment or a waitlist.
- For the counseling team: BetterMynd flexes up when demand peaks and scales back when it doesn’t, extending the team’s reach without requiring new staff lines or long-term commitments.
- For the institution: the investment follows the utilization. The college pays for the care its students use, and capacity can be adjusted each year as needs evolve.
Aligned with institutional goals
The partnership supports Cuesta’s broader priorities around equity, student success, and retention. By reducing structural and scheduling barriers to care, BetterMynd enables a more inclusive approach to student well-being. Nicole shared, “The BetterMynd platform has become a trusted extension of our counseling services, and their support has empowered us to do more for our students than we could alone.”
Integrating BetterMynd into its blended model has also let Cuesta reallocate internal resources more strategically while enhancing overall service reach, in line with its mission to deliver flexible, student-centered support that adapts to students’ evolving needs.
A final word from Nicole
Because of BetterMynd’s uniquely flexible utilization-based model, Nicole and Cuesta College have extending the partnership for the next three years – knowing that they can purchase additional services at any time, and any unused services roll-over to the following year and never expire.
“To any institution considering BetterMynd: we can confidently say this partnership has been transformative,” Nicole shared. “The BetterMynd team is responsive, collaborative, and dedicated to student success.”
