Fisher Announces Partnership with Online Therapy Provider BetterMynd
St. John Fisher University has announced a new partnership with BetterMynd, an online therapy provider that partners exclusively with colleges and universities in the U.S. to provide their students with access to free, high-quality counseling services.
In response to the growing importance of mental health awareness and the evolving needs of our community, Fisher has taken this additional proactive step to expand the support and resources available to all students. The partnership with BetterMynd will enable students to access confidential and convenient mental health services remotely, providing them with the flexibility to prioritize their mental well-being within their busy schedules. Through the partnership, Fisher students have access to BetterMynd’s national network of more than 400 licensed, in-state mental health counselors and proprietary, HIPAA-compliant online platform.
BetterMynd supplements on-campus mental health resources by providing free and highly personalized online therapy to students to meet their unique needs, including access to 50-minute scheduled counseling sessions, a diverse network of mental health clinicians, and the scheduling flexibility needed for students to make meaningful progress with mental health challenges. Sessions can take place anywhere the student is most comfortable, during the day, at night, or on weekends. Students will be referred to BetterMynd through the Health and Wellness Center at Fisher.
“We are excited about this partnership and the additional bandwidth it will give our counseling team in serving the need of our students,” said Becky Kieffer, director of Fisher’s Health and Wellness Center.
In recent years, Fisher has taken a number of steps to meet the increasing mental health needs of its students. Since 2019, the University has been a member of JED Campus, a nationwide initiative of The Jed Foundation designed to empower schools with a framework and customized support to enhance student mental health, as well as and suicide and substance abuse prevention efforts. In fall 2022, Fisher joined the Consortium on Trauma, Illness, & Grief (TIG), a trauma response program that helps institutions effectively respond to challenges facing students and campuses more broadly. One year later, Fisher has nearly doubled the number of employees trained in crisis response skills, and has the largest higher education team regionally.
“I know how hard it can be for a college student to struggle with their mental health and access the support and treatment they need in a confidential and timely manner,” said BetterMynd Founder & CEO Cody Semrau. “I founded BetterMynd with a simple mission: to help colleges and universities make mental health support more accessible to their students.”