Shasta College, Santa Rosa Junior College, and Southwestern College have made history as the first colleges in California to earn full designation status as a Wellness Coach Designated Education Program from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI). This designation is part of a $6.1 million statewide investment to strengthen the state’s behavioral health workforce through the California Community Colleges system.
The Wellness Coach Designated Education Program grant is administered through a partnership between HCAI and the Foundation for California Community Colleges (FoundationCCC). As a key component of California’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, the program operates under the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, which aims to grow a larger, more representative workforce supporting the emotional, mental, and behavioral health of California’s youth and young adults ages 0-25.
“In our region, where adverse childhood experiences and mental health needs are high, this work really matters,” said Joanne Tippin, Nutrition faculty and Wellness Coach Designated Education Program lead at Shasta College. “By pairing the Certified Wellness Coach pathway with our human services degree, students now have a direct route into the mental health field.” Graduates prepare for careers in youth-serving settings focused on prevention, early intervention, and non-clinical behavioral health support.
Shasta College’s human services degree program is among the first in California to undergo HCAI’s validation review, alongside Santa Rosa Junior College. Shasta College and Santa Rosa Junior College received full designation in April, followed by Southwestern College in August, marking the first California Community Colleges to advance from conditional to full status. All three colleges serve regions experiencing critical shortages in behavioral health professionals.
The need for accessible mental health support is especially urgent in rural Northern California. According to the California Health Care Foundation, Shasta County’s overall death rate is nearly 60% higher than the state average, driven in part by elevated rates of suicide and substance use.
Thanks to a partnership with Keystone Therapy and Training Services, Santa Rosa Junior College graduates are already working on the front lines serving youth in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County. At Southwestern College, located near the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego County, leaders say the demand for culturally responsive behavioral health professionals continues to grow.
“San Diego County faces a staggering shortage of behavioral health workers,” said Joachim Latzer, Dean of the School of Education, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences at Southwestern College. “For our students, this designation approval represents a credential pathway to enter a high-demand field where they can make a direct impact in the communities they call home.”
“Santa Rosa Junior College is honored to be among California’s first Certified Wellness Coach programs, a recognition that speaks to the passion and perseverance of everyone who helped make it possible. Mental health support for young people has never been more critical, and I am thrilled that our graduates will be on the front lines of that work right here in Sonoma County,” shared Jessica Paisley, Counseling Faculty and Social Work and Human Services Program Coordinator at Santa Rosa Junior College.
Students across all three colleges are using the Certified Wellness Coaches certification to transform their communities.
Joseph W., 46, entered foster care at age 5 and remained in the system until 18. Now, he helps lead a mobile ministry serving people experiencing homelessness while studying social work and human services at Santa Rosa Junior College and training to become a Certified Wellness Coach. “I hope to be a mentor for foster youth to be someone they can genuinely talk to,” Williams said. “I wanted to be a police officer when I was younger, but I didn’t have anyone to show me how to do that. I want to give these kids the right tools to prepare for their future.” Williams will graduate in Spring 2027 with the goal of transferring to Sonoma State University and later opening a private school for foster youth.
After recovering from her battle with addiction and incarceration, Royale E., 40, returned to Shasta College in Spring 2025 with a mission to help others heal from substance abuse. Born in Shasta County and raised in Tehama County, Royale previously worked in auto sales before pursuing a more meaningful path in addiction studies and life coaching. Royale will celebrate four years of sobriety this September.
“I have a story,” she said. “It’s beautiful.” The mother of four has earned Dean’s List honors every semester while balancing school and family life. Royale is expected to graduate in Spring 2027 with an addiction studies degree and Certified Wellness Coach certification, followed by a human services degree in Fall 2028. Her dream is to create family-centered recovery programs rooted in healing, agriculture, and human connection. “The earth is healing. If you can get your hands in the dirt and grow a plant, it gives you confidence to grow in your journey.”
At 49, Samantha B. returned to Shasta College after overcoming years of hardship, including teen motherhood, domestic violence, and addiction. A former Certified Nurse Assistant, she entered recovery in 2023 and found a renewed sense of purpose through education. Now majoring in addiction studies and pursuing her Certified Wellness Coach certification, Samantha hopes to use her lived experience to support people in Northern California. “All my trauma, addiction, and recovery, I want to share that with people to help them,” she said. “Some communities in Shasta face deep economic hardship. People do not realize how rural we are. In some areas, there is no cell service. We live in a food desert. People have to go to Dollar General to get groceries. There is no doctor or hospital just down the road if you have a medical emergency.” Samantha will graduate in Spring 2028 before transferring to California State University, Chico, with dreams of launching a nonprofit supporting justice-impacted populations.
FoundationCCC has distributed funds to 33 colleges since the initiative launched in February 2024. Grants of up to $200,000 help colleges develop and scale curriculum aligned with HCAI certification standards.
The designation opportunity advances the California Community Colleges’ Vision 2030 goal of scaling behavioral and mental health workforce development to more community colleges throughout California.
For a full list of participating colleges and future funding cycles, visit FoundationCCC’s program page.
