For students who need mental health support, UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services partners with Nack Behavioral Health – an outpatient program located in Westwood that caters specifically to college students.

Nack, an intensive outpatient program, specializes in treating UCLA undergraduate and graduate students with primary mental health disorders – conditions that affect mood, thinking and behavior as well as hinder daily functioning. The program offers patients at least three days of group therapy sessions, as well as individual counseling and family therapy, according to its website.

Kyle Adams, Nack’s chief executive officer, founded the program to serve college students who need convenient access to IOP services. Adams said he opened Nack’s first office across from the University of Southern California in September 2024 and opened its Westwood office in September 2025.

During Adams’ freshman year at Wake Forest University, his childhood friend, nicknamed ‘Nack,’ was killed in a shooting. Nack’s death left Adams with grief and depression. He was inspired to start a program that specifically serves college students.

Adams added that, while working as the chief growth officer at Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services – which offers residential treatment and IOP treatments to adolescents – he realized IOPs could keep people out of hospital settings while also offering a more affordable resource for families.

“We so frequently see students who are struggling with social anxiety or isolation or simply feeling like they can’t relate to anyone, in terms of the challenges of their symptoms that they’re experiencing,” he said. “To be able to come here and find community with folks who are grappling with similar challenges goes a long way to the healing process.”

Nack collaborates with UCLA’s CAPS, UCLA Student Behavioral Health Services and the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital to bring students into the program, Adams said. If a student needs more support than a weekly therapist can provide, he added that they may be referred to Nack.

Students can also refer themselves through Nack’s website. They complete an intake assessment to determine whether the program would be a good fit, Adams said.

Heather Russo, Nack’s chief clinical officer, said pandemic-related restrictions have negatively affected college students’ mental well-being. She added that the divided political climate and academic stresses have also taken a toll on students’ mental health.

“You all have worked so hard to get into these universities and to succeed,” she said. “Once you get there, life gets exponentially more difficult.”

Dominique Williams, Nack’s primary therapist, leads dialectical behavioral therapy sessions where students learn healthy coping skills. The DBT program lasts three to four months and helps patients develop emotional regulation, mindfulness and distress tolerance skills, Adams added.

“If they are not adhering to their mental health, it’s going to be really, really difficult to be present in their day-to-day life,” Williams said. “These are skills that you could take far beyond college.”

Russo said the stigmatization of mental health concerns hinders some students from seeking support at Nack. Students may come from cultural or family backgrounds that stigmatize medication or therapy, she added.

Russo said the most rewarding part of her job is conducting one-on-one discharge interviews with students who have completed the program. During these conversations, students reflect on their progress and how they will continue supporting their mental health, she added.

“We have the best jobs in the world. To be able to see that process carry out with these clients – it’s just such a magical, really beautiful experience,” she said.