Student Mental Health Bringings New Peer Support Option to U of R Students
Sponsored by the Student Mental Health team, the University of Regina has partnered with Togetherall to offer a new wellness option to students - Digital Peer Support! This collaboration provides students with the opportunity to engage with Togetherall's online support community 24 hours a day/365 days a year.
Supporting the mental and physical wellness of the university's nearly 17,000 students is an important priority for the U of R, and this partnership provides students with another tool to support their health. This new service compliments the suite of already existing wellness services and resources, and provides students autonomy in finding the right tool at the right time. -John D. Smith, Associate Vice-President, Student Affairs.
The Student Mental team has been working to impliment a stepped-care model for their mental health and wellbeing services. This stepped-care approach is consistent with, and widely implimented by, post-secondary institutions across Canada and the USA. It recognizes the diversity in people's situations, struggles, and needs - as well as the inherrent uniqueness and autonomy of the individual seeking support - by ensuring a varied range of services and options. 
However, one "missing step" in their care model was peer support. Dr. Jenny Keller, Ph.D., R.D.Psych, Manager of Student Mental Health, explained that "peer support options had been considered, but were shown to be incompatible with our mandate, capacity and resources. For example, an in-person peer-support program requires finite resources to be allocated to essential training, supervision and oversight necessarity for appropriate risk management."
In the winter of 2023, Dr. Keller learned about Togetherall - and after completing her review, was pleasantly surprised Togetherall checked all the required boxes.
Togetherall fit that gap perfectly. Their service supports student autonomy in finding support "at the righ time" and in the preferred format. Having licensed clinicians overseeing the peer-support is very important and one of the reasons Togetherall was selected. Students and university-based follow-up care providers are assured of responsive and ethical handling of care and potential situations of risk. -Dr. Jenny Keller, Ph.D., R.D.Psych, Manager of Student Mental Health
Togetherall's online community is monitored and moderated around-the-clock by real, live, licensed clinicians who help to empower individuals in peer support and foster a safe and vibrant environment. It offers students the opportunity to connect with a global network of peers. This connection could be through common lived experiences, by sharing what's on their mind, by recieving support, or by offering it to others. In addition, Togetherall also offers self-help courses and a multitude of resources, making it a mutlifaceted platform that perfectly compliments Student Mental Health's service philosophy and stepped-care model!
Learn more about togetherall, including how to register!