St. Lawrence College provides digital peer support for students on campuses across Ontario

We are excited to announce that students at St. Lawrence College can now access a clinically moderated mental health support resource where they can connect with a global community of peers with shared lived experiences. The College launched a partnership with Togetherall, a safe and anonymous space in which students can benefit from an online peer-to-peer community by giving and getting support 24/7.

St. Lawrence College (SLC) supports students across three campuses in Kingston, Brockville, and Cornwall with over 7,700 students tri-campus. As with many colleges and universities in today’s current climate, mental health and wellbeing is a top priority for institutional leadership. Sarah Tomaszewski, Associate Director, Student Wellness & Accessibility at SLC, and her team are always looking for new and innovative ways to better help students on their mental health journeys, both as part of the College’s Integrated Mental Health Strategy and as an identified priority within Student Wellness & Accessibility.

“As an institution, we recognize the importance of high quality and accessible mental health and wellness supports and services for all students,” Tomaszewski said. “We wanted to do more to meet students where they are and support their individual needs and preferences when accessing these supports and services.”

While there is a plethora of digital mental health options for college students today, Tomaszewski and her team chose peer support and Togetherall. She shared,

“SLC has seen great success with our ongoing peer support initiatives on campus. It has enabled us to foster a strong sense of belonging, reduce feelings of isolation, and create safe spaces to share experiences for all students. We were looking to expand and diversify our peer support programs and services, which led to our interest in Togetherall.”

A component that differentiates Togetherall’s community from other digital support services is round-the-clock, real, human, clinical oversight. Tomaszewski spoke to this in saying,

“Clinical moderation is an integral part of a comprehensive approach to student mental health and safety. For us, it is a ‘must-have.’ It helps to ensure early intervention, individualized support, and the promotion of healthy practices. But most importantly, it ensures student safety, which is a top priority.”

She went on to say of SLC’s new partnership with Togetherall and their ambitions of their students’ wellbeing for the future:

“SLC continues to promote positive mental health and well-being, support a culture of connectedness, safety, and belonging, and enable all students and staff to flourish and succeed. At SLC, we are committed to creating empowered, resilient, and healthy campus communities. A partnership with Togetherall complements our existing mental health and wellness services and allows us to further this commitment.”

Togetherall looks forward to supporting St. Lawrence College’s students throughout this school year and beyond.

About St. Lawrence College (SLC)

St. Lawrence College is situated on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples; we are grateful to live and learn on these lands. With campuses in Kingston, Brockville, and Cornwall, SLC delivers education and training that meets the needs of community, industry, and employers. The College prepares students to succeed in the global economy through relevant, practical programs and experiential learning opportunities. SLC offers more than 100 full-time programs including diplomas, degrees, graduate certificates, apprenticeships, micro-credentials and life-long learning opportunities. Everyone belongs in the SLC community, comprised of 12,000 full-time students and more than 115,000 alumni in 75 countries around the world.

About Togetherall         

To date, Togetherall is available to 4.6 million students worldwide at more than 450 colleges and universities. In recent survey data, the majority of respondents cited feelings of depression and anxiety as their reason for joining. More than one-third of surveyed students reported that Togetherall is the only mental health support they are using. Registrant data also reflected the diversity of students using Togetherall, with 57% identifying as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC), and 7% identifying as transgender or non-binary.     

If you are interested in offering safe and scalable ways to support your students’ mental health, contact us to find out more about Togetherall’s online community.