The Office of Counseling and Wellness has joined a new platform called Togetherall, a peer-led online support network for college students. QCC students are able to use this free service to anonymously connect with students from around the world and discuss topics that affect their academic, personal, or professional lives. They also gain access to resources such as self-help courses, a personal goal setter and an online private journal.
QCC's Director of Counseling and Wellness Tina Wells was excited to get this program off the ground after recognizing the need for more student support resources. She did extensive research on support platforms for higher education and landed on Togetherall. QCC is currently the first community college in the state to utilize a service like Togetherall.
"This platform is basically an extension of the Counseling and Wellness Office. We are limited in the number of hours we can offer services so Togetherall expands our scope of support. Students can access the platform 24/7. Also, some students don't want to attend traditional therapy," said Wells, adding, "This method helps to normalize finding support for mental health and academics."
Togetherall's platform is mainly made up of chat forums where students can post their thoughts or pose a question and others can reply. Users can tag posts to topics such as anxiety, student experience, trauma, and relationships. The interface is user-friendly and offers multiple ways to engage. Students can even post a drawing to express their feelings.
In addition to the chat forums, there are chat groups that students can join such as Parents and Caregivers, Student Life, or Laugh and Uplift. Students can also participate in self-paced courses on topics such as managing emotions, social anxiety, or coping with grief and loss. Students from around the world interact on the platform, which can help to show members that they aren't alone in their problems, while also offering diverse points of view that they may not be exposed to in their daily life.
"These networks help students build their own internal resiliency," said QCC Mental Health Counselor Jonathan Gold.
While the platform is anonymous, Togetherall licensed clinicians, known as "wall guides", monitor all posts for inappropriate content or reference to things such as abuse or self-harm. Wall guides contact QCC in these situations and wellness checks are performed when necessary.
Any QCC student can be referred to Togetherall by faculty or staff, so Wells recommended having the QR code or link readily available.
For more information, contact Tina Wells at twells@qcc.mass.edu.