“Together all:” Counseling Center’s New Online Service

Mental health can be a blockage to the success of a college student’s academic career. Southern University’s Counseling Center (UCC) has joined the numerous list of colleges and universities that have begun to take initiatives to support their students’ mental health.
Togetherall is an online mental health support service that was founded in 2007. The program is currently established throughout 4 countries: New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The service has a unique feature that allows peer-to-peer support on the platform allowing students to engage with other students online but discussions on the platform are regulated by licensed professionals. The service will be available to all students across each of the five campuses under the Southern University System.
The President of Togetherall North America, Matthew McEvoy, explained how the partnership will benefit Southern University system students in the long run. “By partnering with Togetherall, the students have access to mental health resources they can trust to be safe, anonymous, non-judgemental, and all-inclusive.” McEvoy divulges.
“I think that it’s pretty cool how the program is going to allow students to vent to one another and look for support, but it also is still being supervised by actual professionals who can give professional advice. It’s common for us to go rant on social media and try to get some help. Very rarely can those people really help you fix the issues though because they aren’t mental health experts”, said Kamani Cannon, a junior criminal justice major.
The process of implementing Togetherall in the Southern University system stemmed from the SUBR University Counseling Center’s Executive Director, Dr. ValaRay Irvin. Dr. Irvin began a discussion with the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Dr. F Carl Walton, and representatives from Togetherall about possibly providing additional support to students through this service.
Dr. Irvin states how partnering with Togetherall accommodates Southern University students who do not want to participate in regular face-to-face counseling. “During the pandemic and since, we’ve found that our students found comfort in supporting each other at times when they weren’t willing to reach out traditional counseling. Dr. Irvin continues on to mention, “Teaming with Togetherall is another way the university is demonstrating its ongoing commitment to prioritizing student wellness.”
“I’m glad Southern is trying to put more emphasis on this issue. This year especially has been really mentally taxing. It’s important that students take care of themselves,” Taylar Major, a senior criminal justice major, elates.
Currently, the center does have two fully funded, unfilled positions remaining. According to Dr.Irvin, the issue has been finding licensed professionals who desire to work in-office versus remotely. The majority of Southern students choose in-person services over remote..
If you need any form of mental support or have more questions about the Togetherall platform, please contact the Southern University Counseling Center at (225)771-2480 or email [email protected]. The center’s business hours are 8:30-5:00 pm Monday thru Friday. Also, the Holistic Behavioral Health is the UCC’s 24/7 Crisis Line support, at (225)368-9602.