Expanded Access to Mental Health Supports Helps More Post-Secondary Students, Apprentices

Recognizing that good mental health is an essential part of overall health, the Province is expanding access to e-health resource Togetherall to all of Nova Scotia’s post-secondary students and apprentices.

Togetherall was previously available only to young people aged 16 to 29. It is a safe and anonymous online peer-to-peer community that is moderated by registered clinical practitioners, and it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Togetherall members can share their thoughts and experiences by writing community posts, supporting others’ stories, creating art or taking well-being courses and resources.

“For World Mental Health Day on October 10, and every day, we recognize the critical importance of supporting self-care for post-secondary students anytime, anywhere,” said Brian Wong, Minister of Advanced Education. “Our students may be living away from their family and friend support network and may be struggling with anxiety. This is another way we are supporting the health of our students and making the availability of mental health resources a high priority.”

Expanding access to Togetherall adds to a suite of free online mental health resources available to post-secondary students through HealthyMindsNS.

The province is providing $10,000 for the additional access to Togetherall, in partnership with RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) Future Launch, Nova Scotia Health and the QEII Foundation.

Quotes:

“Young adults are often more vulnerable to experiencing mental illness. It is our moral responsibility to provide them with the support they need when and where they need them. Togetherall is a great example of how this can be achieved. The online community of peer-to-peer support allows people to reach out anonymously and without fear of judgement and in a format that is familiar to them.”

– Brian Comer, Minister responsible for the Office of Addictions and Mental Health

"Being able to connect with peers who can relate to your experiences and circumstances is hugely beneficial for students and youth, particularly those who may not want to access in-person support or who would prefer to do so anonymously."

– Ben Fairhurst, chair, Students Nova Scotia

“The pandemic has only exacerbated the need for empowering and inclusive mental health support. We see a growing diversity in Nova Scotia members’ age, work status, gender and ethnicity, which allows for a variety of perspectives within the community.”

– Matthew McEvoy, senior vice-president and general manager, Togetherall North America

“Our commitment to youth mental well-being is focused on prevention and early intervention programs that help provide young people timely access to knowledge, supports and care, when and where they need it. Through our continued partnership with Togetherall, Nova Scotia Health and now HealthyMindsNS, RBC Future Launch will help address the barriers often faced by young people when trying to access the supports they need.”

– Mark Beckles, vice-president, Social Impact and Innovation, RBC

Quick Facts:

• World Mental Health Day is Sunday, October 10
• Mental Health Awareness Week is October 3-9
• since Togetherall became available in Nova Scotia this spring, more than 900 youth have taken advantage of the peer-to-peer service
• HealthyMindsNS is a suite of online mental health resources that are available free to post-secondary students in Nova Scotia to complement existing resources available on campuses

Additional Resources:

To learn more about Togetherall, visit: https://togetherall.com/en-ca/

To learn more about HealthyMindsNS, visit: https://healthymindsns.ca