Funding unveiled for round-the-clock online mental health supports for third-level students

Students have endured a difficult few years during the pandemic. Picture: PA

Funding for a new round-the-clock mental health online support for third-level students has been announced to mark World Mental Health Day on Monday.

Psychological Counsellors in Higher Education Ireland (PCHEI) has launched a partnership with Togetherall to deliver a clinically moderated, online peer-to-peer mental health community that allows individuals to anonymously seek and provide support at any time of the day or night.

It comes as an increasing number of third-level students are seeking mental health support amid increases in anxiety, depression, and isolation.

PSCHEI has said many are "languishing" due to a lack of support, with student counselling services across Ireland experiencing increased demand for services, with a large number of students presenting.

In the 2020/2021 academic year, some 14,386 students attended 69,030 counselling appointments across Ireland, an increase of almost 2,000 students and 4,000 appointments compared to the previous year.

Announcing the initiative, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said: “As students and staff returned back to college campuses last year, we made a commitment to provide the supports to assist them in whatever way we could.

"Students endured an incredibly difficult two years during the pandemic, with the long-term impact on their mental health potentially significant.

"While we have invested heavily in enhancing student counselling services, and innovative mental health and wellbeing supports for students, there is always more we can do."

He added: “This partnership we are announcing today will provide students with 24/7 access to mental health support, and I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make this valuable initiative, which will have such a positive impact on people’s lives, a reality.”

Early intervention supports

Togetherall, which has already been used as an online portal to support millions of people in Britain, is designed to work with existing mental health services to provide early intervention supports.

The funding for Togetherall has been granted by the Higher Education Authority under the additional funding in Budget 2023 to underpin student well-being and mental health.

This is a key project aimed at supporting implementation of the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework.

Matched funding from HSE Mental Health Division this has enabled the launch of Togetherall in Ireland for the first time, available now to all publicly funded higher education institutions for this academic year, led by and delivered through PCHEI.

Henry Jones, CEO of Togetherall, said: “We’ve seen how offering a choice of services and easy-access tools can help to serve a wider range of needs and a larger proportion of students, every day we see the power of people helping each other by sharing their thoughts, feelings, stories and encouragement.”

Treasa Fox, chairperson of PCHEI, said counsellors hear so many students talk about loneliness and isolation and the connections that Togetherall offer in their peer support communities have never been more needed.

“The fact that it’s anonymous and moderated by mental health professionals mean that it’s a very safe space to connect, to talk about what's going on, to give and receive support," she said.