Big White Wall relaunches as Togetherall

TORONTO – The online mental health support service, Big White Wall, announced that it will be providing its 24/7 clinically managed platform under the new name of Togetherall. The rebrand marks the organization’s ongoing commitment to harness the protective and therapeutic effects of connectedness and healthy social networks to empower members in their mental health journey.

Togetherall, which provides an anonymous and safe place for people to find relief from mental health pressures with professionally trained and registered moderators available around the clock, is free for Ontarians 16+. Togetherall has also pledged to ensure that its vibrant online community continues to foster a sense of belonging in its members, regardless of ability, age, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religious belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Matthew McEvoy (pictured), senior VP and GM, North America of Togetherall, explained that the company had been keen to find a new name that members, partner organizations and staff felt truly represented the service.

“We made a commitment in January 2020 that we would change our name to one that embodies our social impact mission and allows us to grow and achieve our aim of providing our service to as many people as possible on an international scale. We live in a world where representing all people is essential as highlighted more recently by the social justice movements across the globe. Rather than act as a barrier, we wanted our name to communicate a message of belonging to all.”

He added that the company’s original name of Big White Wall had come from a good place, but it was vital that the organization continue to grow and evolve with its membership.

“The name Togetherall came from member research that highlighted two key aspects of our service – our dedication to bringing people together, and the fact that our community welcomes everyone. We are proud to be able to support people from all walks of life with our unique service – our vibrant and inclusive community will always be accessible to support members’ personal journeys to better mental health. We would like to assure our members that the service provided by Togetherall will not change during this period of transition.”

Populations have been rapidly turning to online resources for mental health support as anxieties have risen during the coronavirus pandemic. Togetherall has seen a spike in new user registrations by 234% between March and April (as compared to the previous month).

Registrations in March/April 2020 were 88% higher and there was 90% increase in posts on the site since the lockdown was put in place in March compared to the same period in 2019.

As lockdown restrictions continue to ease in Canada, online mental health service providers, such as Togetherall, are likely to play a vital role in supporting the nation’s well-being in light of a predicted surge in demand for mental healthcare as lockdown eases.

Togetherall warns that there are particular concerns among members of what the future will bring, with anxiety increasing as a result of the uncertainty surrounding coronavirus and lockdown. Student populations are particularly worried about the impact of continued isolation as they are unable to return to university.