The Farm Family Wellness Alliance was established in 2020 in Iowa to pilot services provided by Personal Assistance Services (PAS) to farm families in Iowa. The FFWA was expanded to Illinois in 2021.  In 2023, the Alliance partners were expanded in order to provide a peer-to-peer, farmer-to-farmer support community to all farm families across the US through Togetherall, and with ongoing referral to services from Personal Assistance Services (PAS) as needed.  Services were launched in January 2024.

Founding member: Farm Foundation
Service providers: Togetherall, Personal Assistance Services (PAS)
Farm Family Wellness Alliance Funding Partners:  Farm Credit, CoBank, Land O’Lakes, Iowa Farm Bureau, CHS
Farm Family Wellness Alliance Marketing Partners: American Farm Bureau Federation, 4H, National Farmers Union,  Agriculture Future of America, National FFA Organization

 

What is Togetherall?

Togetherall is a clinically moderated, anonymous online peer-to-peer community connecting individuals around the world with shared experiences. 

How long has Togetherall been around for?

Founded in 2007, Togetherall partners with diverse organizations, serving a global community with hundreds of thousands of members. 

Is Togetherall community-specific? 

Togetherall is a global community, allowing members to get and give support 24/7. Since members are from around the world, there’s always someone available to support. There are also dedicated spaces for members who want to share experiences with others who understand, such as farmers, healthcare workers, students, etc.  

How can Togetherall help those in the farming industry? 

Togetherall has a group dedicated to those in the agriculture industry to provide confidential support for a wide range of life events for farmers and their families. Togetherall’s agriculture sub-group harnesses the best resources farmers have—their community. 

How many users are active at any given time?

There are tens of thousands of active members in our global community on any given month.

How is it anonymous?

Members are given anonymous usernames upon registering for Togetherall, and remain anonymous to each other, fostering openness and honesty in sharing personal experiences.  

Togetherall prioritizes privacy, members are kept anonymous on the platform, and any personally identifiable information a member posts is edited by Wall Guides, to keep members safe. 

Personal information is not shared with employers or the Farm Family Alliance Partners.  

Who are the Wall Guides?

Wall Guides are licensed mental health clinicians providing guidance, crisis intervention, and support, creating and fostering a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for everyone. The term Wall Guides comes from the concept of a virtual wall on the platform, which represents togetherness through its community messages and artwork.

How are members kept safe?

The platform is moderated 24/7 by clinically trained, licensed/registered mental health professionals called “Wall Guides”, who support the community in three primary ways:

Risk intervention – Wall Guides intervene, assess and if appropriate, escalate to greater levels of support when a user is identified as “at risk.”

Engagement – Wall Guides encourage and promote a vibrant, supportive, and anonymous community.

Navigation – Wall Guides ensure that members understand how to use the platform available within the platform, as well as directing them to resources within or outside the platform

How does Togetherall handle risk in the community?

Central to Togetherall’s offering is handling risk in a safe and timely manner. The community is monitored and moderated by licensed/registered mental health practitioners 24/7 who will intervene when risk is identified. These clinicians (called Wall Guides) will assess the level of risk using Togetherall’s 1:1 messaging tool and if deemed necessary, will escalate the individual to the appropriate support in the moment appropriate to the situation

If appropriate, Togetherall’s clinical team will facilitate a warm transfer to the PAS clinical team to get the member in-the-moment support. This process has already been agreed upon and mapped out between Togetherall and PAS.

Is the platform accessible?

Committed to inclusivity, Togetherall adheres to accessibility guidelines, making its digital services accessible to everyone. 

How does Togetherall handle privacy?

Togetherall takes privacy seriously and works hard to safeguard the information shared with us.  Our platform is designed to enable members to interact with others in a supportive environment without sharing information that personally identifies an individual. In doing so, we follow best practices for collecting and using personal identifiable information and follow GDPR guidelines (GDPR is the privacy and data protection legislation).

What do people do on the platform?

Members can peruse a wide range of resources on the platform to find what best fits their needs at any given time.

Members can post, comment, start a private message with members, or join a Group, based on how they want to connect with others. Groups are dedicated spaces within the Togetherall community where members can join and discuss a topic that’s important to them. In addition to the global community, farmers and their families will have access to our Agricultural Industry sub-group, to share or read others’ experiences about stresses specific to the industry in a safe, judgement-free zone.

Sometimes it’s hard to find the right word to express yourself, and that’s why Togetherall also has a “bricks” feature where members can create art to express themselves within the community.

If a member isn’t sure they’re ready to post in the community yet, that’s okay. They can read self-help articles based on a wide range of wellbeing topics. Members can also take self-assessments to see where they’re at right now and make a plan to feel better.

For those more action-oriented, there are self-help courses are available on a range of topics, such as managing stress and worry, cutting down on drinking, to name just a few. This allows users to work on an area they’d like to improve at their own pace.  Togetherall also has a journal and goal-setting guide so members can stay on track and reflect.

How does Togetherall help those with mental health concerns?

Togetherall is not a crisis service and should not be advertised as such. However, Togetherall allows users to know they’re not alone. The global platform ensures that members can connect with others 24/7. With the Wall Guides monitoring 24/7, all members can connect with someone any time of the day or night. Togetherall believes in the power of sharing lived experiences and know that sometimes all you need is for someone to tell you that you’re not alone.

80% of members reported feeling less isolated after using Togetherall, and 93% self-report an improvement in their wellbeing.

If a member poses a risk to the community and themselves, a wall guide will intervene and connect them with the appropriate and local resources.

How does Togetherall integrate with PAS?

Togetherall’s integration with PAS ensures farmers and their families get seamlessly connected to in-the-moment support and additional resources. Integration exists in the following ways:

Togetherall and PAS have established an escalation process to get farmers and their families presenting as needing more immediate support connected to PAS.

The PAS call center refers Togetherall to all farmers and their families that have access to the service, and who would benefit from the Togetherall platform. A caller will receive a direct link in their email so that they can register immediately.

Farmers and their families can easily browse information about additional services available through PAS in the Resources section of Togetherall.

How is Togetherall different from others offering similar support? 

Togetherall’s clinical rigor sets it apart from other digital peer support platforms. The community is monitored 24/7 by licensed clinicians. Every new member will have an interaction with a Wall Guide and if a member looks like they need more one-to-one support, the Wall Guides will directly message them and connect them to local services.  

Is there an app for Togetherall?

There is not an app for Togetherall; however, the site is mobile friendly.