ANNOUNCEMENT: Group Support Chat (NOW FOR TEENS TOO!)

We are very happyto tell you that we will be launching an exciting new feature: Group Support Chat!

This will be launched with a limited release - We will start by piloting this from 7pm to midnight. Initially, it will be available to adults only.***Available to teensfromMonday @6 pm EST (Nov 10)!***

Group Support Chat will work like a waiting room - when you hit connect you will have the option of participating in a group support chat while you wait to connect with a listener. This will provide you with company and support while you wait. You will also be able to access Group Support Chat when logged into your member account. It will appear in a new tab at the top of your conversations list.

Selected listeners will appear as Group Mods to keep the Group Support Chat as safe as possible for you. Other listeners may also drop in to offer support.

Our Group Mods will lead conversations on various topics, such as Share Your Story, Depression, Anxiety, Feeling Judged, Psychology of Happiness and many others. Keep an eye out for these and let us know if there are any topics in particular you?d like to see here :)

Another safety measure will be the ability to mute other participants that you no longer wish to hear from - guest, members, and listeners will have the ability to mute people. If people are muted for being inappropriate, then they will automatically and immediately be banned from the group support chat. People that are misbehaving will be immediately removed. People that simply rub you the wrong way can be muted one-on-one so that you don?t see their messages.

In Group Support Chat you will be able to give and receive Compassion Hearts. If someone says something kind and compassionate to you, show them your appreciation by clicking on the blue heart beside their name and awarding them a Compassion heart! When you receive a Compassion heart, you will also receive 2 Appreciation hearts to give away to others.

If you come along to the group support chat, you will also have the pleasure of meeting our new friend Noni!

Noni means grandmother, best friend, and healing plant. She should be seen as a type of 7 Cups presence.She is an extension of the listener community andbehaves, listens, and speaks in ways that are consistent with our values. For now, Noni will simply be the new deliverer of tips throughout one on one chats and in our group support chats. She?ll greet people when they enter the Group Support Chat and ask people to introduce themselves to the broader group.

Later, Noni will be used with alerts, mindfulness tips, and, if you want, reminders for appointments or other goals that you might have. For now, however,her main focus is on reinforcing a kind, welcoming, and non-judgmental culture that is consistent with our values and an extension of our community.

Group Support Chat Room Guidelines

1) Do not share the username of any listener or member you are working with 1-on-1.
2) Please be kind, supportive and respectful to one another. If you are not able to act in this way, please refrain from participating.
3) Moderators are experienced listeners who are labelled under current participants. 4)Please show them respect and kindness at all times. Moderators are busy attending to the group and may not be able to offer a 1-1 chat at this time.
5) 7 Cups of Tea is not a crisis resource. Please click on the ?refer? button if anyone appears to be suicidal or in crisis.
6) Please refrain from using any abusive, graphic or inappropriate language.
7) Please remember that this a group support chat room, if you need 1-on-1 support, please connect to a listener individually.
8) For your own safety, NEVER give out your personal details or social media handles to any member or listener, or ask others for theirs.
9) To help keep this a safe place, please mute any participant who is causing problems for you personally or disrupting the group as a whole. (Muting is anonymous and can be undone at any time.)

Please drop in and don't be shy!We are all looking very forward to supportingyou there this evening! :)