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! :)
We're all so excited at the teen support chat! It's becoming a close knit community full of teens who are able to share feelings easily and encourage each other!
Really happy to hear this! :)
Quick Question :).. Will the chat also be available for different time zones?
The chat is available to everyone all over the world! We have a lot of members from North America, South America, and Europe! It's all one chat room.
Yea.. Thatsgreat, but it's hard for some time zones to use it. For example, the chat starts in Germany at midnight :/
Hi, can someone explain the times to me?
I googledEST and it says that in the UK (where I am) group chat starts at 11pm, but I always go to bed at 10pm and I can't be on my phone. Will it finish at about 6am for the UK if it starts at 11? It just doesn't really seem fair for us UK users if that's the case...
Sorry if I'm being nuisance - probably got the times wrong, but I used to use a site called BeatBullyingthat always had a chatroom up from 8amto about 1am-ish all the time and it helped a lot. Sadly, since BeatBullying is a charity, they have had major financial problems so it is shut down now :( I'd like to use the group chat here because it doesn't make me feel like I'm the only one who is sad, but I very rarely can because of the times. Are there any other times teen chat is up?
Thank you! :)
Hey @AsTheSnowFalls, yes i agree! The time is a little inconvenient for UK users as it is 11pm-5 am for u guys! and im so sorry about that, i can imagine how u feel! u arent being a nuisanc, not at all, we understand!
But they may change the timings soon, or extend the hours, and maybe after a few weeks of trial, keep it open 24 hours:)
But as of now, its open only for 6-12 pm EST for teens! If there are updates on this, im sure you will be informed!:)
when i go to "group chat" under "conversations", its blank. even during the correct time (6pm- midnight EST) nothing is there. help?
The chat is available, however,it is only available to listeners by mistake... Try again soon :P
thank you! :)
WOW thats sounds cool!
when will these happen?!
It happens every night from 6-12 PM EST.
I'm interested in the group chat lines will do I begin or start any suggestion Heather on where to begin I will truly appreciate it
Is there a specific time or date that you think this will become a full time thing?
Teen Support chat is now from 12pm - midnight EST (that is 5pm - 5am UK time).
Teen really need this, great idea!!!
This is a great idea. I am a new listener and I am wondering how I would go about joining the chat. If someone could help me out it would be greatly appreciated.
Hi @ButterflySparkle34spreadyourwingsandfly, all you need to do is go to your conversation page, click the "Group Support" tab in your conversation list, then select one of thegroup support chat rooms: Waiting Room, Depression Support, or Share Your Story. Or a guided discussion room, if one's happening at the moment. :)
Can you see what I'm talking about? Please let me know if this doesn't answer your question! Cheers.
Olivia thank you so much i see what you are talking about
How can I be a moderator for the teens chat? :)
Hmm, I think you need to be either a teen or an adult teen listener to be a moderator for the teen group chat. For more information on applying, see this thread.
