Needing Clarifications Please
Hello everyone.
I'm a little new here to 7cupsoftea, I heard about this website from a colleague of mine. Since the start of July, I've visited here on guest accounts and have been through the forums and chatrooms. However, due to anxiety, I have been unable to reach out to any listener. I have finally made this member account to convince myself to connect with one, yet my attempts prove futile. I worry that my listener will reject me and find my worries infinitesimal. I worry that my listener will be a newly untrained listener and be unhelpful when I share. I am not too sure what to do.
I was told that not all listeners here were at the same degree of good active listening skills and if I was to connect with one of the less fortunate ones, I fear that I would never return again. Additionally, I was told that it's best to connect to a Verified Listener as they are more trained, but I'm not sure as to who they are, why they are called verified and how to find them. I hope someone can address my concerns.
Thank you.
You can browse listeners and look at their profiles as well as the number of chats they have had and ratings. Using the listener reputation under About, you can select listeners by badge and this includes the one for those who are verified by clicking on the number for that badge awarded.
General browse listeners link: https://www.7cups.com/BrowseListeners/
Verified listeners: https://www.7cups.com/BrowseListeners/?badge=121 (this looks like the other link, but it's only the ones with the verified badge)
Thank you :) I'm still confused though as to what they are...
@affableSugar8734 - Hey there! Thanks for posting. It's good to have you on the site. In response to your question on how to find Verified Listeners, here's a link to a page where everyone is verified: https://www.7cups.com/BrowseListeners/?badge=121
Also keep in mind that not every listener who has been verified may have what you're looking for. That's why it'd be a good idea to also keep a look out for star reviews. You can just click on their profile to see how good their reviews have been. At the end of the day, you never know who suits you until you give them a go. I wish you all the best of luck in finding someone right for you.
Darn! I was beaten to it xD If you need clarification:
"A verified listener is a listener who has been approved as giving a high level of care and support. They are approved by other experienced listeners and must undergo & pass a mock chat with a mentor or experienced listener. "
It's cool, Leon, you beat me to giving the link in the first place ;)
@affableSugar8734
Firstly, welcome! I'm so happy that you're here, and seeking out the support that you need ❤ You're very correct, there is a wide variety of listeners here, and thankfully there is a variety of ways to make sure that you get someone who's really worthy of your trust.
Just to clarify, all listeners undergo training before they are allowed to listen, so you would never be connected to someone with no idea of what it means to listen, but listening experience can certainly not be underestimated.
My tips for finding your perfect listener:
Go into the chatrooms
Enter the group support rooms, and see if there are any listeners there who you think you'd get on well with. Listeners have an 'L' by their name, and their pictures are square, if that makes it any easier. Mods (those listeners with green ticks by their names) won't be able to chat with you right then, but you can leave them a message asking for a chat
Have a poke around the forums
If you're looking for a listener who can offer support on a certain topic, go to that subforum and have a look through to see if there's anyone who's responses strike a chord with you. For example, if you wanted to talk to a listener about depression, you could go to the Depression Subforum, and have a look around.
Read through reviews and profiles
Head to Browse Listeners, and filter through the listeners (e.g. If talking to someone from your own country was important to you, select your country in the drop down menu). Then, go through the profiles, and read through the reviews listeners have been left, which should give you a good idea of whether or not you'd be a good match.
Look for Verified Listeners
If a listener has the Verified Listener badge (a gold one, which appears on their profile in their badge collection), you know that they've met a high listening standard in a pretend chat with a listener mentor. To see all the Verified Listeners, you can have a look here
Be picky
If you connect to someone and think 'Nah, you're not what I'm after', don't feel the need to stick around. This is especially true if the listener isn't up to scratch - just leave them a review to say so, and they'll know that they need to improve next time.
I really hope that you find the confidence to seek out a listener, or to put in a general request - all listeners here signed up because they love to help others, and this website truly is a fantastic place full of support
This should be something every person new to the site reads. The way the site is set up people tend to get funneled into the general request pool, and from my experience it's very difficult to find someone good that way unless all you're looking to do is vent to a random stranger.
Hi there lovely @affableSugar8734
First of all, a big warm welcome to 7Cups! The courage in your heart shines a great deal just for being on here, despite what others think, it's no easy task. I'm really glad that you were able to find this internet safe haven, and despite the anxious thoughts in your mind, you made this member account and posted in the forums. That's one heck of an accomplishment!
A Verified Listener, in essence, is a listener who has completed a mock chat scenario with an experienced listener and been approved to have a met a high listening standard and able to give a good level of care, empathy and support. You can find a list of Verified Listeners here
As important as that is, I should also mention that not every member clicks with every listener, so it's completely okay to find another one. You can always go to the Browse Listeners page and filter through the listeners according to your choice.
Additionally, you may want to head over to the Listener Classifieds to see if any stir your interest or perhaps post your own there too.
I wish you the best of luck in finding a listener that suits you and is able to support you the way you deserve. You are very wonderful for being here, so thank you so much!
PS. A quick note to mention, if you want, it'd be extremely helpful if you wanted to provide feedback on chat anxiety here!
Oops haha, the wonderful @OrunLeon and @Lyra have beat me in answering the question quite clearly! Thank you to the two of you for such lovely information!
(This is totally what I get for leaving the tab open for so long xD)
