Trained? Really?
Are there really "trained" listeners here? Did everyone here really take an online course? I mean think about it. All you do is read a little bit and watch 2 minute vids on youtube. Then you answer questions. Hell you can even skip the reading and youtube vids and just keep on clicking on the questions until you find the right answer. I think saying people on here are "trained" listeners is a little bit of false advertising. To me an online course mean taking an actual class! Through means of skype or what not. Where you actually speak to a professional.
Man, this site is so full of crap! (edited by mod)
Hello there EndlessRain! From what I've read in your post, you seem to be very unhappy with your experience here. I can understand how you might be upset when a listener might not provide the help you were seeking. But I'd like you to keep in mind this site's listeners are volunteers and they are doing the best they can. If you are not satisfied with the development of a listener maybe you could try searching for one that fits your needs/expectations better. If this still doesn't suit your needs you are free to send me a message and I can try to provide you with other options. Hope this work out , Iara
I sort of felt the same way, that saying that we are trained listeners is a bit of false advertising, but I think that we learn a lot by listening to people, and by talking to other listeners.
While not everyone can be fully trained on all the different topics, the guides are there to provide basic and important information! And because we are on the web, we always have the ability to research topics we are unfamiliar with.
Many of us are experienced in the areas members need help on,and we help support listeners who are less experienced. We also try our best to provide the best support and care for our members, but because we are volunteers, we won't always know how to handle a certain topic. If you feel like the training can be more comprehensive and have ideas on how, then you should let us know!
Constructive criticism is always more helpful than negative criticism because our community loves to learn and grow with the help of each other. :)
Hello there!
If you are having problems or feel that something isn't being done correctly please reach out to myself, one of our community managers, moderators, or Glen the founder himself.
We are more than willing to chat with you about your concerns via private message.
If you do want to reach out you can email me at anna@7cups.com
Please be considerate in the language you use in our forums as well as we have lots of people here and want everyone to feel welcome.
Abusive listeners has been an issue since the start. It's March 2017 and this hasn't changed even a little bit.
@reliablePark363 same with abusive members.
thankfully, there's a system in place in which interactions can be reported by either side and are handled.
works quite well, really.
what sort of training regimen did you have in mind? ^-^
@bunnypants
thats a cute bunny
It is a funny bunny. 😀 Has sass.
@bunnypants - are you familiar with the book or movie "Watership Down"?
your writing style reminds me of this.
@themainjane *flops* read it when i wus juss a wee bun, i's suer :3'
@EndlessRain I'm sorry that you are not getting what you are fully expecting from 7 Cups. There is another level of listeners known as verified listeners. These are the listeners who have earned recognition and a badge from taking a test to show that they are indeed good listeners. You can search for them by going to the browse listener section and tick "verified listeners" in your search. Another thing that might help you get better chat experience is to check out the listener's ratings and reviews. I hope these tips will help you find the listener you are looking for. Best wishes to you!
I thought that listeners were trained.
Hi there @crimsonMelon8700 !
Listeners do have to complete a general active listener training, and they can take various other trainings on specific topics or in active listening. You can learn what trainings a listener has completed by going to their profile and looking at their "Badges & Awards" section.
@crimsonMelon8700 Listeners are NOT trained
@calmSail419 Active listening is something that needs to be practiced, and proper training is done by taking chats witth members and guests, and by contacting other listeners to practice. Some listeners choose to take this path, others don't.
Learning to listen isn't like learning how to use a phone. It's an ongoing learning experience, and everyone is at a different point of their training. 
You are right. These lessons should be learned PRIOR to taking chats of people in crisis. One can not simply become a listener with no training and be good. THEREFORE there should be REQUIRED TRAINING so listeners stop abusing people who come here for help in their moments of weakness.
@intelligentLove41 As a listener who sometimes reaches out to other listeners on a member account, I could not agree more. Some members are not in crisis, which doesn't make the issue as dramatic. But members who are in dire need of someone, who are in delicate situations, they should receive the support they need and deserve. And it's true that, too often times, that is not the case. 
We must not forget, though, that listeners are all volunteers, and most use up their precious free time to help others. If a member is going through a very serious crisis, there are special hotlines, with trained and payed personnel who can dedicate even more time to receive proper training and to give proper support and care to the people who need it.
And as a listener who is part of several projects here on 7 Cups, we do our best to ensure that the Listeners who care about quality and who really want to help others receive proper training order to do so effectively. That is why, when a member connects with a listener, they should not hesitate to rate them and leave a review. If a listener isn't helpful at all, or of they are inappropriate, please feel free to let us know so we can take proper action. 
However, this is not an excuse to listeners who do not take the training 7 Cups offers. More than caring about the community iself, good listeners care about the people they offer support to, and seek better ways to help those in need. 
I hope you'll be able to encounter good quality listeners in the future. I hope I'll have the same luck when I reach out for support on my member account, too.
First of all, the is a recurring topic so yes, things should and will improve over time. The 7cups experience will evolve as time passes and I hope that we figure out a way to keep the community open and free for everyone AND improve the general quality. Personally Im one of those person who is always looking for improvements and when one problem is solved Im already trying to figure out how to solve the next problem down the line. It is hard to make a accurate assessment of the average listeners quality because it is based on the perception and expectations of other people. It bottles down to this: I dont know if we underperform but I believe there is always room for improvement, even if we would be doing a very good job in general…
Listeners are not really "trained"... They get opportunities to get receive basic training. This is a big difference. We are still working with volunteers who cannot be forced into training. Even if 7cups would change their policy and new listeners have verify their knowledge using some kind of test it would still be easy to "cheat" (just like people are able to cheat in highschool and university).
Some listeners like myself receive training through education and/or work situations. All listeners have their personal goals and some of our listeners just want to talk en empathise. To be honest "Active Listening", the service 7cups offers can be summerized as:
"Empathic listening (also called active listening or reflective listening) is a way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual understanding and trust. It is an essentialskill for third parties and disputants alike, as it enables the listener to receive and accurately interpret the speaker's message, and then provide an appropriate response." - Source
It shouldn't be confused with therapy or conflict resolution (while in both instances, AL is used as a tool)... For me 7cups is part of a long term self development strategy that will be usefull in a professional setting later down the line. While 7cups offers a basic training program, most of the knowledge is passed on from listener to listener (peer support/mentor support/group discussion).
Here is a screenshot of some of the recent books i've read (or listened too) that increase my skillset as a active listener and as you can see it has nothing to do with the 7cups training. I read these books because I choose too and like many other listeners I didn't sign up to become part of 7cups, it was the other way around... This website is a tool that allows me to reach my personal goals and help people while doing it...
I don't know if "training" is the sollution to all of the mentioned problems, dedication however, might be...
