Listeners Working with Members Support Plan: Please Help Us Test and Provide Feedback!
In an effort to streamline the quality of L/M 1:1's, the Community Team has been designing a best practice guidance checklist for listeners to utilize to better support members. it's kind of like a treatment plan with templates for checking in, sharing resources, and building support plans to help members on their road to getting better.
Here is an overview of the process (linked from the whole document below):
Support Session Template:
1. Utilize Active Listening Skills
- Warm Greeting and Intro
- Setting initial expectations
- Empathy
- Reflection & Validation
- Open-ended questions
- Boundaries, nonjudgmental and professional behavior
- No advice, rather focus on brainstorming
2. Share the Resources with the Members (additional ways for the support)
- Wellness Test
- Self help guide on the topic
- Encourage to participate in the group chat rooms/ sharing circle sessions
- Visit and check subcom related to the topic to learn more
3. Set up the Follow-up process / Seek Feedback to make necessary changes to provide quality support to the Member.
- Set a follow up time to reconnect and checkin on the progress
- Seek feedback from Members, how they felt. One thing listeners could do to support Members better.
4. Loop steps 1-3
- Repeat the process
Seeing as how this is a brand new concept, we want to hear from you! If you’re a listener, I would like your help testing this out!
Here is the entire support plan. Listeners, can you please 1. try this out in your 1:1’s 2. Fill out this form every time you utilize this plan to give us feedback on how it's working?
The more submissions the better, so that we can measure the impact this guide has on real-life scenarios and also determine what kinds of changes to make if needed. So please feel free to submit the form every time you conduct a 1:1 using elements of the doc!
Members are also invited to provide feedback through the form! Please let us know what you like, or if there is something you think we should add that we're missing, anything we could emphasize, or particular features/parts of the site you think we should include for listeners to be most helpful to you.
Thank you very much, everyone. If you have questions, please PM @Hope @ASilentObserver or myself.
I look forward to hearing the outcomes!
I think listeners need to learn to look at members profiles. I've had listeners really encourage me to check out the growth path for example, when they really don't know what's on it and I just see the same things repeated over and over. It comes across as rather patronizing at times. At this stage, it would be better for a listener to ask me what I think about it. When there are changes, ask if I've seen them and if so what I prefer, etc. I don't want a listener suggesting I join the disability subcommunity when my profile shows I'm a leader there.
When it comes to laying out expectations - if it's something specific, cool. Things they aren't comfortable discussing, the amount of time they have available, that sort of thing makes sense. If it's a generic statement like they cannot offer advice I find it a bit annoying. Sometimes statements like that will be said during the chat which is really off-putting. It has a bit of a tone like they thought I was asking for advice or will, when I have no plans of it.
@AffyAvo Your point that generic statements such as "I cannot offer advice" can come across as upsetting really resonated with me. Being told mid chat that "I cannot give advice" or "I am not a professional" can feel off putting when I have not asked for advice and neither will I. I was not sure if I was the only one to felt that it was off putting or if I just being really oversensitive
The script idea is good and it is nice to see this initiative. What comes to my mind is that if a member connects with one listener and their conversation is done using the script. Then when the member connects with another listener and find that their other conversation also is following the same script and same texts are being said to them by each listener, it can make it feel a bit robotic. Some listeners already make use of a scripted paragraph which are of the lines (not exact words as I cannot recall) "...If I find that you will be better served by a professional therapist then I may make a referal later on the conversation..." Being told a scripted text (when not asked) can feel upsetting
@hillsideblues
Yesss I hate that when ima told its possible they may refer me,.1 imo that's more likely to cause M to either not really open up or end the chat completely
@hillsideblues a Listener has no rights to refer you to s therapist if you do not ask due to A cost and B they don't know your situation etc they can if they feel unable to handle your chat refer to another listener help you find one able too that is within their right
@CaringBrit Thank you ❤️
@hillsideblues your welcome id never refer to a therapist unless I'm asked another downside of doing it without being asked as mentioned you close up feel turned away when all you need is a listening ear which listeners are capable of doing
@CaringBrit This is so right. I really think that sometimes all we need is to feel understood/validated and a listening ear rather than "quick fixes" for problems
@CaringBrit I'd like to point out the chat prompts listeners to refer if they feel it's needed. I don't blame listeners for following this prompt.
Could we get A steer on how to set up their expectations for the discussion and how we can best meet them?
@Heather225
Sounds good, giving it a try! :)
I really like how it's a structured format, but I feel like creating scripts could make the chats a little impersonal which is a major deterrant for some members. But I like the idea of listening, setting goals, and then following up.
@InvaderStitch I agree, I think having a script can be useful for an example, and using some of them some of the time in a chat isn't bad if they fit well to the situation. In general, the chat needs to fit to the member, it shouldn't be about trying to connect the member's situation into a script.
The examples I gave about member profiles are just some pieces as to how a cookie cutter approach isn't going to work for all the aspects of each chat.
I'm not sure if you can streamline quality in all honesty. There are already members that are already wondering if they're talking with bots because of the way listeners reply. I honestly can't imagine that following a script is going to change their minds.
Each chat is unique, just as each member is and to follow a script, I can just imagine some listeners literally going down through and checking each line as they go. Warm greeting, check. Expectations, check. Most members just want to be heard, they want to know that they have connected with another living person. I feel that each chat and each person should be treated as an individual, they can't be expected to fit in a scripted box.
Of course, I can see having something like this handy as an in case, as needed suggestions, to give a listener an idea of direction they can take. It may be more useful where a listener has a long term member.
At first glance this appears to be illegal.
This is because, according to our Terms of Service, 7 Cups of Tea, Co. is located in California.
And California has a law, the California Business and Professions Code § 2903:
(a) No person may engage in the practice of psychology, or represent himself or herself to be a psychologist, without a license granted under this chapter, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.
The practice of psychology is defined as rendering or offering to render to individuals, groups, organizations, or the public any psychological service involving the application of psychological principles, methods, and procedures of understanding, predicting, and influencing behavior, such as the principles pertaining to learning, perception, motivation, emotions, and interpersonal relationships; and the methods and procedures of interviewing, counseling, psychotherapy, behavior modification, and hypnosis; and of constructing, administering, and interpreting tests of mental abilities, aptitudes, interests, attitudes, personality characteristics, emotions, and motivations.
(b) The application of these principles and methods includes, but is not restricted to: assessment, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and intervention to increase effective functioning of individuals, groups, and organizations.
I am not a lawyer, but that seems pretty clear.
As listeners here we are trained in active listening, which appears to be permitted by this law as long as we do not actually apply any psychological principles, methods, etc. Specifically, to quote our training:
Active Listening is not:
× Trying to solve the person“s problems
× Giving solutions or advice
So I have some suggestions:
• It might be helpful if 7 Cups can formally advise listeners on our personal legal position if we switch from active listening to this kind of psychological problem-solving. (The legal position probably varies according to each listener's location.)
• If the member is already in the care of a professional, or intends to engage with a professional, such as a therapist or a counsellor, it might also be helpful to obtain the professional's consent, so as to avoid interfering with ongoing treatment that might employ a conflicting approach.
• It might be helpful to explain the Support Session process to each member and obtain a record of their informed consent before starting to use the process. This would mean modifying the onboarding part of the script.
• If the member is a teen, it might be prudent to obtain the consent of their parent or legal guardian, too.
Personally, I'm almost certain that here in England there is no law against the unlicensed practice of psychology per se. So I am very willing to give the Support Session process a try, with an adult member who is not already in the care of a professional, and who gives me their informed consent. I'll post here again to describe how it goes.
Charlie
@RarelyCharlie
Hiya Charlie you brought up some valid thoughts.
I think however that geeting consent be it from professional or parent/guardian would be an incredible undertaking and would require a massive amount of time and staff. First there's how many members on cups?? I realize not all utilize L's or are receiving or looking for professional care, but that's still a ton of people who do. on top of that cups that do. then cups would have to have a way to verify the M actually has said professionals or parent/guardians consent. .
I appreciate your concern for the community as I really enjoy it here and anyone wanting to help keep it safe and fun is pawsome in my book.
Hang tough stay pawsome ur friend 🔥
I gave it a try.
First, I wrote this preliminary checklist:
1. Ensure the member is an adult.
2. Offer the member a choice of open-ended chat or structured support, to establish consent.
If the member chose structured support:
3. Ensure the member is not in the care of a professional, or try to obtain the professional's consent before proceeding.
Then I wrote a script to copy-paste at step 2 above:
I can offer you two ways of working, and you can choose which you think is more appropriate.
One is we can just have an open-ended chat and see how it goes.
The other is we'll work together using a structured support program. You'll start by taking a wellness test, and then we'll use a support guide and other resources to help you deal with your issues.
Which of those sounds more like it's what you need?
The next time I had an hour free I took a general request. The member at the top of the queue was an adult. At step 2 I pasted the above, and the member declined the offer of structured support, preferring an open-ended chat. We chatted for the rest of the hour.
The member's reasons for preferring an open-ended chat were that they were not seeking help with an issue, and also they didn't understand the structured support option.
I also submitted feedback using the form. I plan to try with a couple more members.
Charlie
Today I had some more free time when I could take a general request.
The first general request I took was a member who asked me a personal question at the start of the chat. I declined to answer, saying that I don't like to talk about myself on 7 Cups. There was no reply, and the member's account disappeared completely. I used Google Translate on their name, and the translation (from Hindi) suggested that the member might have been looking for a sex chat.
The second general request was a member who seemed reluctant to say much. I used my script, above, and the member declined both options! We did chat for about 20 minutes, but it didn't really get anywhere. The member openly admitted wanting sex, and they found chatting to me was no good.
The third was a member who agreed to the structured support process, so I can provide some feedback—without giving any details, of course.
In this chat the member clearly identified a specific problem that we don't have a guide for.
I suspect the Wellness Test tells everyone they have depression and anxiety, and they need therapy, no matter what their real problems are. After a little discussion, this member declined the self-help guides for depression and anxiety, and declined therapy. My feeling is that the Wellness Test contributed nothing useful.
I suggested another guide that I happen to know does mention the member's problem, even though it's not the main focus of the guide. The member agreed to try this guide, and we agreed to chat again to follow this up.
Doing that requires the listener to have good knowledge of what's inside all the guides. Some kind of index would be useful.
Also, when I worked through the guide myself to refresh my memory, there was no simple way to flip through it without answering the quiz questions. For a listener who already has the badge, Forward and Back buttons and a table of contents would be helpful.
Charlie
@RarelyCharlie Thanks for posting such detailed feedback. It really is useful to read.
@RarelyCharlie As a member it would be nice to be able to jump to a wanted part in a guide too! I think that option should be available to all members and listeners, even before completed, just don't mark it as complete/give the badge unless the quiz is all done.
@RarelyCharlie @AffyAvo
An index would be amazing. I would get a lot of use out of that feature.
If on a browser, one can skip the quizzes to skim the pages for the section one's looking for a tiny bit faster, by manually entering lesson#.html at the end of the address URL, with the # being replaced by the 'page number'. For example: https://www.7cups.com/anxiety-help/lesson4.html etc. I acknolwedge this is in no way user-friendly or intuitive and does nothing to help browse these guides on the app, and definitely does not replace the amazing idea of an index, but it's a little workaround I've been using so I thought I would share.
Indexes would be much easier.
@melonMeloncholy
You're a genius! :)
Just to follow up…the member I chatted to last week didn't keep the appointment or respond to follow-up messages. Maybe the guide turned out to be an instant cure for all their problems and they haven't been back to 7 Cups! I suspect the contrary, that it may have been unhelpful. I feel bad about suggesting it, now.
I submitted the feedback form.
I also updated my checklist to try and prevent this happening again:
1a. Ensure that the member wants to address a problem that exactly matches a self-help guide.
I'm also going to drop the wellness test unless the member's problem is simply depression, anxiety or some combination of depression and anxiety, because it doesn't seem to be useful for anything else.
With these changes in place I plan to try again, but so far I haven't chatted to anyone who meets my criteria.
It would be good to hear from any listeners who have managed to make this work.
Charlie
@RarelyCharlie
I appreciate your original and logical take on the matter. Regarding the emotional wellness test, I'm going to make it optional for them and pose it as a question to them instead of a demand. That way, the chat can operate the way they want it to.
Like others have mentioned, this unrealistic focus on professionalism and efficiency takes away from the authentic emotional connection a lot of our members are looking for. We're not robots! And surely the member's aren't looking for them either!!
I made an index of all the guides that you can search for keywords, then go to a specific page: Self help guides
Main thread, for information and feedback, here.
Charlie
@RarelyCharlie
Never have I seen someone so vocal and passionate about the areas of improvement of 7 Cups. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I hope they're addressed :)
Hello first of all a cordial greeting from Venezuela to all the colleagues within this excellent organization, I think it is an excellent proposal with the template to apply, although sometimes our users enter looking for opinions and we are rather the way for them Solve their problems by their own means after listening to them, sometimes it is difficult to maintain that wall of the speaker and the listener, because we are human and you can always escape any comment to improve some situations, however so far the platform seems to me a excellent way of helping around the world, we are that attentive ear that the planet requires, in short, we are superheroes for some and for others villains "LOL", however, never let our value decline and our quality is lost, to all readers, a mega hug let's keep improving.
Anthony From Venezuela.
@Heather225 this is fantastic thank you!!
Related post here, possibly, Handling a bad experience with a Listener. A member blocked a listener who may have been trying to shift the chat away from active listening and towards problem-solving, but managed it insensitively.
Then another member reports feeling invalidated after a similar experience (but we don't know how similar).
Seems to me what we tend to call listener quality—it would be more accurate to say chat quality—probably suffers when listeners aren't sure what the purpose of listening is.
Charlie
