Hurt People Hurt People
I'm brand new to the site and reading some of the forum posts, I'm already wondering if a forum is such a good idea. There is a reason that people get trained to deal with mental illness and it is because improper handling can lend to making things worse. And with the adage that hurt people hurt people, it almost makes sense that a site where we're encouraged to participate in a forum without a clean bill of health it is likely to hurt people. The 1 on 1 might be a great idea still since it is easier for people to recognize a single person as either being a good listener or not, but a forum makes it far too easy to assume that "everyone" thinks you're crazy or something. I only say this due to the thread where someone said they quit for being harassed. Perhaps it's a one-off. Still, anonymity withhurt people can be a dangerous thing indeed.
Potential Suggestion: Maybe it's worth allowing anyone to create a thread but then requiring some amount of clearance (perhaps using the built-in rating system) to respond unless you were the original creator.
Interesting suggestion, but having monitored the forums for about a year now, I have to say, while there are occasionally mean or unfair things posted in response to people seeking support, the vast majority of what we see is really positive, supportive, and helpful posting, that really helps to build a community of support.
