SCHEDULING.

- I usually only have time to volunteer on 7 Cups once or twice a week. Since I am an ATL, I prefer to see if a teen is in need of assistance on Saturdays. I usually speak with adult members on Sundays.

* At this current time, I am not regularly doing sessions with a teen user on Saturdays. I have an opening for that. I am regularly doing sessions with an adult member on Sundays. I do not an opening for that.

- I typically do 45 minute sessions with members.

- If I am working with you, please note that I am on Central Time. (CT)

- I usually have an opening to volunteer on 7 Cups somewhere around 5 PM Central Time.

- My schedule gets complicated in November and December. I have less time for 7 Cups during those two months.

INTERACTIONS.

- I am always marked as offline because I receive requests while marked as available or busy. I am only able to help one person at a time. It would be neat to do two or three, but that is beyond what I am capable of.
- If I do not receive a response for ten minutes, I will assume the discussion has concluded or ask a member to submit a new chat request.
- If we have agreed to work together and you would like to reschedule our next meeting, please let me know as soon as you are able. I will need to refer you to a different Listener if our schedules do not match up.

- If we have agreed to work together, I am interested in helping you move past whatever obstacle is currently blocking your path forward. Venting is fine, and it is best to vent constructively. Something might not be ideal, but there is a way to make it tolerable. It might not be the preferred way, but it is better than not doing anything at all or letting the problem stew until emotions boil over.

- I usually provide support documents for the members I listen to. These are summaries of what we discuss. They can be used to reflect on our session or provide a different Listener with a quick version of what you are currently going through.

METHODOLOGY.

I am a proponent of individual psychology. Cognitive behavioral therapy, Stoicism, and existentialism also interest me.

A member may vent about their circumstances or someone who has wronged them, but I am mainly interested in what they intend to do going forward.

All of us have goals we are pursuing either consciously or subconsciously. If possible, I prefer to identify those with the member.

BIO.

Life is inherently difficult, but we can find a way through it.

I earned a Bachelor's of Science in psychology, and stopped college to go on to make very poor decisions for 12 years. I got tired of being lazy in 2021. Over the course of a few years, I dropped fifty pounds, overcame several lifelong fears, and went on to have a far more dynamic range of the human experience.

If it is within my ability to help someone in the same manner that I was assisted, then that is something I must do.

I believe everyone has the answers they seek, but sometimes they need help finding them.

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With my physical health in order, I sought to get my mental health in order at the start of 2023. I read books, articles, and watch videos related to self-improvement while taking notes. I then put these notes into an app called Flashcards World and study them when I have a moment. Here are some resources that I found quite valuable.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.

The Courage to Be Disliked by Koga and Kishimi.

How to be Miserable: 40 Strategies You Already Use by Randy Paterson.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Escaping Ordinary on YouTube.

Admiral McRaven's address to the University of Texas at Austin Class of 2014 as edited by MotivationHub.

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* Quality Listening Program Graduate - July 2024

* Adult/Teen Listener - August 2024