Chatroom Rules Reminder

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I want to remind everyone of the Chatroom Rules that are located at the bottom of each Group Support Room. I've had some questions lately about what the rules are, so let's review them together. If you have thoughts or feedback on specific rules, please reply to this thread.

1) Please be kind, supportive and respectful to every participant of the chat at all times. You can view our Rules of Engagement.

2) Please do not use language that is graphic, inappropriate, flirtatious or sexually suggestive. Additionally, refrain from sharing links of this nature. *Use your best judgment on this. Try to be mindful about what is triggering or would potentially make another user uncomfortable.

3) If you are in a crisis, please visit this page to find the appropriate resource. 7 Cups is not a crisis resource. If you feel a participant is in a crisis, click Refer on one of their messages.

4) If you are overwhelmed, anxious, or do not feel that the group support environment is aiding in your personal healing, please visit our Browse Listeners page to connect with a Listener one-on-one. If you are on your Listener account when feeling this way please switch over to your member account!

5) Please refrain from sharing personal contact details or social media on 7 Cups. This includes your last name, specific details about where you live or work, phone number, email, etc. Sharing other social media info on here is potentially dangerous for you. I could list all the social media platforms this applies to, but really it's safe to assume that any social media other than your 7 Cups profile isn't safe to share. Check this post for more info on internet safety and why off-site contact isn't permitted.

6) For moderation purposes, please only use English in this space.

7) If you find that another participant is not following one of these rules, please use the mute button to hide their messages from you rather than engaging in conflict of any sort. Confused about the mute system? Check this post.

8) Please do not share the name of any Listener, Member or Guest that you have had a one-on-one chat with, or any details from these chats. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. 1-1 chats are confidential and establishing that trust with who you connect with is important both to yourself and the integrity of the site. You wouldn't want someone talking about the details of your confidential chat, so please treat others with the same respect.

9) Please refrain from revealing any other Listener, Member or Guest account that you own other than the one you are currently using. For your safety, please create a separation from your Listener and Member accounts. They serve two different purposes and switching back and forth between them rapidly or revealing details about your other accounts prevents you from using these accounts for their designated purposes.

10) Please do not share names of drugs or medication with others. What works for you may not work for someone else in the room. Treatment is very personal and individual. On 7 Cups, we do not endorse any specific medication or treatment. These decisions need to be made with a doctor or other health professional, so please refrain from giving other users ideas about what medications or drugs to try.

11) If you are in the wrong age group, please log out and create an account using your correct date of birth. This one is simple. Teens ages 13-18 must have teen accounts. Over 18 and you can create an adult account.

12) If you are a listener, please behave professionally at all times. Use your member account if you wish to seek support. Learn more about the role of a listener in group support or listener rooms.

13) Therapists are expected to follow listener guidelines including, but not limited to: refraining from giving advice and remaining professional at all times. Please check out this post on a Therapists Role in Group Support.

14) Regular support sessions and events are held in these rooms and will sometimes take priority over general chat. Please be respectful to the leaders and participants. These will last for one hour only. You can check the calendar to see what's on and learn more about discussions in this forum post. If you don't wish to participate in the scheduled discussion, simply move to another room until the discussion is over.

15) Please refrain from initiating or participating in discussion about religion or politics, other than in our Thinking Space room.

16) Please ensure you do not have a profile picture or username that is graphic, abusive or inappropriate in nature.

17) To ensure a positive environment in group support, all users must be sober to participate. If you are suspected to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol to any degree we will suspend your account immediately for two weeks. In order to listen to another user, you must be sober.

18) Sending SPAM messages or attempting to clog the room by over-posting is not allowed. Meaning sending the same message over and over again.

19) Any attempt to bypass a mute or account ban will be subject to further sanctions. If you've been muted, please respect the system. Please do not create new accounts to try and bypass the mute. If you disagree with the mute you can fill out this form.

20) Check out our Member FAQ to learn more about Group Support Chat. You can also find a description of each room in this post.

21) Your feedback helps us to improve quality of the support rooms. If youd like to leave feedback on a discussion or event, please do so here. Users with multiple accounts can be reported in this form. You are permitted ONE listener and ONE member account only. No exceptions.

22) If there is an emergency in the room and a Moderator is not present to assist, please fill out the emergency form to notify an on-call Moderator. You can find the form for adults here and the teen form here. If you are a listener, you can also go into one of the Listener Rooms to see if a Mod is around.

23) Please use this form to report discussion or event that does not take place as planned.

24) If youre a member and would like to lead a support room discussion, please submit this form to request help.

25) Moderators are trained volunteers. Check out what you can expect from a moderator here. Please leave compliments or feedback in the Mod Review Form. Please do not confront moderators in the chat room or disrespect anyone due to their mod badge. Mods are not there to police you and just give out tickets. They are there to help build the community as a whole while also keeping the rooms safe. Please treat them with the same respect you treat all other users.

Any questions?