Hi Writer Team!

1. I came to this project because I am a licensed social worker but my work is not related to mental health currently. I teach work readiness customer service workshops to adolescents who have previously faced barriers to employment. I love it, but I also love the mental health field, and this allows me to stay immersed in it.

2. There's no way to really say what is in my wheelhouse. I just pitched Shannon 6 article ideas and they were all vastly different. Some were related to my work now, some related to my previous work in graduate school and work I did there. Some are just influenced by my personal life, the books I read, and communities I belong to.

3. For my first article, I'd love to do something that isn't going to take a ton of research, so something I'm sort of familiar with. But we'll see what our fearless leader says!

4. I just want to get to know all of you and be available if you need support. I don't think there is much to help out with at this stage because it's just kicking off.

I decided to apply for the team because I really like writing and now that I'm not in college I don't really write as much anymore so it's a good way to do what I love. I'm also really passionate about mental health topics and have been looking for a way to be involved with providing mental health education to people.

I think articles that require research will be a strong suit for me. I love research. I want to focus a lot on stigma and trauma topics and maybe even some on autism since my job is providing ABA therapy for kids with autism.

My first article is the one about mental health labels that promote stigma. It stood out to me because I've experienced a lot of stigma in my own journey through mental health treatment.

I don't think there's really any support I need. I think it would be cool for us to be our own little community or team and collaborate and support one another.

@Katheryn This is great, I was thinking to start something like it so I am glad to see this already done! Nice to meet you too.

I discovered I had a passion for writing while in middle school, and I actually was good at it according to my teachers and friends. I was and am a side bookworm so being able to impress others or relate to them with my words was empowering. Fast forward the years, I still write to express and more recently over the years, I have found my talent for writing poetry. Another passion that I developed was the desire to advocate mental health. I feel that writing can be a powerful tool in the current destigmatizing movements, and I actually have found poetry and other styles of writing to be an awesome pairing with mental health advocacy. The writing team on site presented another area at Cups where I could give some of my passions and contribute in some way. I have enjoyed being an intern, listener, and leader on here and thought this was a satisfying role to spend my summer adjusting to as I do think I would love to do this for as long as I am able to.

I currently am an undergraduate halfway through my bachelor's (honors) degree in Applied Psychology and I aim to become a clinical psychologist someday but things like this are ways to already start contributing. I have blogging experience and I really wish to actually also get a side-job in the writing world, so why not do what you love even if it is more than one thing.

For me, I usually do well in all sorts of writing prompts and ideas. I do like using unique presentation techniques, and so rarely discussed topics are important for me to write about as that way, they no longer remain rare. I also like a challenge as it sparks creativity.

I have chosen to highlight someone's story as my first article. It is to be on a person who has a mental health success story and this topic is to later be applied on various mental health challenges, so it is like a series of articles which is very interesting.

One challenge I have faced with that topic is figuring out how to outreach to suitable candidates.

You guys rock, thanks Katheryn for setting up this thread!

Hi other writers! Sorry for replying to this thread a little late-life has been slightly chaotic.

1. Writing has always made me feel more in touch with myself, and the want to write comes naturally. Since I also love learning new things, especially about psychology, sociology, and theology, and 7cups has helped me so much personally, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to write for 7cups!

2. I love writing pieces that inspire or come from self-reflection, factual articles, and articles that promote awareness and and are supportive. I feel that when it comes to mental health and social work in general it's important to be kind and want to learn and be accepting. I'm always up for a challenge though, I'm down to write any sort of article!

3. I've written an article on situational vs. clinical depression/anxiety. I think I learned a lot! I hope other people find it helpful.

4. You all seem so nice and well-spoken! I'm excited to get to know you all better and read your work. No support but I hope if I have questions about the project I could ask someone on the team? As someone with anxiety too I'm always double-checking to make sure I do things the right way ^^

I love writing within in itself, and helping people has always been something I wanted to be a part of, 7 cups helped be me a better person through writing, so when I found a way of pursuing my writing forward in a way that would make a more postivie impact, I was exited and couldn't wait to connect with other amazing listeners who shared the same hobbies as me.

I've been writing ever since I was a young girl because I'd express myself that way, so any writing that had deeper meaning and touched a reader would be what I could do best.

I want my first article to be on mental health, I want the mental health society here to be able to relate to my wrting and feel understood.

I'd love support from the team. I was wondering if I could get some ideas on wether I could write about mental health in general or one specific one? Any ideas?

Thank you so much once again @katheryn for this amazing opportunity! Also to the rest of you amazing people, like I said before, I cannot wait to keep working iwth you all!

Hi Writers!

Just a quick note as I popped into the forum today to thank you for all your ideas and advice sharing. As a fellow writer, I know the trade can be kind of isolating and it's great to have other creative writers to bounce ideas off of.

I think as writers we all share the same kind of kindred soul. It sounds like most of us have been writing our whole lives. I know I use it as a way to work out my feelings.

A poster above mentioned the fulfillment of reaching someone out in the world going through something and being the thing they find to know they aren't alone. That is my main motivator as well...it's actually all of ours working on the 7 Cups mission.

I wanted to also let you know that some of the articles get shared not only by our social media to reach more people but also listeners use them to guide members to more info, as well as therapists! That's why quality, and making sure the information we include is well-researched and fact-checked is of such concern here.

Thank you again for all you do, I'm really enjoying reading your pieces so far!

@Katheryn

Finally I can post in the Thread, sorry for being this long, this past month was really chaotic to me, due to I was completing the credits for my bachelor's degree in educational arts. Since that's over, I have more time to finally work with you guys.

1. I really can't remember how long I had been on and off 7 cups, but it was really helpfull to read, chat and understand what me and my relatives where going through. So this is, in part, a way to say "Thank you" to this lovely community, and being able to comfort others. Writing had been a powerful tool to me, to understand myself, and comunicate; another of my passions is reasearch work (I will talk more about this in the fourth point), having the oportunity to combine the work I enjoy to do and help others makes the Volunteer Writer's Team, like a huge opportunity.

2. Enjoy topics about self knowledge, to observe ourselves and understand why we have the actitudes, what makes us change, and how we actually live, it's really interesting (kinda overwhealming sometimes) but essential in other to be better and calm with ourselves.

3. I'm starting with the "Best Self-Care Inspirational Quotes" because it remind me about a little book I did at the beggining of this year, I want to show you guys, but (since I'm Mexican) it's in spanish. It's a little manual to love yourself, with random drawings all over, I will try to translate it or, at least put over here some pages.

4. You guys seems like a really cool community, and that's always good. I think my biggest problem could be about the reaserch work, because what I'm used to do is a more social-politics reasearch, but I'm sure I can ask any of you If I ever feel lost in the research.

Hope you all having good days.