Frequently Asked Questions - Group Support

Here are the questions that I came across during one-on-one, Group Chats, and Forum Posts. I hope you'll be able to find the answer to your query here! Please read the thread through carefully, and if your query isn't answered here, ask below or PM a member of the CM team. We will keep updating this thread to ensure frequently asked questions get answered and documented.

1. Why should I join Group Support?

You should join Group Support for the following reasons-

• To know you are not alone. Many others may be struggling and going through the same things as you.
• To discuss your concerns, experiences, and emotions to get support.
• To provide support to someone who might be going through challenging times.

Join group chats to experience and find out more! 

2. Why am I unable to see any of the Group Support Chats?

Probably you do not meet the criteria to unlock the group support chats yet. Please check this thread to learn about all the criteria you need to unlock the group chats. If you experience any challenges, you can send a direct message to @ASilentObserver

3. Why are group support chats badges locked?

Group Support Chats are badge-locked to ensure a safe and compassionate environment for community members. We want to provide the best support to our members. 

4. Where can I find the weekly schedule of the community mods?

Here you can check the latest schedule of the community mods.

5. Why did I receive a warning?

Please check this post to learn about it. Also, you can reach out to the moderator who warned you to discuss the reasons in a private message. To avoid warnings & mutes, please maintain supportive, inclusive, and respectful behavior in the group chats.

6. Why should I not discuss or share personal information in the group chats?

We request you not share your personal or contact information as we do not allow offsite contacts. We value our member's privacy and safety. Also, it will be a violation of 7 Cups Group Chats and Community Guidelines. Read more here!

7. Why can I not discuss topics like Politics, Religion, Sex, etc.?

We ask you not to engage in these topics as:

• They are debating topics and due to differences in opinions, it could lead to unwanted conflicts.
• These topics can be uncomfortable or triggering for some of the members.
• We don't want to miss an opportunity to provide support to someone in need. 
• So, to ensure a friendly and supportive environment and foster inclusive participation, it is better not to discuss these topics.
• But, if you are interested in discussing current events and their impact on your well-being, you can request a Community moderator to open the Current Events Group chat for you.

8. What happens if I receive a warning?

A warning in itself is nothing to worry about. It does not affect your account and will expire in 6 hours. If, however, you continue to receive warnings you may be muted. You would need to be warned 3 times to receive a mute. A mute lasts for 24 hours from the time of the mute. 6 hours without a warning will clear the slate for you.

9. What happens if I get muted?

The first or second mute will last for 24 hours. After this time, you will be able to use the group chats again as usual. 

10. Someone is upsetting me. What should I do?

If someone is being hurtful towards you, click mute/report in their message. You can personally mute them in this way, which means you will not be able to see anything they type. Additionally, you can file a report on the person if their behavior violates Community Guidelines.

11. There is a problem in the group chat. How can I contact a moderator?

There are two ways you can get help:

• Check in another group chat for a moderator or community moderator.
• Submit an emergency help request. The emergency form is also located in the group chat rules. 

12. Some members have badges beside their names. What do these mean and how can I earn one?

The badges are to recognize contributions to group support. You can earn the badges by being kind and supportive in the group chat. Learn more here.

13. Where can I find out what discussions and support sessions are happening?

• Take a look at the community events calendar to find out what's on.
• Alternatively, you can click on "Join live guided discussions" from the side list to see what is on right now.
• You can check the community page to find the active discussions going on in the group chats.  

14. What can moderators do?

Learn about what moderators can and cannot do in this forum post.

15. Can I leave a review for a moderator or listener in Group Support?

Yes! You can leave reviews for moderators, listeners, and room supporters in the Group Support Review form. This can be found in the group chat rules. We use the information you leave here for quality control purposes and to pass on feedback anonymously to moderators. 

Or, you can simply leave a shout-out in this thread: Group Support Champions! 

16. Who can see the reports I file?

All reports now need to be submitted through the Helpdesk page. Learn more about the process here! Only the team can see the reports to review and process them as per standard protocols and guidelines. 

17. How is a Community Moderator different from a volunteer moderator?

Community Moderators are assigned specific time blocks while volunteer moderators participate whenever they like! Secondly, they are present to extend the support to the community leaders and community as per the needs.

18.  How can I access a doorkeeper to promote a group chat?

To access the doorkeeper, there are two ways: 

• You can become a group chat leader like a Room supporter, or Chatroom moderator, and as the role privileges you get the doorkeeper privileges too. 
• You can apply for a doorkeeper role through this form. To be a doorkeeper, you need to host at least 5 sessions per month. Out of two, one should be in a pop-up group chat.  

20) What is Sharing Circle?

Sharing Circle is an hourly session where members can join a queue to get 7 minutes to share anything that’s on their minds. While that member is sharing, the rest of the group chat can send short supportive comments, but not ask questions or interrupt. If you want to know more, you can check out this post here: https://tinyurl.com/Sharing-Circles  

21) Why can't people join along the Sharing Circle queue?

We do not allow that because of the following potential reasons: 

- The host might miss someone to include in the queue if they are busy listening and supporting the sharer. 

- If the host is a community mod, then it will be hard for them to maintain a consistent queue without missing anyone as they moderate other group chats too. 

- If all who are interested in joining the queue, keep typing * during a share, the sharing will get disrupted and the sharer might get distracted from the share as they will feel that no one is listening to them. 

So to maintain fairness and consistency for all sharers and everyone,  we request all to be patient during the ongoing share and after the share is completed, the queue can be re-opened to invite all to join. 

22) Why can't we speak other languages in group chats? 

We are a global community, and group chats are inclusive spaces. As all of us are from different regions, our native language is different too. So, interacting in that language might be easier and comforting for us but others who may not know that language, will feel excluded in the group chats and may not be able to have supportive or inclusive chats with you and others. 

So, to avoid such situations, we request and encourage all to use English as it is a common language to bridge our communication gap and allow us to have inclusive chats and conversations.

23) How can I apply for Group Support leadership roles? 

Please check the Become a Leader - Member Group Support page to learn more about all roles, their criteria, and application form links. 

24) Why is the room supporter badge not visible for Member Room Supporters? 

As member account is primarily focused on getting personal support, while the room supporter role is focused on providing support and fostering supportive and inclusive conversation in the group chats. So to create a balance between both purposes where a member can get personal support as and when they can as well as able to perform room supporter’s responsibilities, we do not show the badge on member accounts. It allows members to switch to seek personal support anytime. 

25) Can as a listener we can share our personal experiences? 

I would say listeners can take part but remember your role is also to maintain boundaries and encourage members to share more. Ask open questions to the group to foster deep conversations with members. If you feel to share more in order to get personal support, we encourage you to switch to your member accounts to do that. 

Some resources for you to check! -

• A note on triggers in Group Support
• What can I expect from a moderator?
• Switching between Listener and Member A/c
• 5 Ways to Make A Change in Group Support - No matter who you are

Footnote- Some of the FAQs and their responses are picked from here!

(ASilentObserver updated information and removed unavailable links on 12/04/2024)