Group Support Reminders: Sharing Circle & Generalizations
Hello everyone, I hope you are well. I was reaching out to check in with you 1-1 and I received some lovely feedback as well as some thoughts to make things better for everyone. So here are a few gentle reminders and recommendations. I would appreciate your support and cooperation in making it happen with an immediate effect.
- When someone enters the sharing circle or another chat room expressing suicidal thoughts, it is important to show that we care and to gently ask them to please seek crisis resources elsewhere, as 7 Cups is not a crisis resource. While it is imperative to express to them that they must log out and seek crisis resources, it is equally important to be gentle and caring and not too abrupt in our approach so that they know they are not being brushed off. It should be expressed that we are not trained to help them with suicidal thoughts and want them to get the best-trained care possible. They can also be told to come back and share with us once they are feeling that they are out of the crisis.
There is a paragraph in the sharing circle script that does this well. Please use this when possible.
“(insert username), it sounds like you’re going through a difficult time right now and may be in need of help that we are not able to provide. As we are concerned for your safety and you expressed that you’re feeling suicidal, we would have to ask you to reach out to our crisis resources here: 7cups.com/crisis. We want to ensure that you get the best possible support since we are not trained to handle crisis situations.”
- It is important for everyone in the sharing circle to know/remember that the sharing circle's purpose is to allow people to feel heard and supported. It is not to give/get advice or solutions. A sharing circle is a judgment-free place. If someone feels compelled to give advice or judge, it would be asked that instead, you remain quiet and support them with encouragement.
- Refrain generalizations and offer gender-neutral support.
Mental health challenges and struggles don’t really have a gender. The demographic and proportion of challenges may vary but everyone experiences challenges. And that’s why we offer compassionate listening and support to everyone. We are an inclusive community where everyone is welcomed to share and seek support.
So, I recommend and encourage everyone to discourage any form of gender-biased opinions and thoughts. Everyone deserves support.
Changes do not happen magically just like that. It starts somewhere. If we want our world to be a supportive place to live, we have to start somewhere. Let’s start taking our steps together and making group chatrooms a better place for everyone. The reminders are applicable to everyone from members, and listeners to chatroom moderators. I appreciate and am grateful to all of you. Thank you for being here with us.
@Help127 @GoingSafari @Sher217 @Erato @Kieran000 @cuteorange213
@ASilentObserver
Helpful reminders, Obziee. Thankyou for taking the time to create this post. ❤
@ASilentObserver
Thank you for sharing this important reminder and piece of information with us Obs 🐘❤️
@ASilentObserver
Thank you for this.
@ASilentObserver thank you very much ❤️
@ASilentObserver
Thank you for sharing this tip. I am sure it would help hosts greatly
Parvi/Orange
@ASilentObserver
Hi Obs! 😊❤️ Thank you so very much for your amazing forum post! Your reminders are so fantastic! (nice refresher) Sometimes we as a team can get off course, deviate from the path, forget some things and it's great that if you see this happening, you can "grab hold of the wheel", re- correct quickly, and put our little 7 cups buses back on the trajectory that was always intended! 😊
I for one enjoy your leadership style! I find it brilliant that you are taking the time to reach out to others 1-1, gleaning information, whether it be positive or constructive to help us all grow. I love seeing a leader casting a wide net to capture an audience that is a wide set of smart and diverse people to get feedback from.
In regard to crisis situations in the group rooms, thank you for the reminder of what not to do! Also, thank you for giving the example of what you would like to see being done instead, how to do it right, how to do it better! Weeeeeeee-weeeeeeee! 😊 I cling tightly to a quote that says "if you aren't part of the solution, then you are only part of the problem". Thank you for noticing the problem as well as providing us with the solution! ❤️ This for me is leadership at it's finest!
Thank you for the reminder for us to not provide advice or solutions, but instead, just as we would do in a member chat, use our trained active listening skills. I call these "portable skills". Learn these skills in one area, pick them up and apply them to all of the other areas across the platform.
Thank you for the reminder that we are an inclusive community! Come one, come all! We all belong here and it's truly something that 7 cups inception was built upon. *high fives* 😊 big *hugs* ❤️ Keep rocking the house Obs! 😊
@ASilentObserver
Thank you, Obs, for these important reminders! I hope they will contribute to a more inclusive and positive experience in the Sharing Circle room, as well as other Group Support rooms. 😊 ❤️
Thank you obs. Well said. It's nice to see someone trying to enforce the rules of our sharing circle. I really hope everyone listens to you. Our circle is like family to me and it's upsetting when people come in and disrespect us. Thank you for caring.
@Cancun I agree ❤️
@ASilentObserver
Hey Obs,
These are great reminders and good examples of how to respectfully manage some situations. Thank you for calling attention and sharing!
~ Sher
@ASilentObserver Thank you sooooooooooo much for these very very important reminders. And *nods* let's try to listen more instead of asking, generalising and offering advice. I hope this helps make the rooms more supportive.