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Room Supporter: Updated Requirements and Application

by ASilentObserver

December 7th

...See more Hi everyone, I hope you are doing well. I am glad to announce that we are making some changes to the requirements to become Room Supporter! What is a Room Supporter? Room Supporter is one of the key roles in the Group Support Chatroom. This role focuses on providing quality listening and support to community members in the group chat rooms. Room Supporters foster healthy and supportive conversations in the chat rooms to ensure everyone entering the room feels welcomed, empathized, validated, comfortable, and included in the group. This role is suited for both members and listeners because our members are also amazing and supportive listeners in the chat rooms to provide support to each other. How do I become a Room Supporter? Step 1. Requirements to Become a Room Supporter A. For a LISTENER, Check your profile to make sure you meet the following requirements: * No “Newbie” badge i.e. being a listener for 4+ weeks * Have 2+ Group Support Chats** B. For a MEMBER, Check your profile to make sure you meet the following requirements: * No “Newbie” badge i.e. being a member for 4+ weeks * Have the “Supportive Smile” badge * Complete the “Compassion Course [https://docs.google.com/a/7cups.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbuGsqFMbaKWtCoC1WHaCJfaKfwfI8YZ62CsqTI2BzqVNwDg/viewform]” ** If you cannot see the Group Support Chat rooms, please ensure you have [https://www.7cups.com/forum/groupmod/CommunityManagersOffice_2008/NewCriteriatoAccessGroupChatsLiveNow_281153/]Checked out the new criteria required to unlock the rooms. [https://www.7cups.com/forum/groupmod/CommunityManagersOffice_2008/NewCriteriatoAccessGroupChatsLiveNow_281153/] **Listener Reputation [https://www.7cups.com/about/faqBadgesCheers.php] (listener badges, cheers, and compassion hearts) **Member Reputation [https://www.7cups.com/about/memberReputation.php] (member badges, growth points, and compassion hearts) Step 2: If you have met the above requirements, fill out the Application Form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSetyJ7jp7W52-EIpqvFYLhfmpsgTW4BbzUwmi9r22OQ9AdH8w/viewform]. It takes 2-3 working days to review the application. On a successful application, you will receive the training invitation to complete it. Please note, while you wait to hear back on your application, continue participating in the chatroom & supporting the community. It will help you to become a wonderful room supporter. Step 3: Once you are contacted by a Group Support Leader with the training invitation, please read the guides carefully and complete the training. Step 4: If you passed the training, you will be listed as a “Room Supporter” on the leader board of focused sub-communities. You will be notified 1-1 by the Group Support Leader. Step 5: Visit your focused chat rooms and get to know your community members and start supporting them. Once you are a Room Supporter for at least a month & if you meet the other requirements, you can then apply to become a Chatroom Moderator! Please check out this thread [https://www.7cups.com/forum/GroupSupport_168/GroupSupportTeamCommunication_2139/BecomeaChatroomModeratorInformationonCommCenteredGlobal_112280/1/] for more information on this exciting opportunity. Who would be a good fit for this role? It is suitable for both members and listeners who are... * Compassionate, Kind, Welcoming, Non-judgmental, and Open-minded * Willing to make a difference in someone’s day through group listening and support * Willing to collaborate, cooperate and communicate with other team members * Acknowledge and validate their individual needs as well as the needs of the participants in the chatroom Role and Expectations of a Room Supporter * To proactively participate in community building with members, listeners, and moderators * To create a compassionate, supportive, safe environment in the group chat room * To foster healthy & supportive conversations in the chatroom. To do this, a room supporter could host: * Check-ins in the focused group chat rooms * Host/ Co-host at least 1 hour per team you apply to support (maximum of 2 teams) * To support members in the chat room through active group listening. * To communicate, collaborate, and cooperate with team members and the community * To brainstorm ideas, suggestions to problem solve a challenge, and concerns with the group support team and community Thanks for all your help, and we look forward to hearing from you! (Updated by ASilentObserver on 07/20/2023)

Join us for the Cupsgiving Celebration in the Group Support Chats

by ASilentObserver

November 21st

Exploration Garden: New Rules to Foster a More Focused Exploration Environment

by ASilentObserver

November 17th

...See more Hello everyone, Exploration Garden (EG) group chat was introduced in July 2023 [https://www.7cups.com/forum/groupmod/CommunityManagersOffice_2008/Introducing7CupsExplorationGarden_309812/] as an extended version of the Sharing Circle. Since then, EG has undergone multiple iterations and changes to improve it for everyone This post will share the next changes and updates regarding the Exploration Garden group chat. We want to emphasize the key distinction between the Sharing Circle and Exploration Garden: Sharing Circle [https://www.7cups.com/forum/groupmod/MemberSharingCircles_2109/7CupsSharingCirclesarenowLIVE_218662/]is a space to share with others primarily, here you can vent, get validation, and express your thoughts/feelings/experiences to share those with others. The exploration garden [https://www.7cups.com/forum/groupmod/CommunityManagersOffice_2008/Introducing7CupsExplorationGarden_309812/] by contrast is not so much a place to share, but rather a place to gain assistance in exploring our thoughts/feelings/experiences, here we are trying to learn and explore, seeking new perspectives, new understandings, and deeper meanings. Based on the feedback received from the community and observations of trends within the group chat, we are rolling out the following changes to promote and foster an exploration environment in the EG. 1. EG will only be open when a facilitator is present. Without facilitation, the sessions tend to get off track, and unable to keep up with the guidelines for running an effective exploration session. Here is the updated schedule of the Exploration Garden session: * All times in EST * Mod = community mod * Green cells represent no coverage at the moment, so no session will take place during these hours until new hosts volunteer to lead those hours. 2. Releasing an exploration guide for participants to understand how effective exploration works, the DOs and DONTs, Tips to get the most out of the session, and how to offer support to the sharers. Click here to access a copy of the exploration guide. [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cMu6p6eSrlqV3StpeY4SX4MRBsBdCPwhRiU_pKvRSZI/edit] 3. If you want to join the Exploration Garden Hosting Team, you can now express your interest by filling out a short form here! [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjtDkb4M8XXOZMh1ClAoo-ZYq5fNPohtB1MwxXozv2d4p04A/viewform] The new changes will be implemented w.e.f Sept 20, 2024. If you have any questions, please feel free to share with us below in the thread or reach out to @Heather225 or me aka @ASilentObserver October 25, 2024 - Note: the Wednesday 3PM slot does not have coverage and has been closed. If you'd like this to be open, as well as any others, do consider applying to help out!

Transformative experience w/ Sharing Circle: Justmiles

...See more Why I am not seeking any support in groups anymore. Trigger Warning: mention of suicide (other people, not myself) Yesterday in the afternoon, I sought support on a group chat, my beloved Sharing Circle. At least, it used to be “beloved.” I did bring up my issue I was hoping to toss into the group for what is usually intelligent and supportive feedback. Very quickly, the topic of the group conversation became: Bullying. Which was fine, when it was us exploring our own attitudes towards bullying and what we were doing about them, but less so, when one of the participants in the Sharing Circle started engaging in vicious bullying of their own. I felt compelled, in my mind, to defend a person I knew well, who was not standing down, and who called out the bully. I am proud of that person. I didn’t, at that moment in time, have the personal resources to do or say anything beyond that. I tried to share a story about a bully who got Karma, but then later, after exiting the Sharing Circle, my mind turned to another case, that had a much less rosy ending, where the boy turned to suicide as his solution for long-lasting bullying he was enduring at his school. My mind also turned to a beloved co-worker, who took her own life after being bullied by, of all people, her own husband. These thoughts made me feel very sad. And the sadness has persisted to today, when I am still feeling this mourning of the loss of these two souls, along with other souls (would you like me to list them?) who have died at their own hand because of being bullied: by others, by society, by their own families, by their terrible feeling of unworthiness. Sometimes I am sad anyway about the turn society seems to take, with bullies being rewarded for their bad actions. Also, I didn’t like it that it took at least fifteen minutes for a Community Mod to show up after they had been called. I’m tired of reporting this sort of thing. I’m tired of taking screen shots. I’m tired of trying to keep up with people who have rogue accounts or who create accounts just to pester, bother and torment other people who are coming here for support. Some really mean and manipulative people out there. Who needs that energy? I’m tired of seeing my friends leave this site because they have been bullied terribly. All of this is wearing out my soul. I will take a rest now. Perhaps I will deactivate my account. Perhaps not. I have a choice. I already know that it will do no good to “report.” This has proven to be like a Timeless and Endless Vortex of Shame and Uselessness when I have done it. So, I will withdraw from this site until I have found my own Center and Ground again. Which will surely happen. In the meantime, to the Bullies, I would like to say this: 1. Don’t mock people. 2. Don’t taunt or tease people about the things they are sensitive about. That’s mean. 3. If you have nothing nice to say here, don’t say anything. 4. Stop picking fights. 5. Leave this site for people who are seeking support. 6. Your actions as a Bully are not welcome here. 7. I am angry at your actions, and I choose to not engage. 8. I will not mute you, because you are, sadly, part of society. 9. I will tolerate you, but in the case of this website, I have a choice, so I will not enter groups for now. 10. I will continue to live, and I will live well in spite of your sad attempts at mocking and meanness. 11. Go away. 12. When you figure how to act better, maybe you can come crawling back. 13. You possibly will find people to help you, or you will find people who Remember and who seek Justice. And Justice will be Served. Sincerely yours, Patience

Book Discussion: The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy (Yalom and Leszcz)

by CalmRosebud

March 22nd

...See more Hi, Friends and Readers, I would like to discuss the book, "The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy," (6th edition) by Irvin D. Yalom and Molyn Leszcz, (2020). Why? Because writing my thoughts helps me to process what I am reading. Perhaps you will find some of my thoughts interesting, perhaps not. Historically, books I'm reading and my so called discussion fly over here somewhat like a lead balloon. So, I'll say honestly, I'm doing this for myself, for my own self-knowledge about the way an "ideal" group can function to actually help the participants to actualize our lives in a better way. I've been reading this book, in my way, which is the ADHD way, haphazardly, skipping around to something that interests me, focusing on a chapter that seems especially relevant at the moment, really "digging into" some of the stories that are told here. Because of who I am, I will not take a methodical chapter by chapter approach. Rather, when I read something that I find interesting, and I have a reflection about it, I will write here about it. I expect little to no input here. Please don't feel obligated to write something if you don't feel strongly moved to do so. I will only ask that you do me the honor of using your own words rather than relying on artificial intelligence to do it for you. I'm interested in fresh and interesting, "real" (as it were) thoughts. I already know my own thoughts are "real," and I trust myself, so I'll place my thoughts here. In other words, please, no canned platitudes or attempts at "making me feel better." I feel okay! I hope you feel okay too! Being interested in the workings of the human mind, and how we can feel "better," whatever that means, is really what I'm interested in exploring here. And, I'm willing to learn something from reading this book! So, here goes Nothing! Love and Courage, Rose

Host a sharing circle

...See more Almost a year ago I went on my first solo trip to Shillong just to make sure that I could. Because I knew that less than a month later I’ll be in Pune, my first time being in Maharashtra, and I’ll be looking for a house to rent because I have already made my mother pay a hefty amount for my admission. So there was no going back. And to top it off, I was all alone. But the best part about the whole thing was that, be it in Shillong or Pune, I wasn’t unreasonably scared. Nor did I have a full blown panic attack and fall behind on my house hunt. I was house hunting, going to university and doing long assignments all at the same time while staying at a hotel. And I wasn’t scared. A year later, I’m in my hometown, at the comfort of my house, enjoying a three month long vacation, with my dogs around and I am scared beyond my wits. I’ll be turning 23 a week from today and I am scared with the feeling of getting old. So scared that I’ve been losing sleep. I’d step out of my shoes and look at me from a distance and laugh at my face because my fear is irrational and but I can’t. It’s making and not making sense all at the same time. So I took a walk today, early. Like sunrise early. And as I was soaking in my vitamins, I tried to frantically go back to my school days when I’d wake up early to go to school with a sigh most mornings wishing fervently to be in my twenties sooner than ever. I’m at the age little me coveted for. And life’s now good. I have almost achieved all the dreams 13 year old Aayushree had dreamt of for now. Well, the realistic dreams. Because 13 year old Aayushree also believed she’d be married or at least dating Sidharth Malhotra by 2023. So, if you’ve come with me so far, I’d like to ask you, where do you put a pin on the irrationality of your fears? Where’s the point where you draw the line? I’ll look for your answers in the comments. I have always believed a fear is a fear is a fear. Fear fuzzes you. Probably I’ll laugh about it one day. But for now, that day couldn’t come soon enough.

Start up

by carefulNest7366

August 19th, 2022

Changes to Teen Member Sharing Circles

Co-host communication thread: Stars and Leader

by bookworm274

January 11th, 2022

Announcing New Hosts!

by bookworm274

December 13th, 2021

New updates & Recruiting New STLs and PAs for Teen Sharing Circle team!

by Suryansh

November 18th, 2021

Welcome to the Group Support Community, a place where listeners and members can gather information, share feedback, and learn together!

Find our Group Support Discussion Schedule HERE.

New to the 7 Cups community? Members, click HERE and Listeners click HERE for more information about getting started on your 7 Cups journey.

For information about joining group support rooms click HERE.. For the Group Support Rotation Schedule, click HERE.

Keeping group rooms safe and supportive is a top priority at 7 Cups. Please familiarize yourself with the chatroom rules located at the bottom of each chat room. Click HERE to learn more about group room safety.

Please join us in our newest and most popular room, Sharing Circle Here you will find the opportunity to share your thoughts with the community and receive personal support, . Once you have experinced all the rooms have to offer, you are invited to join the team as a host. For information on joining the team as a host by click HERE.

Listeners, would you like to join the Group Support Team? Click HERE for Room Supporters or HERE for Community Centered Moderators.

Schedules - Community Mod Schedule

Community Managers Ask Me Anything l More Group Support Updates l Mission Statement l FAQs l Resources