#7cupsoftea

[keinmehrheitfurdiemitleid]

Brian Cohee's Reddit Page, he posted now deleted casual AMA posts that you can still see the comments on, and a post asking to make online friends in r/7CupsofTea, as well as some small talks in r/Ancientgreece and comments on gore photos in r/FiftyFifty. You can find his deleted and archived posts here.

[habits-white-rabbit]

Thinking about that time on 7Cups when I was in the midst of an episode and after talking about it to my listener she told me 'just stop giving a [shit*] lol' and then blocked me.

*7Cups censors swear words in messages

I don't remember the listener's name, this was over two years ago, but I remember that she was rated five stars.

So yeah, that's why I never use 7Cups anymore. I just opt to sit and sulk through episodes until I stop feeling like TV static.

[rhythmic-idealist]

Okay, I'm making this post, and it's 1-person anecdotal but I think that's enough. I believe I last checked out the site in 2020 but it might be older info than that, but I'm still sharing this. I invite people to correct me if I'm wrong and there has been some kind of massive overhaul of the very core and culture of the site.

7cupsoftea (7cups.com) is not a reliable website, the volunteers on it are not adequately trained or supervised, and I don't advise it. It is unsafe for listeners and members (people seeking help) alike.

7cups offers ways to contact therapists, and I've never used that feature, so I can't comment.

I used to volunteer at 7cups, both as a teen and as an adult. Training can be completed in one day. There is (last I checked) no supervision period. Listeners are encouraged to keep checking in with people they've spoken to previously, which sounds like a good support model, until you're 17-19 years old and feel responsible for a situation you are not equipped to manage.

It's hard to talk about this, by the way, because I do not begrudge that person and I would do it the same way again. Parting was weird and bad as I made an abrupt exit from the site, and I love(d) them, and I'm not sure if I'd want to excise that part of my life unless it means they get better help sooner. I still need to make the rest of this post about how the site shouldn't exist in its current form.

Since then, I volunteered at a different crisis support line, and (while it had its own problems) was supervised and supported by more experienced listeners for months before I was in a position to lead other new listeners. It made me realize how laughably bad 7cups training is.

As an adult, I went back to find someone to vent to myself, and the listener with whom I connected immediately told me (in words smothered in empathy, blink-and-you'd-miss-the-problem) that my friends aren't supporting me, I can't trust my friends and family, and that I should be their friend instead. I hadn't said anything about my family or friends.

I laughed in their face and told them exactly how they were abusing his position of social power in this space, but that's only because I am almost comically not vulnerable to that kind of common and effective manipulation. As it happened, I felt super supported. But they brought it up because they're aware that many people looking for anonymous help don't have many other people to listen to them.

Last I checked, the volunteer listener half of the site has only decreased in quality since I left it. There were some experiences there I was grateful for, but that later experience made it clear to me that this place was built in a way that makes abuses of power extremely easy, and made me reflect on how easily I could have done them myself had I been so inclined.

tl;dr

The core goals of 7cupsoftea were good. I'm willing to bet that extremely unethical move that listener made, telling me I should be their friend, was probably even not intended to be manipulation, though it was (and needs to be not given any slack every time, because one time, it will be someone who means to do abuse).

But encouraging listeners to follow up with people they had helped in the past sets up a bad situation for listeners and members alike. Training is insufficient. Supervision is either insufficient or nonexistent, I can't remember. Listeners can come to other listeners for support, but most are also unequipped for that position. Rules are easy to ignore.

Please use the Crisis Text Line (not sure if I have firsthand experience with this one) or Lifeline Chat (which I CAN recommend firsthand).

If you prefer speaking out loud, but are not suicidal, calling the National Suicide Hotline and saying "I am not suicidal, but I really need a number to call for a lower-level crisis, do you know of any broader crisis lines I can call?" worked well for me when I needed it.

---

Closing note:

When I signed up, people as young as 13 could register to be listeners, a policy designed to keep adults from creeping on teenagers in need of help, but maybe they should have used... any of the strategies other helplines use to prevent this, instead. I'm unsure if this is still the case. The bulk of the post didn't need it and it proved distracting, but it should be pointed out while I'm here. They were not equipped to make that work and I'm not sure any online system ever would be.

[smolboicthulhu]

Hey guys! For my internship I am needing a little help! I’m needing to get some online outreach to 7cups! @7cups is a community of listeners like me who serve as a support system for anonymous members who need to discuss the issues they’re facing in life. Because this is a free service, the best way for us to get the word out is by sharing our individual links. It would mean the world to me if you would check out my referral link and explore the website a bit! I’ll be pasting my link here and in the description. Thanks for the help y’all! Here’s my link: https://www.7cups.com/18233199 _______________________________________ #mentalhealthawareness #helpinghand #7cupsoftea #listening https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv7WaN2Bm5i/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=tigpbt39z009

[sidewaysdreamer]

I wrote a story a while back...

And I thought I might as well post it. WARNING: This story deals with mature content, such as suicide and depression. If this bothers you, please, either stop reading, or skip to the very last paragraph; I find that one to be the most important. While this story was inspired by real life events, it is not 100% true, and any and all likenesses to people are completely accidental. There comes a time in everyone's life in which they have a story to tell. This story, it reflects the innermost parts of that person, the parts they never would have shown people until that time. Right now, it's my turn to tell a story. My name is Raimond Sorce, and this is the story of how I killed myself. The week had started out like every other week for the past four years: slow and uneventful with a side depression and self-loathing. Cliché, right? I know. Just like every other story. The only difference is, in my story, no one knew. Not my parents, not my best friend - hell, even I didn't really know. I thought I wasn't getting enough sleep or enough vitamins, not that I was suicidally depressed. I remember walking down the hall of my high school, seeing all the teens laughing or holding hands, or those simple few, like me, who were just trying to skate by with a C in Calculus. Later, I remember sitting outside after practice, just watching cars go by, when I realized I was thinking about what would happen if I walked down to Main Street and simply walked into traffic. Then, when I realized I had stood up and started walking that direction, I realized something was wrong in my head.  Now, I was the kind of person who kept to myself. I held open doors, I sat in the back of the class, I set three alarms just to make sure I actually got out of bed in the morning. But learning that I subconsciously wanted to die was something even I, myself, didn't want to believe.  Unfortunately, my being suicidal actually made sense. I wasn't sleepy, I was tired - of life. Tired of the day-to-day looping routine. Tired of having to be. So I made the decision to die. Now, mind you, this was in no way an easy decision to make. I had seen all "you hurt more people than you think" pictures and all the "I believe in you" quotes. I, myself, was guilty of posting these and sharing these to help out others. But I wasn't happy. I hadn't been for a long time. And it was finally time to do something about it.  I decided to finish out the week at school. I don't know why, it just felt important. Like it was almost ironic that I planned to die on a friday. Maybe I was stalling. Maybe I didn't fully understand the magnitude of what I was about to do. That day, I gave my best friend the biggest hug I ever had because I knew on monday, it wouldnt be me there to support him. I turned in all of my late work to every teacher. I returned all of my library books. I cleared out my locker. I gave 110% at practice that night, and when everyone had left for the weekend, I started my journey. In a daze, I walked to the end of the school. As I stood at the chain link fence that surrounded it, I felt numb. Slowly I turned around and started walking. I walked through the hall, peering into each empty classroom, knowing I would never see them again. I stopped and gazed into every display case there was, looking at items and papers from the school's glory days, way back when. I looked into the cafeteria, knowing I would never again mindlessly clamber through, looking for the biggest serving of ravioli I could get my hands on.  I walked past the outdoor tables, thinking of the few friends I had and how we would risk the 30 degree weather just so we didnt have to interact with other people. We practically lived at that table: the one closest to the garbage, but farthest from the people.  I walked around the science wing, looking through the windows at the chemistry class colored test tube experiments and the astronomy class diagrams of the stars. I stopped as I passed the agriculture room. Being a part of the FFA had changed my life, but I still stopped to think back and remember the good times we had in that classroom: making flower diagrams out of play-doh, learning how to act in an interview, gaining skills that would give me a step up in the world. I was grateful for my time within those four walls. After that, I slowly made my way to the common area, the place we all went between classes to chill for a bit or to get something out of our lockers. I walked over to all my old lockers. I had four, in total: first came one by the student services center, then one somewhere in the middle. Next came my locker in the far corner of the room, and finally came the locker I was using this year. Number 33. Code 7-45-37. Being a senior, I was finally eligible for the double digit lockers closest to the doors. As I opened it, I was greeted by a flood of old memories: the notes my friends and I put in each other's lockers, one of my best friends finding out exactly which lockers you could open without a code and putting a paper with pi to a thousand places in each of them. Unreciprocated crushes. I put each memory in my backpack and closed the door. Finally, I walked past the music room, half illuminated by security lights. As I gazed through the "soundproof" glass, I realized I never again would feel the adrenaline pump through my veins as I auditioned for a solo or feel the frustration when that one soprano kept aiming for that high notee that just wasn't in her vocal range. I had never seen the room look so empty, not in my six years of basically living in that room. As I walked past it, I couldn't help feeling a bit forlorn. That room was never going to be the same. As I got into my car, my original plan came back into my mind: drive and don't stop till the car does. Which basically meant drive off a cliff, but I wanted my parents to at least have closure. So I went with Plan B, which took place at home. When I got there, everything was as it usually is: parents car in the driveway, pile of leaves under the tree in the front yard. I walked up the drive with a determination I had never felt before. I was really gonna do it. When I got to the door, I hesitated. How was I going to do this? It was hard enough to do stuff with one parent home, let alone two. If I was going to do this, everything needed to be perfect. With that, I walked in the door. . . and looked my mother in the eye and said "I need help." I'll bet you ten to one that throughout this entire story, you thought my parents were going to find me in my room, lifeless; that I was really going to kill myself. Well, I did. I killed the part I didn't like. I took the biggest leap of faith of my life, telling my mom how I was feeling. We talked it out, and took the necessary steps to work it out. I'm now on three different medications that are working wonders and I couldn't be happier. I even managed to snag a boyfriend out of this whole ordeal. We've been together for almost three years now, and are going to college together.  Please, if you are going through something like this, tell someone. There really are people who care about you. I care about you. There are sites like 7cupsoftea that have real life people waiting to hear anything you wanna talk about, and if its starting to get really serious, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. Someone is there 24 hours a day to help you. You are not alone. 

[lookatgatsbys-butt-blog]

okay

you might feel sad or empty

depressed or lonely or anxious

inherently lost or shut out or angry or exhausted...

these things are okay.

they don’t feel okay but they are.

you don’t feel like you can open up, like your problems aren’t worth the burden, but somebody will listen

if you can make it through today, 24 hours,1440 minutes, then you can make it through this.

i know it sounds stupid, and i know you don’t want to hear how “it will pass” but it does.

make tea, take a bath, go on a walk to the largest body of water you can find and scream, or throw rocks. 

take care of yourself, because there is only one you

you are one in a universe, i know it seems small, but you are a star, shining out among billions and billions

people would notice if you left, you can’t leave.

those people who saw you on the street, or in a hallway or a coffee shop and thought how you looked sad or trustworthy or beautiful or how you had nice hair, they’d notice.

you are important, your scars make you remarkable. your eyes hold secrets that only you know. your nose and fingers and your beautiful, ramshackle mind are so amazing, they are exceptional.

your body, beaten and broken and more beautiful than it was before is yours,and nobody can tell you otherwise.

the way you walk, and think, and speak when you’ve drunk too much, and the way you yawn, and spread mayonnaise on bread, and rub your eyes, and glance up when something catches your eye are all extraordinary.

please, please don’t leave us. don’t leave me.

today will pass, tomorrow will pass, and soon you will learn to love yourself again and you will learn that even when things aren’t okay, they will be. 

[7cupsofgabe]

Meet compassionate strangers on 7 Cups. our support community welcomes you!

[persephonewhodis]

if anyone out there need any help. I’d be more than happy to help 

[dahliaborne]

. please read the tags .

[transgenderastarion]

We are pro therapy on this blog

[rhythmic-idealist]

Hey 7Cups

@wehugtheinternet - other people can comment here or reblog this post to add their own stories, but even from my own experience alone, 7Cups needs a better accountability system. This is easily the tenth time someone has tried to pick me up through the site. Once, someone very pointedly exaggerated my distress, tried to make me feel like I had no support system, and did everything to make me desperate for their support so I’d give them contact info, because “my friends and family weren’t supportive enough.” It didn’t work, but someone worse off than me could easily be victimized.

All I had the power to do was leave them a negative review. I could block them, but I’m worried about future members and guests they connect to who won’t be in a position to recognize that kind of manipulation. I could not report them. If that option exists, it’s not obvious/easily accessible. 

You serve a vulnerable community. Please keep your users safe.

[colettesvalentines]

As you can see it's been a while because I'm dreading using the app again because you can get so swamped WITH messages it doesn't allow you to end the chat like on THE computer! Hmm maybe I'll try the safari version! I am now 28 now IF anyone's wondering 🤦I think this was my new account after I had to sadly delete my old one with like 10 reviews so I gotta build it back up again! This was all down to their support department who is in America because I forgot my password! I didn't have access to the email account anymore🤦. So in the end I asked them to delete it! They literally replied after that and DELETED it 😭🤦 I have also written about this amazing site on my Wattpad with some stories from the site 😂😂 #7cupsoftea #7cupsofteaapp https://www.instagram.com/p/CLnDN06Att8/?igshid=tvigb3t76s18

[hwangminyeo]

.

[cuomophobe]

remember to check in on ur mentally ill friends and family, mental illness is isolating enough without adding quarantine. coronavirus sucks but we can all do our part to be kinder people in the harshest of times.

[ispyspookymansion]

why was i as a like 14 year old a listener on 7cupsoftea

[rainydayhogwartsimagines]

I think i have another request. Well i do i mean lol. It may be a little dark but the idea just came to me... y/n spending Christmas break with the Weasleys (because she is best friends with Ron or the twins?) at burrow because her family are not that pleasant to be around and treat her poorly.. y/n is self harming and no one knows til one day fred (her crush )finds out somehow some way and consoles her and they end up confessing their true feelings for each other?

I just want to say: if anyone needs to talk to someone I'm here. But if you want some sort of therapy or anything there is a app where you can talk it out called 7cupsoftea.

Suicide hotline:800-273-8255

text hotline: 741741

Love you all. You are loved, please know that.

Trigger warning: self harm, abuse

You spent a lot of time in the background. No one seemed to take notice of you, no one seemed to really notice if you were sick or not. Well. Except for Ginny. Ginny saw you. She actually noticed you and asked Fred and George, who were in your year to keep an eye out. She noticed you, talking to you from time to time and noticing you needed more friends. So who better than to go to than the boys who literally knows everyone including the portraits on the walls.

You seemed jumpy, always nearly dropping things when they appeared. But you appreciated the boys, checking on you and talking to you. George had a surprising lack of classes with you though compared to Fred. After a few... Pranks/possible murder plots? The teachers put Fred and George in only two classes together. So Fred had his with you, always sitting next to you and making sure you were good. He didn't really catch on to anything wrong. He just noticed the long sleeves and figured "so she's cold all the time". Ginny and Luna knew this wasn't the case though. They knew you, truly so. You hid the marks from your brothers and the self inflicted scars. You bared so much and they hated to see you tear yourself apart.

Ginny would always change the subject when your family came up in the great hall, Fred and George always being confused to why that happened. Fred was closer with you than George and knew something was up but didn't understand the extent of it. George could see his brother begin to slowly fall for you, him whispering funny little jokes to you making you smile or laugh. However the thing that everyone seemed to notice was the lack of light in your eyes when you showed positive emotion. You would smile, sure. But your eyes seemed dull and tired.

Fred would sometimes skip class with you, sitting under a tree and talk to you about life in general with his head in your lap. Today was one of those days, it being particularly colder but Fred was warm so you didn't mind. "Hey Y/n... What do you think about spending Christmas with us this year?" He asked. You blinked a couple of times. "Are you sure you have the room? I mean... Your family is massive Freddie." You asked. "We always have room. Plus don't you wanna spend the holidays with your fwiends?" He asked, playfully poking your cheek. You chuckled. "Okay... I'll let my parents know."

You felt a slight relief being able to leave hogwarts and it not being associated with going to your parents house. Molly greeted you with a hug and you seemed shocked to receive affection like that right off the bat. Fred noticed though, when Molly's hands slid from your shoulders to your hands you seemed to flinch ever so slightly at the touch. No one else seemed to notice so Fred kept it to himself. Ginny kept close to you, showing you things all throughout the house. Fred however soon whisked you off with George to go off and see the cooler things. The fields, the places they had to just sit and talk or the test area for a few of their pranking devices.

At night it seemed peaceful. But you had these terrible nightmares where you woke up sobbing and Ginny was always there, comforting you when you did. However tonight was just a silent wake up. Still, you didn't want to sleep in case you woke up again but louder. Ginny was still awake and she looked over. "You okay?" She asked. "Do you mind if I step out for a bit? Just need some fresh air." You asked. "Go ahead." She nodded. So you walked out, letting the cold air hit your face as you sat on the back steps of the house. You pulled back your sleeves and saw the scars, closing your eyes.

Six months clean... Yet the reminders were still there. You pulled them back down and sighed before you noticed someone sit down next to you. "Whatcha thinkin' about?" Fred asked, handing you a mug of hot cocoa. "....Do you ever just want to scream for hours to get out your emotions and be free of the weight on your chest?" You asked before taking a long sip of the cocoa. "...Not really. But we can literally just scream in a field out here if you really want?" Fred suggested.

That's exactly what you did, making sure that no one could hear you before you kicked a fence post and Fred rose a brow. "Any particular reason why you're upset?" He asked. You kept kicking it, harder and harder as you went. "Does trauma count as a reliable fucking answer?" You grunted before really kicking it hard. You were panting by the time you were done. "Y/n... Princess, what's up?" He asked. You shook your head. "I want to be happy, I should be happy. I am surrounded by people who care but I can't stop thinking about my God damn--" you kicked the post again. "Family!" You yelled. The pained expression on your face made Fred concerned. "Do you want to go home--" "That place will never be home." You said, catching your breath again. "Y/n... What's going on, what do you need?" He asked. You shook your head, your hair hiding your face so Fred couldn't see the tears, the angry tears falling. You kicked the post again, Fred finally pulling you back by your wrist making you yelp. He frowned and you looked into his eyes with this upset look. "Help me." You whimpered. He said nothing, letting go of your wrist and pulling you into a tight hug.

You told him everything. The abuse, the nightmares the inability to sleep, the crying, all of it. But you also told him you stopped hurting yourself because of Ginny and him. You stopped because you didn't want your friends to lose you in their lives because you grew attached and you didn't want to be a cause of sadness. Fred brought you back to the living room, both of you sitting on the couch and talking all night.

When Molly found you, you were asleep on Fred who was holding you close. She didn't wake you until much later but Fred was determined to have you stay at the burrow rather than go home. Christmas rolled around and Fred got you this necklace. It had a Demiguise engraved on it after he remembered you saying it was your favorite magical creature. You loved it and for the first time your friends saw you genuinely smile. Like your eyes lit up and everything. You got Fred a new broom, him smiling like crazy telling you that one day he was teaching you how to fly with him.

Ginny noticed the nightmares take a slow down. But when they did happen you asked for Fred and sure enough, he'd come in and lay with you. You two were closer, that was becoming very clear. Nights would come where you couldn't sleep, Ginny would tell him and you two would just play a card game and talk. He listened to you, giving you genuine advice before cracking a joke and making you genuinely laugh.

When you went back to school you were more talkative, you actually participated in events, Fred was proud of seeing you slowly come out of your shell. A day of skipping did come along, you sitting underneath the tree and playing with Fred's hair. "So... How are you... With everything?" He asked. "Almost a year clean." You said with a smile. He smiled, looking up at you from your lap and put a hand on your cheek. "I'm proud of you Y/n... Truly." He said. You looked down at him and smiled noticing a strange tension looking at him. "...Y/n..." He breathed looking at you. You swallowed and looked up, a blush slowly forming. Fred leaned up and cleared his throat. "Sooo. What's our next class?" Fred asked. "This was our last class of the day." You said with a chuckle. "Ohhh.. I really gotta start paying attention." He said making you laugh. "Dinner is going to start in a few minutes, want to go?" Fred asked you. "Mmm.. I don't think so. I wanna see the sunset on the lake." You said. Fred sat cross-legged in front of you. "Then I will too." He said. "Wha-- Fred what about--" "I want to stay here." He said simply.

You pulled a deck of cards out of your binder and he chuckled. "Go fish or Rummy?" You asked. "Hmmm. Let's go simple today and say go fish." He said. You two played two rounds before you looked over at the sunset. "That's so pretty." You said with a smile. Fred smiled looking at you. "It really is." He said as the pink skies seemed to bring out your eyes. You looked over and Fred swallowed. You loved this boy... Didn't you?

He felt himself lean forward and you soon felt his lips on yours before you cradled his cheek, pulling away for air and resting your forehead on his. "I-I'm sorry I just reacted and--" "Fred... Please tell me you're going to do that again." You whispered. He chuckled and held your hand that was still on his cheek. "Only if you want me to." He said softly. You nodded with a smile and he kissed you again, feeling his arms slowly slink around you, pulling you almost into his lap.

"Promise you'll never leave me?" You asked. "Never would dream of it Princess."