7 Cups

Warning: I'm going to be a b***h, because I'm not hiding my true feelings, but I would never say this out loud to someone's face. I'm actually very nice and treated all my members with respect and kindness, its mostly the listeners I can't stand.

I was a listener volunteer and to become an intern, you're required to join the group chat rooms that aren't 1-on-1. So I did, and it was awful (I'm a teen listener by the way). Right off the bat, even in just the LISTENER group chats, its just a bunch of sad pathetic people who make outdated 2014 tumblr jokes and are too sensitive for real social media (ex. Somebody says "oh no omg my other personality is taking over! Sorry guys you're talking to steve and not joe right now" and people actually take that crap seriously and say s*** like "hugs!") but I can tolerate cringe-- that's not the reason I'm giving 7 cups 1 star. The reason (or one of them) is it's a literal clique. A popularity contest. Me and two other people walk into a chat room at the same time. What does everyone do? Excitedly greet their friend (who 7 Cups know from constantly being on this god forsaken app because none of them have a life) and ignore me, even though I was the only one who said hi. So hey, I'm not that sensitive, so that's not going to do anything but annoy me for now (because how else am I supposed to chat with you people who won't even accept me if I don't have the same dumb sense of humor and the time commitment to be on there? F****** annoying!) Anyway, but THEN when I actually tried to particpiate, I was ignored, shot down, and even bullied at one point. I couldn't believe my eyes. Why 7 cups was forcing me to do this s***, I don't know. It doesn't help anyone. It is a popularity contest beyond belief. People who are on for hours a day get coddled by the moderators and get special treatments. I can't deal with that $#*!, and I had to constantly deal wiith it to actually be an intern too. It's forced, toxic, useless, cringey, cliquey conversation.

My second problem is that the actual website is horrible. They try to train you to sound like a robot. One of the tips when you're listening is this: conversation stuck? Ask your member if they know about the 7 cups growth path! Are ou kidding lol? You're supposed to tell someone who's just been cutting about this $#*!? Anyway, the whole website is filled with dumb things like that. There's barely any training (let alone good trainig) so I was lost at first. Especally when they kept emphasizing "never give advice". Now I agree to a certain extent that you can't demand people they do x y or z, but when people are stuck and are actively lookng for clarity or ways to better themselves, it's not a crime to give them options. Saying "I hear you" or "I can't give advice" makes you sound like a bot. Don't listen to the bs unnatural things 7 cups tries to brainwash you into doing if you're a listener-- just talk to people like they're human beings. I was able to give some amazing advice when people asked for it. (ex. Girl asked how to hide freshly cut self harm scars from her mom. Instead of saying what 7 cups would say "oh no seems like youre depressed, don't self harm lol, get a therapist", I told her to doodle aroud the fresh scars with a red pen to make it seem like a deisgn. She absolutley loved the idea. Then, we talked about ways she could distract herself from cutting, and she loved my suggestions as well. Kind, well handled advice, like the advice you'd give a friend, makes you a human people actualy want to talk to).

Lastly, I actually used the member account and it was awful (can't even blame the listeners, they get little benificial training). I told a verified 5 star listener that I was lonely and she didn't even attempt to console me and valaidate my feelings like I would (or even like how 7 cups encourages you to do). She essentially told me right off the bat to suck it up and start going out more. I literally just deleted the tab without saying anything at that point and went about my day. That was some BS.

Overall, f*** 7 cups. It sucks.

7 Cups of Tea is an online emotional support service. Through a secure, anonymous bridging technology, 7 Cups connect those in need of emotional support with a network of Active Listeners, individuals from all walks of life who want to provide compassionate care. Connections to Listeners are private, one-on-one conversations initiated on demand.

"Listeners" are trained online to do just that... Listen Well. Some have experience, or are degreed in the helping profession, Others just want to help, and do,

And... you can sign-up to be a Listener, if you choose. Take short Listening course online (no cost at all), then you book times, day/night, when you are able to provide your ear and thoughts to somebody who needs a friend to talk to. I'm in the helping profession, and while I truly enjoy helping people and working out issues, I'd become addicted to this. So if you look into this, as Listener, only dedicate a small amount of time to listen and help... at first, until you get a feel for how it goes.

Have issues? Depression, just broke-up with partner, can't sleep, anxious, worried about medical issue, or whatever, you can go to the site, m and find someone willing and happy to hear you out. Awesome service and NO CHARGES AT ALL.
Good luck!
Ron

I found the site of 7 Cups of tea 4 years ago, first i created an member account and then did not take too long to create my listener account.

It was one of the best choices that i have made, this community called 7 Cups of tea is an amazing platform that was created to support all the people around the world who seeks help for some personal issue related to mental healthy, depression, anxiety, emotional support, addictions, loneliness and some others specific issues.

7 Cups of tea is not just an website which provides support online 24/7, as a listener I had the opportunity to learn a lot about more than 50 different training courses to be able to provide the best support that i can.

All the listener training is designed to teach all the listeners who volunteered to provide support to develop active listening skills which is super important when chatting with someone.

7 Cups of tea is a community where who is seeking for support have the opportunity to be really listened to for people who are there to show that there's a solution for everything.

If you are looking for a place of love, kindness, compassion, empathy, improvement, resilience, positivity and much more of good things, 7 Cups of tea is the right place.

I've been on 7cups for a while now and I have to say that it's a bit of a hidden gem on the internet. I was a bit conflicted about writing this review, as part of me wants to keep it that way. For those who aren't familiar with the site: there are two types of individuals on the site, members (who vent to listeners about their problems) and listeners (who use active listening skills to be there for members). My experience in both roles has been good for the most part. As a member, I've found the group discussions to be quite interesting - there are regular cliques of people who you can find in each of the rooms, so if you keep coming back to the site, you eventually can build a rapport/friendships with the "regulars" (which is pretty cool). As a listener, I have gotten to help people from many different walks of life. The main reason I'm not giving the app five stars is because I disagree with the site's belief that listeners shouldn't be allowed to give advice to members. I think at times, it's crucial to see things from a different perspective (we all have blind spots, don't we), and that's when advice can come into play. Also, as enjoyable as the group chats are, I have found that 7 Cups can turn inappropriate at times, despite the increase in moderation over the past few years. Finally, it can frustrating to see people who have essentially been blacklisted from the community return several months later with little to no repercussions. Overall though, I would say this app is certainly worth downloading.

This site could be fantastic.
Its however run by complete morons. If u dare to dissagree u are banned for no other reason other then having your own opinion.
I was a listener as a member but found it very differcult to put up with the constant abuse by the members who use the site and by the other listeners who are suposed to be support you.
When u join ur given a quick brief questionaire on How to be a good listener then asked questions however this is dumb because if the colour goes red you have the choice to pick again until u get it right.
Listeners are contant getting abused by members and there is no actual support set up to deal with this situation. Chat supporters and members are just volunteers and seldom available and when 7 Cups are available the only advice u recieve is oh well just screenshot and send to admin. This dosnt work either because by then theyve created another account and started abusing someone else.
This happends everyday sometimes more then twice. Its so frustrating when all u want to do is help support some in need but ur not given safe options to get out of it when it turns to $#*!.
All they care about is the money and the members.

I've been an active member on 7 Cups since 2017. My experience with the site has been heavily positive. I've connected with a long-term listener who has supported me through various difficulties. It's amazing to think an individual on the other end is volunteering their time to actively listen to my challenges.

The anonymity factor makes this a safe experience for me. Because I grew up in a country that stigmatizes mental illnesses, seeking therapeutic support is nearly impossible - so I pour out my heart's appreciation for 7 Cups. Without this platform, I would remain in silence and left feeling alone.

I've also been active in the Subcommunities - specifically the Eating Disorder Sub community - There is where I could continue to check in with people who are experiencing a similar situation to myself, and ask others about their challenges and how they've been dealing with them.

The greatest experience 7 Cups has given me, is the experience of not being alone. When you know your struggles are shared with others, you're more likely to feel comforted, safer, validated, compassion...

When my listener is not available, I've easily been able to join a general request queue, where I can speak to other available listeners. This convenience has become part of the way I cope when something tough arises.

The beauty about 7 Cups is that it's constantly and consistently growing. I've seen this platform overcome it's own drawbacks and loopholes, and solving any issue that arises. For growth, you need patience. Cups continues to refine it's policies and structures, and continues to implement new strong projects and initiative which has remained inclusive for the wider community.

Thank you 7 Cups! For being an available option for those who have as close to nothing when it comes to mental health support. I will continue to utilize your available features and options for as long as the option remains!

After being a listener on this site for over a year I found this site to be simply filled with arrogant, destructive, self absorbed members - and ADMIN who judge, harrass, condemn and attempt to "chastise" listneners with absurd childish emails aimed at alleged improving "lack of empathy' from reported listeners- as the members are their due to some emotional distress, or mental challenges or sexual abuse or suicide- - take your pick- these members if NOT 100% happy with the listener then report them! Entirely without due or valid insight as 7 Cups are themselves NOT in a postivei state to accurately form ANY opinion about a faceless non entity that simply punches messages into a keyboard in order to assist in some way those who are seemingly distressed. I found this site FILLED to overflowing with narcissistic, cruel, judgemental, self absorbed members who have NO idea of what it means to truly make the effort to IMPROVE them lives- instead much preferring to stay in their ego based victim mentality of "why me"?/ for those who seek TRUE and authentic and KIND interactions with people - do NOT visit this site- it is NOT safe, ADMIN does NOT provide a safe space for either members OR listeners - Do NOT waste your time with this cruel, judgemental, utterly narcissistic self absorbed site which does NOT people in any way- it simply keeps people in a perpetual powerless, and victimhood state of mind.

When you log onto 7cups, it's like stepping into a world of peace, joy, positivity, emotional support, creativity, awareness, care, love, kindness and the list goes on and on, comprising of all good things. As a listener on 7cups, my journey has been insightful. 7cups has taught me many valuable skills that I need to have. Mental health is a very important topic and 7cups brings awareness unto many, many mental health topics. Constantly being worked on and researched, 7cups never ceases to provide more and more essential information about even topics that haven't been discussed much in general.

Aside from being the No. 1 place for emotional support, 7cups also offers a wide range of courses with certificates provided. I love the way everyone is encouraged to join communities and group support chats. There's nothing better than a sense of belongingness and growing together. Not to mention the creative activities and celebrations that take place every now and then! You can never go wrong with celebrating positivityI would say 7cups can help us grow as individual people, as well as together as a community.

I've signed up to help people who need someone to vent to. In the process, I learned that the site overwhelmingly caters to people in search of emotional support and counseling. The website has many features, such as tests that are heavily encouraged through reminders and tips that appear throughout the site. Some features require you complete these tests. Since I signed up to help others, I felt somewhat alienated by all the marketing, but to get rid of the reminders and access more features, I followed as many of the suggestions as possible and responded to survey questions. Not long into doing so, I was being recommended counseling and other paid services to help me emotionally, which I found very odd since I hadn't given any answers that could be interpreted to mean I was dealing with any issues. This was a conscious decision. Based on my experience, I think it's very clear what the overall aim of the site is: to drive profits. In fact, if you continue to resist signing up for a paid membership, you'll quickly find that the use of the site is remarkably limited.

I have been involved with 7Cups since 2014. I have grown a lot as a person in my service there. There is a clear expectation created in the training and by reminder prompts that it is important, above all else, to keep yourself safe. I am giving 7Cups 3-stars (as of April 2021) for the following reasons--because 7 Cups decrease my rating from 5-stars:

1. The site can be slow loading chats from the chat menu and can have issues with the scrolling features within a chat. Across various browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox) and platforms (MacOS, WindowsOS, iOS) scrolling up and down a chat often lags, is unresponsive, or scrolls seemingly at random. This has been an issue for at least the last year or so.
2. Most guests and members that I have chatted with seek advice. People need somewhere to go to find advice because the listeners are not qualified/authorized to give advice. The self-help guides are not easily accessible anymore, and guests and listeners are not shown them at on-boarding of a new account. Because of this, guests and members easily fill like they aren't having their needs met. The long-distance and anonymous nature of the 7Cups platform poses a challenge to developing emotional connections between people as it is. Not providing an easily available bank of advice links to share to guests magnifies this problem. Listeners need to meet the guests where their needs are. Listeners need a side bar with advice links or support options to share/use during the chat.
3.7Cups has been used by people who directly seek chats that are primarily sexually gratifying. While there is a clear level of complexity to the potential rules regarding that, I wouldn't want my children seeking help on 7Cups as it currently stands until they are well over 18 yrs old. Human beings are sexual creatures. There needs to be some effort (whether explicitly or using principles of applied social psych) to channel sexual traffic on the site in a more positive way. Usernames have been very frequently customized to be sexual innuendos.

These 3 things are heavy negatives, but there is still meaning created on 7Cups for many people. I hope that 7Cups continues to improve and generate better mental health worldwide.

Ok so its a good website but has major issues.
First of from the memeber side of things.My first listener was incredibly nice and really helpful but sometimes I connect with someone who just really dosent care or wont stop asking questions and trying to solve the issue which I know is against the 'training'-I put training in quotation marks for a reason.The group rooms are very nice though.
Now from a listener perspective, Im not going to sugarcoat it 7 Cups let literally anyone become a listner-you have to be 15 with parental permission or above 18 without but all there is to check it is a ticked box- I became a listener to listen to people and support them going through tough times but many times people would connect with me to chat, which Im totally fine with but it would get to the point where I might as well be messaging them on WhatsApp or something. I wanted to listen to peoples issues not have an hour long blab, I didnt have the heart to stop the chat and they were genuinly nice but I felt like I could be doing something better. You have to do some training when becoming a listner but extended training is optional so many listeners tend to be very uneducated. I opted for the extra training for some situations because I wanted to be a useful as possible. I would also get troll messages or sex chat, I would block them only to connect again on a different member account. Although, I am being negative its still a really good site but dont go on as a member to expect to feel like you have been completley reborn and are going to be the happiest person alive. And also please dont abuse the option to connect with a listener as we have vouluntered OUR time to listen to struggling people and to any listeners just listen to them and show you care dont try to solve it just relate with them, have a bit of chit chat to make them comftorable. Anywho its still a nice site :)

When I joined the site in its earliest years it was such a very safe haven, like a safe site for people with disorders or just some who wanted to release toxins from their head. However, when it started to be a business it concentrated only in promotions and therapy from their license therapist. I know that all websites are not safe and there will always be troll but this site entertains trolls, 7 Cups don't help with cases involving sexual and mental abuse done by the volunteer Listeners from the site itself. This is not run by professionals and they don't help with cases of users being abused here mentaly and sexually coz they believe that sexual matters needed to be addressed to but it became a reason for sexual predators to devour innocent users and also the moderators are not professional enough to handle or moderate the group chats because they involve their self in group misundestandings. All In all I won't recommend this site if you want healing this can be dangerous coz listeners can take advantage. Always trust people you see face to face. Don't seek help in the site like this, maybe you can only talk here for a chit chat.

I used to be a listener over 1 year at 7cups, and I was a teen quality star which helps with improving listeners' quality by providing 1-1 mentoring.
About my bad experiences, after aging up to be an adult over 1 month, I should be allowed to be a quality mentor, and someone who is an ambassador said I could before, but the team leader said my attitude wasn't good, so I couldn't.
https://imgur.com/a/XrDMU8h
https://imgur.com/a/IvDRMh5
https://imgur.com/a/Iaqj6vc
You can see what leaders look like at 7cups. She wanted to said my attitude wasn't good. How about her attitude? Admin said we aren't allowed to do triangulation, but 7 Cups did it(Heather is an admin). Doesn't the rule apply to admin and leader? Also, when I had training for being a teen quality star, I was taught I had to use sandwich feedback system to provide feedback. Doesn't that method apply to leaders? Moreover, I have tried to stop argument by telling her to find a Chinese speaker to help with the barrier, but she rejected, and she also said all mentoring things are English. However, it's wrong because I see a mentor only allows French mentees, and I used Chinese to do mentoring with others. After telling to the founder and admin, they were not willing to fix this problem, and they just let me leave.
The main problem of 7cups
1. People are too easy to create so many accounts included listener accounts. They don't have background check, so even an adult, they can create a teen account to talk with teens. If they don't tell to others they are actually adults, they still can stay at 7cups. Also, after removing, they can create a new one because they just need to use email to sign up. You may know how damage teens are to use this app.
2. Listener qualities are so low. Being a listener, they just have to finish two simple training. Then, they can talk with you.

I've gone onto the site both as a trained listener and a member. I work in mental health so I know how to actively listen and handle crisis situations via phone/chat because I do it for a living. The listener training is weak and the badge system confusing and weird - most listeners completely ignore the training anyway. I'd say your chances of getting a quality listener are less than 50%. As a listener, often the site doesn't alert me properly to new chats and often users don't respond either - at least half of my chats as a listener are with a user who simply doesn't respond. I might spend at least 25% of my time simply waiting for the user to come on/respond. Rather this is because the user is tired of waiting and leaves or there is a lag in the site connecting users to listeners, I do not know. The other 25% of users are perverted, looking for sex or simply bored and don't say much of anything. The 25% of the time I do have a quality connection with someone - either as a listener or member - is quite good. Not a bad site if you are willing to wait/sift through the chaff. Skip the paid therapy - tried it once - it wasn't worth the money at all. And if you're a listener, forget thinking you'll get any kind of quality mentorship via the site. You're pretty much on your own. That being said - it's not a terrible app/website/concept if you keep your expectations relatively low.

So it's a good platform with an excellent idea to provide support for other people. However, the interface of this website looks like it's from the 2000s and the app interface for seven cups is older than America itself. In a world of innovation, I feel the need to support the reasoning that this website could be better with the right people to code a good website. First of all, I am not complaining purely based on the aesthetic of this website, but also how it affects the user experience. For once, the notification system on the app is NON-EXISTENT, the app might say that your receiving a notification, but no user on 7 cups I asked have ever received any because of the flawed interface and notification system. I have reached out to the support team on 7 cups and after MONTHS of sending that email and them replying, I can assure you that nothing has been done to fix it. I also believe that the amount of resitraction that this app provide is RIDUALOUS. You can't say the world "die, suicide" or anything that pretains to death. Now, I do understand why this exsisit but as listeners on 7 cups, it's hard for us to know what 7 Cups are even saying when these words get censored out. And even listerns can't say, "don't kill yourself," because guess what? 7 cups blocked those messages from being send out, which is unfair because I am trying to provide support but I can't even send a text. This should be a free platform to text, I don't believe in restricting certain words because it prevents the members from saying what they really want to say and how they feel, and let's be honest, this is not an app for toddlers, so a little cursing isn't going to hurt anyone. The MAJORITY of the kids here are able 15+ at least from the 40+ people I have talked to as a listener, and sometimes they still curse but they just find a way around it by using asterisks like "f*uck, s*hit I mean this app isn't preventing anything but just making things unnecessarily difficult. So getting rid of these word restrictions will enhance the user experience and if a person is using excessive cursing and doesn't listen if you tell them to stop then have an option to report them. And sometimes these new people are not good listeners like I have talked to some and I have seen a LOT of issues, I feel like there sound be a practice session with a REAL listener and not a robot. Like for them to have a practice conversation with a listener who's had more than 30 chats before.

7Cups is truly a one-of-a-kind service.

I needed some help with school as I was feeling stressed and overwhelmed, and I needed help quick. I am still a young student, so I didn't have a wad of cash or even a credit card, so that meant that I couldn't get help from the traditional therapists since I had no money to give.

Stuck and overwhelmed, I almost gave up. Until I discovered 7Cups.

I got the help I need by talking to a very kind listener and got some hacks to help me deal with the uncertainty, it is by no means, comparable to therapy, but it does work if you just need someone to talk to and you do not have or do not trust that person in your physical life. I felt relieved that I didn't have a terrible experience with 7Cups and I recommend it to anyone who is going through a rough patch in their life, and I encourage you to check out and use 7Cups as well!

It's a bustling and oftentimes, busy community with lots of happenings, which are both a good and bad thing since the purpose of 7Cups is to feel safe and then go and do your thing, but the busy community might be quite detrimental sometimes as it keeps you hooked and gets you worried.

However, I became a listener to help others in return for those who have helped me when I first started.

Strongly consider 7Cups if you need some help right now (at any age) and speak to someone. You would mostly feel better (results vary) after talking to someone.

Simply put, 7Cups is a pretty wonderful service if you want to get help quickly and for no cost at all if you browse listeners (therapy isn't free!)

I'm a listener at 7 cups and I'm giving it a 3 star rating for the following reasons.

Pros: It is a free help resource with active listeners 24/7 for people to talk to about their anxieties and problems. There are also free programs listeners can take to enhance their listening skills. This platform has the potential to grow and do a lot of good. There is also paid therapy as an option but I do not know of the quality of the professional therapists.

Cons: It is a bit too easy to become a listener. I feel the verified and quality listening tracks should be mandatory rather than optional.
The anonymity factor creates potential opportunities for trolls (esp. Sexual predators and trolls who make up a story and then use the listener for their own gratification), with not much way to blacklist and prevent them from creating multiple accounts and repeating the same thing. I have also encountered members who have met abusive or unresponsive listeners who are judgemental to their problems and or too generic in their responses. You can also read about such experiences in the lesser starred reviews. Also I feel listeners should be at least be 21 and above.

Everyone has their bad days, and as I believe so do the 7 Cups, but receiving support and compassion free from listeners who had direct experience of the issues would be a great help. And also, for further support, professional listeners/therapists are available to help you out after paying a little amount which is affordable.As a listener working on 7cups for over 3+ years, the reviews I get from my members(the people who come for help) are my strengths, 7 Cups helped me with my success, and brought a change to my life.
It's not surprising that you don't need a identity to get help from Cups, as you are mostly welcomed to sign in anonymously.
As far as my viewpoint is concerned about recommendations, it is highly recommend, but there may be some listeners who might not be the best for you, as they are not professional, but though, for the betterment, 7cups offers multiple trainings on different mental health topics for listeners to improve their knowledge and skills like active listening.If the listener you got connected to is not good for you than you've the option to connect with another one and continue getting support.

I have been looking for some backup support for my groups and therapy in real life. I was really hopeful that 7cups could be that extra support. Unfortunately, the site strikes me as EXTREMELY dangerous to anyone with serious struggles. I tried the one-on-one chat at least a half dozen times. I never once got connected to someone that was a good listener at all. I tried the group chat, same thing.

Most people there repeatedly say the same things, like they're bots: 7 Cups refer you to the paid therapy, even after telling them you are already in therapy and need people to talk to. They continue to tell you that they're not qualified to talk about your issue! My issue, BTW: I fought with my partner and just needed to blow off some steam. That should not require a professional at all, just a good online group or something.

But the reason I'm saying this is dangerous now is that in just the past 48 hours, I've now chatted with two individuals that tried to get me to go offsite and discuss past sexual trauma. They were SEASONED VET LISTENERS according to 7cups. One of them was on the top listeners' list. Seriously? And you expect me to pay for this, too?...

If I want teletherapy, there are plenty of more trustworthy provider sites that do it for the same price and even accept insurance. I'm really not confident that 7cups therapists are even actual therapists at this point. This feels VERY much like a scam.

This site isn't good at all because 7 Cups will ban you for no reason. I tried to report this person who ended up bullying me on there when I was on there for some help with a few things. She didn't care about me because she said she thinks that bullying goes on in elementary school and she thinks that it stops after that. This is what she said to me. This didn't make sense to me and it certainly isn't true in my opinion. This what the kind of people are like on this site. She also said I was being sensitive and then she said she knows why I am being bullied. I didn't do anything but disagree and she flipped out and started the name calling. That is why I reported her and there are other people on there like this too. They banned me instead of her when I didn't do anything wrong. The way the site is set up is very confusing to. Like the layout for instance and there isn't any distinction about who can go on there and who cannot. They are very misleading too because they say they will help you and then they end up trash talking you to to your face instead. There is something weird about these people on here too because they ask you for your personal information. They want to get to know you when I am on here for support.