Safety and Crisis Support

I’m with @Zoe7 on the over reliance of a chat ‘room’ for individuals. Same as with a journal like space. Both are really good ideas if they are not used and abused.

I myself am going through a really rough patch, I'm borderline crisis level but I am safe! A chat room would be good at the moment. I have been emailed with support from PSW though, they have been great. It has kept a lot of triggering things away from the forums and has given me the chance to be able to speak openly. I have found it really helpful just buy getting it out. It is starting to lift me out of it and it has kept me safe. I do feel like I was taking support from others though.

This is just an example of the help some people need at certain times, where chat rooms would be good.

Would these spaces limit the support for the rest of the forum members? Also with having so many private rooms, would that reduce the interaction and support from the regular forums?

I think the journal like space could possibly ‘open a can of worms’ with some members. I believe that a lot of consideration would need to go into the space.

I believe it would be really good and beneficial for some members. There is often times on the forums where people need to talk but are limited with guidelines and this space would possibly allow for that when you just need to get it out and just want someone to read it. Sometimes all you want to do is have someone listen.

However, there are other members that constantly try and dominate PSW time. How would that be monitored? Especially when they don’t try and help themselves by taking on advice and suggestions.

I do like the idea of different hubs. That way members have the choice to join or not. It gives members the ability to discuss things ‘within specialised guidelines’ that are unable to be talked about on the forums. Other members and PSW would be able to support each other with their own experiences. That way if these things trigger others they can avoid those hubs. If they do enter and get triggered they can remove themselves so to not get notifications and be further triggered.

I don’t know if any of that makes sense.

I wrote this reply yesterday and then our internet went down with the storm.... there has since been a few more replys... which i will add further comment at the bottom....

i love the idea of a private chat function between mods/PSW and forum members when in crisis. It can take the conversation away from the open forums where it could be distressing for others to be reading along, and its a quicker way to access and determine what level or support is needed. I find email can be a little slow. and often things can change very quickly. I would see this as being a one of function. that when the crisis is over, appropriate support has been provided or things escalated to emergency services, the chat is then closed. i feel any lengthy private chatting could be abused.

I know its to make their jobs a little easier, but i really hate the copy and paste emails when doing check ins. they are so impersonal and invalidating.

i like the idea of the private space to journal, however i can really foresee there being issues with it. you are basically creating a place for members to chat one on one privately with mods/psw on a long term basis and potentially drawing them away from the general community and moderating the rest of the forum. I see the forums as a peer to peer space, and by creating these space on the forums you would be taking away from this unique space that we have. Members could also abuse this space by monopolising mods/psw times by constantly and only posting in this space. I feel like the mods/psw are already often really stretched in their workload and this would make it even worse. If members are unable to share openly with the community certain things then perhaps thats an indication that its best suited for a counselor/psychologist type environment and not the forums. or even giving the SANE helpline a call and talking there.

and I agree with what @Zoe7 shared about mods/psw replying to members posts, then members replying back and its then like the mod/psw has dropped off the face of the earth and there is no further communication. If a member has gone to the effort to reply and has been vulnerable and open, the least that could occur could be an acknowledgment of their post and if they are clocking saying so.

maybe specific topic hubs could be a good option, where members can talk a little more openly and where the guidlines are relaxed and extended a little bit more. For me personally, ive been made to feel that i am not allowed to talk about my eating disorder at all. nothing. the guidlines are really confusing and ive tried to have them explained to me and now i just feel like its not worth the getting into trouble. this is hard for me because its a huge part of my current mental health struggles and things that i deal with on a daily basis. If there was a safe place, i dont know, where people are screened perhaps before having access to it, this could ensure that they have appropriate support outside of the forums, there would stilll be guidlines, but where conversations could occur in a more supported environment with PSW overseeing it.

@Bow I agree 100% with the copy and paste. It really isn't helpful for anyone. It's like they are ticking a box and once they've sent the email and you say your safe the conversation is over. Don't you agree?

Some really interesting points/observations/thoughts @Captain24 @Bow I like the idea of Topic Hubs where members could talk about issues that are not ideal for the wider community to see/be part of. I think some of the current 'restrictions' could apply ie. do not publish content that contains graphic or specific details but the conversation may be more open and allow for some of those guidelines ie. avoid posting ongoing / repetitive criticism of a service offering to be relaxed to ensure an open discussion. We do see many, many members having such negative experiences with the whole MH sector ( @chibam ) and whilst many also have a positive experience, it would be great for those needing to de-brief about the other side have a place to do so.

I do see similar problems with creating private spaces as @Bow has also mentioned. The guidelines around these would need to be very well layed out. There may be a tendency for some members to only use these spaces and not the public forums - and also mods/PSWs to be 'seen' more in these spaces ...but I think the benefits outweigh the negatives - as long as mods/PSWs continue to have a major presence on the public forums.

Maybe these spaces could only be open to 'senior contributors' (what that means also needs to be looked at). The idea behind this, for me, is that those members are ones that have been on the forums for some time and thus would be more likely to continue posting in the public space.

@RachSANECEO I really love the idea of having that chat function open between mods/PSWs and new members for a short period of time. There are sooooo many times I come across a post from a new member that breahes our guidelines and the fact they are new often makes me hesitant to 'report post'. I could imagine being that new member and being told they had 'done something wrong' when they may be at their lowest and being so brave to reach out here for support. It is hard enough to be vulnerable (as others have said) and reach out, that I have no doubt when a post is removed and/or an email sent, that nay make that member feel even worse. The fine line here that we do see other members often posting similar content and nothing is done. eg. a new member may say they are having thoughts of SH and a mod/PSW may reply with the standard 'I am going to email you", whereas a longer term member may say "I have just done something I regret" - and whilst everyone that reads that knows what they mean - the standard email post is not forthcoming for that member. Where do we draw that line, and why is it okay to continue to 'support' the longer term member whilst the newer member is directed to outside supports? Where also do we draw the line at the same, continuous posts? At what stage does it become an issue that those members need to seek outside help and be continually encouraged to do so rather than continuing to posts on the forums. Do not get me wrong - everyone deserves support and the forums are a place for that but there also needs to be a line drawn around whether that support is enabling present (and often long-term) behaviour or whether that support is adding to that member's own recovery. I do know for so many, this path is very difficult but it can also be distressing for others to constantly see the same from a member(s). This is where the private chat and developing a plan with a member moving forward would be so beneficial.

I also want to add here a really BIG point - the lack of availability of the CHAT over the last 6 months + has no doubt meant so many of just these situations have exacerbated on the forums themselves. There is nowhere else for them to go. CHAT being text based so closely aligns with the forums (being text based also). It is often much easier for someone to type rather than speak - and email does not have the same reach as it is not instant. CHAT back would help with so many of the issues we are seeing right now on the forums - a place to connect in real time with someone trained and members being able to 'talk' more openly.

I can’t agree more with you @Zoe7 about the CHAT. I asked some months back about if it would be coming back online and was told that it was but that it was a staffing issue.
I know that @RachSANECEO you mentioned that the helpline was actually self funded part of SANE, (but I think when the PHN funding came through for the guided service program, a lot of the helpline counselors went over to that program.)? And there just hasn’t been the staffing to keep up with both?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I think the helpline chat is such a vital part of what SANE has offered. It is so different and so unique compared to other helpline services. I think the cut back in hours has also been hard.

anyhow

Thank you for sharing @Bow - your feedback is valuable to us.

Absolutely agree with everything you have said @Bow I was informed of the same with regards to staffing of CHAT but have also felt the same about staff being 'taken away' for the Guided Service. I was very excited to see this new service get up and running but SANE also needs to make sure they continue (and consolidate) the services that have previously been available ...CHAT being an absolutely essential one of these services.

I don't mean to be rude here @tyme but is it only @Bow 's feedback that is valuable? That is a rhetorical question - but only Bow replied to? doesn't make one feel their post was worthwhile 😢

No, you're not rude. You made a good point @Zoe7 . Sorry it came across that way.

Tonight, I only came across Bow's post, hence the message I sent.

But no, your feedback is invaluable too.