Support Guidelines
The guidelines that all our peer supporters follow
Last updated
The guidelines that all our peer supporters follow
Last updated
We kindly ask that all Peer Supports reread and familiarize themselves with our Server Rules before further participation.
1. Respect all fellow members and supports. We do not tolerate aggression or bigotry in any form.
2. If another member’s safety or respect is compromised, we will remove the responsible parties from the support team, with or without warning. In some situations, additional safety precautions or disciplinary actions may be enforced.
3. We do not allow support sessions to be conducted over DM. This assures that all interactions can be moderated to protect the safety of our members. We want to help prevent Supporters from being put in any position where they may be uncomfortable, overwhelmed, or feel responsible for another member’s welfare.
4. Please do not delete any messages (unless explicitly asked to for safety concerns) to ensure that we can moderate our support channels to the best of our ability.
5. If for any reason a Support needs to get the immediate attention of our Moderation staff, please type @support moodies.
6. We ask Supporters to take care of their own well-being before offering support to others. We encourage our Supporters to practice self care and take a break or hiatus at any time if ever feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or triggered. To shift to off-duty support type s?inactive-supportin a bot spam channel. To remove all support roles completely, type s?remove-support. Supports can add and remove the Support role at their discretion.
7. We do not allow discussion of any members’ circumstances outside the context of asking or offering support for an ongoing session. We do not allow anyone to repeat or share anything a member discloses when seeking support with anyone other than those already involved and/or present; this excludes Moderators. We discourage gossip, and we will take disciplinary action when necessary to protect our members’ privacy and trust.
8. In support situations our primary objective is to Listen, Question, and Validate. We are not professionals and we do not aim to be. Our premise as Peer Supports is to share our own experiences and help guide each other to every individual’s personal solutions and goals.
9. We ask that all Peer Supports take on no more than two support sessions at the same time.
10. To accept a member’s request for a private support session type s?support @username in #request-private-support.
11. To bring up a list of useful commands for support situations, please type .mhcommands in #🔹support-spam. Please ask permission before linking a command to ensure that individual is comfortable viewing the material.
12. We ask Supporters to indicate their current activity status so that we can show members an accurate depiction of how many Peer Supporters are available at any given time, and try to help prevent those seeking support from feeling ignored. If a Supporter is able to actively respond to pings requesting a support session, we ask them to indicate their availability by typing s?active-support in #🔹support-spam.
13. In the event that a Peer Supporter wants to contribute, share advice, or help assist in any active support situation, please follow the steps below: First ask in #support-business if the person currently handling the situation would like help. Second, wait for confirmation from the primary Support that they are comfortable accepting help; and Third, take action and/or intervene to assist your fellow Support. Please keep in mind that all support sessions, excluding the Group Support channels, are one on one.
14. In any crisis situation, please let one person take point so that we do not overwhelm, confuse, or scare the member seeking support and/or in crisis. If anyone does not feel comfortable or equipped to handle a situation, please tag @ Team and @ Support Moodies for immediate help. For additional backup type @ here in #support-business to get the attention of any other fellow supports who are around and available.
15. In a crisis situation involving a member living in the U.S. please refer them to https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/. We always want to offer any path to safety we have at our disposal; even, and especially if members are not receptive to the support we can provide at the time. This resource is great to link to any member at risk.Lifeline​mhait​Home​
16. If a Mod steps into any support situation that we think requires the Team’s attention, please respect their actions and be aware that our Moderators often have additional information that help us make more informed decisions.
17. We do not provide support for people with disorders related to pedophilia. If a Support encounters this, immediately tag @team in #support-business.
18. In the instance of a dog-piling situation (when numerous people are ganging up on one member) please allow one person to interact with the attacked or disruptive person. We ask that everyone else only observe and advise. Please defer to any available Team member in these cases. We kindly ask that you do not take it upon yourself to intervene in situations where a Team member is already addressing the issue, because often times it only further escalates a situation. If you have concerns with a particular Team member, or how a situation was handled, please raise your concerns privately with an Exec, or defer to the instructions in #member-input to submit a report.
19. In general, support practice sessions are voluntary. Nobody is ever obligated to participate; however, if a Support Moodie recommends someone for a practice session, we do require they complete the session to continue on as a Peer Support. We do not view practice sessions as punishments or reflections of your effort or care. Practice sessions are designed as a tool to help Supports gain additional skills through direct feedback and mentor guidance from an experienced Support. It is an opportunity for you to ask questions and learn in a hands on way.
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20. Please read through this guide for helpful examples of questions to ask and guide those seeking support: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wqfEUFXDCxXk6UklCQ8_glx0bnGIOZJlIGf8vf74sVQ/editGoogle DocsList of QuestionsRole of peer counselor: The basic premise of peer counseling is that people are capable of solving most of their own problems if given the chance and guidance. Therefore the role of a supporter is not to solve people’s problems for them but rather to assist them in findi...​​​
