7 CupsReviews 718

I started as a listener (volunteer) and was in love with the site until I tried it from a client perspective and found there are extremely harmful and hateful people who are there strictly to hurt people who are already hurting. When this was brought up to management with suggestions on improving quality by implementing mandatory training to be completed prior to "helping" others, I was banned from the website. This is a common practice of the owner/paid staff as I read on Reddit. As well as tricking people into subscriptions by saying it is $x. Xx per month and taking the whole year up front and refusing refunds.
Obviously money motivated and not meant in any way to help others.

I connected with a very good listener and helped me a lot and replied quickly. Happy to find it. Recommended!

7 cups is a free service based on a simple idea: "Sometimes, all you need it someone to listen." That idea grew into an international platform with a variety of services from 1-on-1 live chatting, guided and open group chatting, self-help guides, and forum style posting. If you are comfortable spending money, some additional services become available, such as paid therapy and individualized exercises and growth plans.

As a free site, it is often the target of 4chaners and reddit users, but the volunteer and staff really do care and are working to help those in need every day.

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 connected to a listener after going through a bout of depression, I just needed someone to listen and talk to but straight away whatever I said I just got vague often one worded replies like "ok" that had no relation to what I'd just said and the other replies were extremely patronising and also made no sense in relation to what I'd said to them. Avoid this site if you want any real support. I felt like I was talking to a bot.

I became a quality mentor on the site. After witnessing an excess of chats that were beyond abusive and bringing them to the attention of admin only to find indifference, I must warn others to stay away. The paid staff doesn't do any actual work on the site nor do they care for quality. They ride on the backs of free volunteers who are never properly trained nor monitored.

If you want to tell someone about your problem and walk away feeling x10 worse, this is the right place for you.

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 they 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.

I have problems with my sleep. I've been to a therapist already and searched for anything possible solution, method, tips to make it work. I went there to just talk and be heard, not to be given solutions. Listener keeps bombarding me with solutions and I say I have tried everything and she is like why don't you take a warm bath and I say I am kind of tired being given suggestions because I've already tried everything.

She asks if I am here to only compain then. At this point I just wanna end the chat so I tell her that's it and leave the chat. She reports me and I get banned? For what idk I didn't harass her

I make a new acc and send her a message telling her it was kinda petty to do it as I needed my acc and that I hope she won't ban this one as well. I was so frustrated, Get banned for the second time

Soo, a listener with good reviews and power on the site is able to ban me for saying I do not feel helped, although ban is for inappropriate behavior and there needs to be a warning for the member to stop, while I immediately left her alone.

Basically she only cares to get revenge because I said I do not feel heard. She didn't care once or twice about how I'd feel when she banned my acc for nothing
Listener's name is LetsCherishLife

I already sent an email to the management to get my acc back and got no respone
And she was supposed to be one of the good
Imagine how the rest of them are going to be

I'm only giving it 3 stars because I know there are people there with good intentions.

As a listener: 7cups really doesn't want you to act like one. Telling you to respond with 'I understand' and to summerize what the other one is saying. I followed the 7cups rules at first, but I'm beyond that now. I get where they are coming from: giving advice can be harmful. But it's also human to do so. Why would I respond to a person who is in distress with something like 'mhmm' (as they suggest)? If I was the one talking and someone would give me a 'mhmm' I'd be anxious as hell and feeling like I'm just a bother. If you follow most of the guidelines 7cup has prepared for you, you will look more of a robot showing zero empathy and you'll end up doing more harm than good. Please follow you're instincts when talking to someone and show them kindness. That's really all you have to do. Also, the amount of guys thinking listeners are there to hear out their sex talk is really high. It pisses me off whenever I get one of those people but you can't straight up ban them, because 7cups will ban YOU for getting rid of them.

As a member: I was shocked to try the site from another perspective. Was having an anxiety attack and just wanted someone to talk me through it. I got matched up with people who all say they have personal experience with anxiety and have a 5 star rating as well, but didn't understand at all and ended up making me feel even worse. How are these people still a thing? How do they have such a high rating?

Overall I know there are listeners out there who will try to help you. After all, that's why I joined. But 7cups doesn't offer a reliable system to filter out who is actually good and who isn't. So please, stay safe <3