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Welcome and getting started

About Welcome and getting started
Welcome newcomers! Learn about the forums, introduce yourself, and ask questions.
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Jynx||Last message 13 days ago
How To: Recovery Focused Posting

Hi there SANE Forums Fam!     This how-to guide was designed to help you post to the forums and create safety for yourself and others when talking about those tough topics, such as suicidal ideation and self-harm related thoughts and urges.    We hope that this guide will help you to share safely about thoughts of suicide and self-harm, and seek support from others who understand what you are going through.      What is recovery focused posting?    When we talk about posting in a way that is recovery-oriented or recovery focused, we are encouraging posting in a way that protects both you, and the community. We let the community know what we need, so that it means even on the tough days, we are all here to support each other's safety and well-being.    What it is -  a way to communicate our needs so we can get the right support all about keeping the community safe  a way for us all to keep working on building our resilience and capacity What it isn't -  about banning or forbidding discussion of the difficult topics a requirement to 'always be positive' or to pretend we're feeling okay when we're not a restriction on sharing big, dark, or difficult feelings Having a 'recovery focus' is all about highlighting our needs, what's worked for us before, and what may or may not be helpful for us now. It helps reduce confusion and concern, helps reduce anxiety for members reading along, and reduces the risk of us triggering or getting triggered. It can even be empowering for us, in helping us learn to identify our support and recovery needs and practice communicating them to the people around us.    Here are some examples of ways we can make our posts recovery focused:       For many members and readers here on the SANE Forums, thoughts of suicide and struggles with self-harm are a common part of their mental health or life journey. It's often difficult to talk about these topics, so we want folks to feel like they can be open about what they're going through - without the risk of accidentally encouraging each others rumination or risky behaviours.   If you are thinking about suicide, reaching out for support and talking about it is an important step to make sure that you get the right help when you need it most. The forums offers a judgement-free space to express ourselves, and we want to continue to encourage people to feel safe in sharing their story here. Creating a safe community starts with how we use our language.   Safe language is important because:   It allows others to feel capable and comfortable with providing us with support.   It can protect others from common triggers and help someone else who is sitting with thoughts of suicide too.   How we talk about suicide in the Forums is important for you, and for your fellow community members.      Before you post to the Forums    The SANE Forums are a peer support community where most of the support is provided by peers. This makes it a great place to seek support from others who understand what you are going through.    It's important to note though, the SANE Forums cannot provide crisis support. We have put together some questions you can ask yourself before posting to work out whether it’s the SANE Forums or a crisis service that might be the best option for you in the moment (adapted from the Chatsafe online resource).    Where is the right place/service for me to ensure I get the right help at the right time? If you are thinking about suicide, it’s important to get the right help at the right time.     We have a flow chart to help you decide where the right place or service might be for you to seek help. This includes when it is okay to post to the SANE Forums, or when crisis services or emergency support might be the best avenue get the support you need.        As a peer-to-peer support service, the SANE Forums can’t provide crisis support   This is because:  Most of the peer support that is offered across the forums comes from other members just like you. In a crisis, or when you are feeling unsafe, it is important that help comes from people who are trained to provide crisis support.  The nature of online forums mean that replies aren’t instant. This means you may not get the help exactly when you need it.  We do have Moderators and Peer Support Workers online 24/7 to monitor posts and offer support when needed, but the nature of forums means we can’t always be as responsive as you might need in a crisis. That’s where phone or webchat crisis supports are a good option to get timely support.   Language can be ambiguous or interpreted in different ways in online, which is why when we are concerned that someone might be thinking about suicide, we check in via post or email, and refer to crisis support  What am I hoping to get out of sharing my story? (aka: my purpose and needs)    People talk about experiences of suicide for many reasons. This includes seeking help and support for thoughts of suicide, to raise awareness, or to support another person who might be going through something similar. There are lots of different reasons. Understanding your reason/purpose will help you work out the right avenue to meet your needs.     What parts of my story am I comfortable to share and how will I feel when I share? (aka: my privacy and wellbeing)   We all have different boundaries around how much of ourselves and our story we feel comfortable to share in a public space.    Ensuring you feel safe to share when talking about thoughts of suicide is important, whether that is in an online space, a private space (eg: with a counsellor or mental health professional), or with a trusted person in our lives.       How can I write my story in a way that ensures I get the support I need AND is safe for others reading?   Think about how you would write your story and whether you are in a space to be able to write in a way that is safe for all to read.     We have some tips to help you do this. You can also look at our Community Guidelines.   How can I write about thoughts of suicide safely?    Let the community know that you are safe:  If you are posting about suicide, and are safe, then include that in your post.  For example: “I have been coping with thoughts of suicide, but I am safe. I am looking for support from my peers”;“Today has been really difficult, and I don’t know if I can keep doing this, but I am safe tonight and will reach out to a helpline if I feel I need to”  or; “I am someone who lives with thoughts of suicide each day, but if they get worse tonight I will go for a walk and speak with a friend. I am safe for now” If you aren’t feeling safe, it’s time to log off the forums and access crisis support.    Use safe language:  Our words have power, and it’s important that we use trauma safe language when talking about suicide on the forums. By trauma safe language, we mean language that is not graphic, upsetting or triggering for others to read. This includes staying away from graphic detail including means or plans, and making sure you are clear and direct about your current safety.   Use trigger warnings:  Help other forum members make an informed decision about whether to read on by including a trigger warning.  You might add TW: mentions suicide in your title, or include Trigger warning: mentions thoughts of suicide in the first line of your post.  Avoid mentioning methods of suicide:  Many members of the forums may have experience of suicidal thoughts, feelings or behaviours, and might be triggered, upset or impacted by mentions of methods.   Instead, remove the methods of suicide and replace with more general statements such as “I think about action to end my life”, or “I have had thoughts of methods before”. You can still get your story across without listing the method.    Let the community know what support you are looking for/what you need:  You know what you need best, and letting others know means they can provide more effective support to you when you need it most.     For example:  “I just need someone to sit with me right now”, “I would like some suggestions” or, “I need some distraction”    I often hear Moderators/Peer Workers ask the question “Are you feeling safe for now?”. What does it mean?    If we have reason to believe that you might be thinking about suicide, we will check in to see how you are feeling, and whether you are currently thinking about suicide.  You may hear us ask if you are safe, but safety can mean many things, so let’s define what we mean in the context of suicide.     “Are you safe for now?”:  If we are concerned that you might be thinking about suicide, we will ask you if you are safe for now. What we mean is, are you planning to act on thoughts of suicide now?    "I am safe for now":  If you are safe for now, we will encourage you to reach out and seek peer support through the forums. There are a lot of other people here sitting with thoughts of suicide too who know what it’s like to take steps towards safety.     For many people, thoughts of suicide can be ongoing, so we may ask a few times as safety might change from hour to hour, or day to day. That’s why we say safety for now, as we are trying to understand your immediate safety and offer appropriate support.     This is especially important in public online spaces where we don’t have the same communication options as we would in real life settings.     It can be really helpful to have a safety plan prepared for times when you might have thoughts of suicide, which will help you take steps to seek help or safety. Beyondnow is a great online tool to help you build a safety plan.    "I am not able to stay safe":  If you tell us you are not able to stay safe, we will ask you to confirm if you are planning to end your life and if you have a plan. This will happen off the forums and via email.     If you aren't able to or aren't sure that you can stay safe, this is when it is time to step off the forums and access immediate crisis support. In an emergency, the best place to seek help is to call 000, or go to your local emergency department.     As a mental health service, SANE can be a safe space to share if you are feeling unsafe, and we will get emergency help to you.    As mandatory reporters, if a forum member tells us or indicates that they are in serious and imminent risk of harm, including planning to end their life now, then we do contact emergency services. This is an important part of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of those who access our services.     Mandatory reporting is (as the name suggests) mandatory by law, which ensures that every health service, including SANE, are looking out for the safety and wellbeing of the people we support.      When might Moderators, Community Managers or Peer Support Workers step in?   The SANE Forums team may step in when a post breaches our safety guidelines, and could impact the safety of the person posting or the wellbeing of those reading.     We will remove or edit posts that mention or imply: A person intends to end their life, or doesn’t confirm safety in a way that could be upsetting for those reading. This includes where there are ambiguous mentions or inferences to suicide without confirming safety.  Methods of suicide or self harm  Graphic descriptions    Check out the suggestions earlier in this post to help you stay within the guidelines.  We will email members to:  Check in to see if a member is safe for now and offer referrals to crisis support  Check in with others who may have been upset by something they have read on the forums  Let members know if a post is removed or edited Offer suggestions of how to bring posts back in line with the guidelines  Let a member know if we are involving emergency services, if doing so doesn't put the person at further risk of harm SANE has a responsibility to keep the Forums safe for everyone. This means that there may be times we will need to make tough decisions to remove a post, email you about the guidelines, or pause an account.     If we are concerned about your safety, we want to make sure you have access to crisis services, and we will refer to options such as:  National crisis services such as Lifeline (13 11 14)  and Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467). You can find a list of crisis services at the top of every page on the SANE Forums.  000 in an emergency  SANE’s other support services  Other services specific to your situation (eg: 1800Respect, BlueKnot, Mensline…)   Summary Here are the key points:  It’s important we can talk about topics like suicide and self-harm here on the forums  How we talk about suicide is key to creating safety for the person posting, and those reading  Using safe language, trigger warnings and letting the community know you are safe, and what you need, can help ensure you get the help you deserve, while also looking out for the community  SANE staff may reach out to ask if you are safe and offer referrals to crisis supports. We may also remove posts that breach our safety guidelines around talking about suicide  If you are unsafe and at imminent and serious risk of harm, we are required by law to get emergency help to you  Thanks for reading along folks 😊

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Ru-bee||Last message 6 months ago
Start Here: Forums How-To

Welcome to the forums!    We know that it can be tricky navigating a new space so we've put together some tips and tricks to help you navigate and connect here in the forums.   Starting with the guidelines: Community Guidelines help keep the forums space safe, respectful and anonymous. It can be really helpful when you are new to have a read through these so you know a bit more about how the forums work! Our forum also aims to showcase SANE's values of respect, innovation, celebration, responsibility, collaboration - you can read more about these here.   You can also find a list of Forums FAQs to help you find your way around. How to create an account: How to Create a SANE Forums Account How to post: Posting and navigating the forums - Created by members, for members! Creating your first thread Tips for communicating in online communities Staying anonymous and maintaining privacy Posting safely about suicide Posting safely about self-harm  Where to post: It can be helpful to know where to go after introducing yourself - each board has a theme so check out the area you think would suit your posts best! Our stories: A place to read the stories of people like you and share your own experience Social spaces: relax and unwind with Forum friends. Drop in for fun, or a friendly chat. Say good morning to the other members or share the experience of some of your favourite hobbies or interests here! Friends, families and carers: To connect, share and access support from peers.  Recovery Club: find coping strategies and self-care tips, or share your own, here. A place for setting goals, to celebrate and motivate, and to support ourselves and each other. All the things that help. Talking through trauma and PTSD: A place to share and explore coping strategies. Managing thoughts of suicide & self-harm: Access non-crisis support and support others. Managing relationships: Discuss and seek relationship advice whether it be family, friends, romantic and other types of relationships. Advocating for change: Advocate for better mental health care by joining SANE’s advocacy efforts. Share insights and suggest solutions for better mental health care. Events and Updates: check this space out for special Forums events such as webinars or peer group chats! Read past event discussions and see what’s coming soon. Useful resources: services, tools, new research, treatments, technologies, books, websites we have found interesting or helpful. Ask for resources or post useful ones you’ve found. Somethings not right: a place to share our struggles and talk about times when we are not coping, having a rough time or having challenges with diagnoses. Ask questions, ask for help, offer support, share your knowledge and experience. Employment, education and training: Discuss work, skills and learning. Share tips and resources. You can also check out the latest discussions from all boards here!  

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Daisydreamer||Last message 3 days ago
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Daisydreamer||Last message over 3 years ago
Staying Anonymous and Maintaining Your Privacy in the SANE Forums

Hi there and welcome to the SANE Forums 🎉   Before you get started, here are a few things you need to know about staying anonymous and maintaining your privacy on the SANE Forums.   You can also find the points about anonymity and privacy outlined below in the SANE Forums Guidelines and FAQs.   Anonymity The SANE forums are anonymous to allow all of our members to safely share personal experiences without being identified by forum members, members of the public, and the people in your life.   The main way to stay anonymous online is choosing an anonymous username.   Staying Anonymous by picking an anonymous username Your forums username is how you will be referred to on the forums and is important for maintaining your anonymity. Your username will appear alongside all of your posts. Your posts may appear in search engines- this is why picking a unique username is so vital. What are the top things to remember when picking a forums username? Our anonymity guidelines highlight that a username should not contain: your name your addresses - postal or email your member names/usernames on other social media services (this includes any accounts such as Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Tik Tok, or other online communities) the name of your workplace, uni or school any other information by which you could be identified in real life What happens if I have already picked a username and it is not anonymous? If you are already using a username that isn’t anonymous, or you are concerned about your anonymity, you are welcome to contact the SANE team and we can change your username for you.   Send an email to team@saneforums.org and let us know what preferred username you would like to change your account to. Our Community Managers will make the change for you so you can continue on the forums with anonymity.   Be mindful of other’s anonymity too When sharing your story, be mindful of maintaining the anonymity of those in your life too by never posting real names or contact information.   This way we can maintain anonymity for all people; our Forum members, the people in our members’ lives, and the general public.   Privacy at SANE SANE takes privacy seriously, and we work within the bounds of our Privacy policy.   There are a few important things to note so you can make an informed decision about posting on the SANE Forums.   We are a public forum SANE Forums are viewable and searchable by the public. Every year we have of 1.4 million Australians looking for help and seeking support by reading the posts made to the SANE Forums.   As a public site, posts associated with your username may appear in search engine results. This is why picking an anonymous username is so important.   SANE Forum Partners SANE Australia partners with mental health organisations around the country to make the SANE Forums more accessible to a wider range of people in Australia. We do this by working with partners to host the SANE Forums on their website, making the forums visible to people who may be viewing our partners websites. We call this a syndication.   When members access SANE through one of our partners, they are still on the SANE Forums, managed by the SANE team. The syndication simply means that the SANE Forums are visible on other mental health websites, making it easier for those looking for support to find SANE. Chances are you may have found SANE through one of our partner’s websites.   Can I request for a post or a thread to be deleted? If you are concerned about a post or thread you have created, you can request it be deleted. For steps on how to do this, check out the Delete a post section of our guidelines   If you have any questions about anonymity or privacy, please feel welcome to reach out to the SANE team at team@saneforums.org. We are always happy to help!

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