Write Encouraging Replies to People Asking for Mental Health Support
Support Wall Action Teams (SWAT) are Heartsupport’s online groups of volunteer repliers. They meet on Discord to listen and write encouraging messages to people who ask for help on our anonymous forum.
In a S.W.A.T., you will…
ENCOURAGE OTHERS
You’ll respond as a group to a selection of forum posts each meeting. You’ll listen, care, and encourage people who really need to feel supported. You’ll practice active listening and learn to feel more empowered as a peer supporter.
MAKE A REAL IMPACT
The words of encouragement that you will share and the inspiration you will bring are massively valuable. It makes a big difference when you take the time to listen to someone and let them know they are not alone, no matter what they are going through.
BUILD COMMUNITY
You will be connected with a team of like-minded peer of volunteers. Our Support Wall Action Teams are little online families where members genuinely care for the well being of everyone and love sharing life together.
IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING SKILLS
We highly value active listening as being the core foundation of the support provided on our forum. By being a caring and safe presence to others, you help them see their own resources and strengths.
How It Works
1.
Weekly Meetings
Each S.W.A.T. Team meets on a weekly basis through a voice call, on Heartsupport’s Discord server.
2.
Authentic conversations
Forum topics that need support are selected by the group Facilitator. We read them and have conversations about it as a group (how we want to respond, how we relate…).
3.
Words of encouragement
Each member writes their personal replies and sends words of encouragement to the people who posted on the Forum.
Changes lives
See the difference that our repliers have had in real people’s lives. Listening deeply and replying with compassion will have a greater impact than you could imagine.
How do I join a group?
Click the button below to fill out an application form. We will reply to you within 1 hour!
Groups Schedule
We have recurring meetings at different days and time throughout the week, thanks to our wonderful group facilitators.
Check out the calendar below to see which team(s) you could join!
FAQ:
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Meetings are online and take place on the Heartsupport Discord server through a voice call. They generally last between 1 to 2 hours during which the group responds to a selection of forum topics. All members read together each topic, have a conversation about it (they strategize how to respond to provide the best support, share relatable experiences, etc.). Once a conversation about a topic is over, all members take the time to write down and send their responses to the person who posted. No one is left behind and the Leader always makes sure that group members progress together.
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Create your account now if you don’t have one yet. Discord is a free online messaging service where SWAT meetings take place. It takes a few minutes to create an account with only an email address!
Create your account here: https://discord.com/register
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Yes! Our volunteers are all willing to make their group a safe place to everyone, which sometimes goes along with needing to observe before participating. After your third meeting, it would be expected from you to either start participating, or consider that SWAT may not be something you would like to be a part of in the long run.
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As a SWAT member, you are under no obligation to be present at every meeting. We understand that a personal schedule can change over time and life gets in the way of personal activities such as volunteering. Your personal attendance to the meetings is and will always be entirely yours to decide.
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You are not required to use a microphone or a camera. No pressure! The only need is for you to be able to listen to the leader who guides the meeting through a voice call. You can simply listen and respond to topics, use our text channel to communicate or use a microphone at your own convenience.
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It is of course possible to help others while we are struggling. However, we encourage every member to listen to their limits and make sure to take care of themselves. Your Team and Heartsupport’s Staff will always advocate for your emotional safety and well-being. As much as serving others can be beneficial in many ways, it can also be difficult sometimes to listen to people’s struggles. Rest, breaks and preventing burnout is 100% part of our culture.
If you would like to be supported by our community through your mental health journey, we would recommend to take the Compass Test and create an Action Plan on the forum! -
Our Teams are relatively small and never exceed more than 10 members at the same time, so we can ensure the quality of the conversations.
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There is no restriction in terms of membership and attendance. In fact, most of our regular members are part of different groups!
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Yes, you will need to create an account on our Forum in order to join a SWAT, as this will be your primary way to send words of encouragement to people who need it. This is also a direct way for you to ask for some support as well! Creating an account only requires a valid email. It is 100% free, anonymous and ads-free of course.
Once you have an account, you can join the Heartsupport Discord server and connect with the group of your choice through the channel called #swat-teams-adults.
Impact
In response to the growing amount of people asking for help over the years on our anonymous forum, we have created online groups of peer support volunteers called "Support Wall Action Teams" (SWAT).
The purpose of these teams is to make sure every person who creates a forum topic feels supported while they bravely open up about their struggles. It creates an environment where we care for one another, share love and build community together.
By joining a SWAT Team, YOU can make a positive difference in the life of people who need to feel heard and encouraged.
