Question 1

How does Supportiv work?

Accepted Answer

Supportiv matches you, in less than one minute, with other people who are struggling with something similar so everyone can immediately relate and help each other as peers. You can chat about any topic, and everyone is always anonymous. All chats are guided in real-time by a professionally trained moderator to ensure safety and keep the conversation on track. As you chat and express what you’re going through, you’ll also see resources like articles, videos and worksheets that are useful for coping with, problem solving, and healing from your struggle appear as links. All it takes for us to do the matching is one phrase describing what you’d like to talk about. We take care of everything else!

Question 2

Is my identity really kept anonymous?

Accepted Answer

Yes, everyone is 100% anonymous. No one can know who you really are because you are never asked for a name, ID#, work location, a credit card, or any contact information. You do not need to register with any identifying information at all. Each user decides his/her/their own display name, which can be anything. Your real identity is known only to you.

Question 3

How can I trust that the chats are safe?

Accepted Answer

If anyone in the chat starts dominating the conversation, or acting judgmental, or is ignoring the chat rules for peaceful participation, the Supportiv moderator is there to mute them or remove them as needed to maintain the flow of the chat in a supportive way.

Question 4

Who are the moderators?

Accepted Answer

Supportiv moderators are psychology students (graduate and undergraduate) who’ve completed extensive training in all aspects of facilitating and safeguarding the chats. They can ask questions, mute or remove any troublemakers, route people to crisis services, and share resources with the group, among other functions.

Question 5

Can I apply to become a moderator?

Accepted Answer

There’s more information on the role at supportiv.com/moderators. Applications may be sent to moderator@supportiv.com with “Moderator Candidate” in the subject line.

Question 6

Are these group chats or one-on-one?

Accepted Answer

We focus on small groups because of how beneficial the support group experience can be, where you get to hear multiple perspectives and share your struggle with even more people who understand what you’re going through. Many people who haven’t experienced a moderated group format before find that they come to enjoy it.

Question 7

Is peer support like therapy?

Accepted Answer

Some of the most familiar forms of peer support are grief support groups and Alcoholics Anonymous® where regular people band together to help each other through a common struggle. Supportiv has expanded that concept of peer support to cover every possible mental, emotional, and social struggle we go through in everyday life. Unlike therapy, there is no therapist present to diagnose or treat participants. Instead, Supportiv provides a real-time moderator who facilitates the chat among peers to ensure everyone feels safe and secure and who guides the conversation forward.

Question 8

Who are the other people I’m chatting with?

Accepted Answer

Regular people like you, who are going through a similar struggle as you so you’ll have that in common. You are all anonymous, so you won’t know each other’s real names, and contact information cannot be shared.

Question 9

Will I get advice?

Accepted Answer

In the chats, people may share what has helped them cope with their struggles. It is not meant as advice, because everyone is different, and you get to decide what is relevant and helpful to you. No one is going to make decisions for you. You may share your ideas, and together as a group you may brainstorm ideas with the other chatters. You’ll also receive resources like articles, videos, podcasts, meditation and mindfulness exercises, coping tools and healing techniques like worksheets.

Question 10

When are Supportiv chats open?

Accepted Answer

24-7-365 (really!) No matter what time of day or night, there’s always less than one minute wait time to start chatting.

Question 11

How long can I chat?

Accepted Answer

As long as you want. If one chat topic ends, and you wish to continue, you can be matched again right into another chat by sharing another struggle. And you can come back here to chat more as many times as you’d like.

Question 12

How much does this cost?

Accepted Answer

When you’re going through a rough time, one chat may not be enough. So, we created the 24 hour unlimited “Day Pass”. It’s one payment of $24 USD to chat, and if you want to return and chat more within the same 24 hour period, you can!

All payments are processed by reliable third-party payment processors like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Stripe so your anonymity is maintained.

There are a few reasons why the service is not free:
● The technology we created to match peers who understand each other’s struggles, plus match relevant resources and services to needs, is highly sophisticated, unparalleled and, frankly, costly.
● We extensively train and pay our moderators so everyone gets a supportive, troll-free, uplifting experience.
● There are no annoying ads, which many sites use to generate revenue and keep the service “free.”
● We don’t sell any user data, which happens on most “free” sites.

If you are truly unable to afford Supportiv, we still want to support you. Please email info@supportiv.com for a code.

Question 13

How can I contact Supportiv?

Accepted Answer

The best ways to reach the Supportiv team are via email at info@supportiv.com or by phone at 1-800-845-0015. Please keep in mind that emotional support is only available by chat.

Individuals FAQs