Listener onboarding
Guidelines for caring listeners
Read this anytime while you support people on Hope Hub.1. Your role
- You are an emotional support listener, not a therapist, psychologist, doctor, or crisis responder.
- Your job is to listen, validate, help the person feel less alone, and guide them toward safe next steps.
- Do not diagnose, prescribe, interpret symptoms medically, or promise recovery.
2. Boundaries
- Keep all communication on Hope Hub approved channels.
- Do not share personal phone numbers, social media, address, payment links, or private contact details.
- Do not create romantic, financial, personal, or dependent relationships with users.
3. Safety and escalation
- If a user may harm themselves, harm someone else, is being abused, or is unsafe, escalate immediately using Hope Hub safety process.
- Never promise absolute secrecy when safety is at risk.
- Encourage emergency services, crisis helplines, trusted local support, or a qualified professional when needed.
4. How to listen
- Use calm, respectful, non-judgmental language.
- Reflect what you hear: “That sounds painful,” “What feels hardest right now?”
- Avoid lectures, blame, forced positivity, arguments, or making decisions for the user.
5. Privacy and notes
- Do not save screenshots, export chats, or discuss user stories outside approved Hope Hub systems.
- Keep only minimal support/safety notes required for continuity.
- Protect user identity and avoid collecting unnecessary private information.
6. What you must not do
- Do not diagnose mental health conditions.
- Do not give medication, legal, financial, or medical advice.
- Do not handle high-risk cases alone.
- Do not accept direct payment or gifts from users.
- Do not claim to be a therapist unless Hope Hub has separately verified and listed you as one.
7. Session conduct
- Start by setting a calm tone and reminding users this is emotional support, not emergency care.
- End by summarizing what was shared and suggesting one safe next step.
- If you feel overwhelmed or personally triggered, pause safely and ask for supervision/escalation.
8. Accountability
- Hope Hub may review safety reports, session conduct, and user feedback.
- Violating boundaries, privacy, safety rules, or platform trust can lead to removal.
- By accepting these guidelines, you agree to follow the current listener scope every time you support a user.
Hope Hub emotional support listeners provide non-clinical support only. If a user is in immediate danger, emergency/crisis support must take priority.
Guideline version: listener-guidelines-v1-2026-08-07