One suggestion only - that we merge 'Fun Stuff' with 'Chit-Chat'!

Otherwise, full steam ahead, Cap'n!

I don't use all the forums, but it is nice to have them there- if I so choose. I do agree with Jones, though.

oops- In my haste, I think I voted incorrectly. What I meant was- I like the options.

quote:

children of alcoholic parents and substance abuse?only because they dont seem to be getting many posts. but then i guess people might get really triggered...hmm its difficult.

Yea, I am one of those triggered people- great insight Draggers. I just looked at ACOA part yesterday for the first time, and I too agree that the attachment stuff is mixed in there, but this is the wrong forum for that. I am avoiding that area for the time being, but whoever made that connection is insightful, indeed. I don't think the substance abuse and ACOA should be combined though, because many of us do not abuse drugs. We have other coping mechanisms. I could be wrong though.
Always nice to read your posts Draggers.

quote:

Originally posted by ultraviolet:
It seems we might have 3 different forums for the same content. Although it seems it wasn't intended this way, that is the result.

Coffee Talk at the Psych Cafe

Questions about content on MyShrink and/or being in therapy.

Stories and Personal Accounts About Therapy

I was just looking for a post i wanted to respond to and couldn't find it..

Thanks for asking!

yup agree!

quote:

I was just looking for a post i wanted to respond to and couldn't find it..

Me too- UV. I was loooking for the Post whereby everyone was sharing their Dreams. Anyone know where that is? It was a rather old one. Are threads deleted after a time?

Hmmm. I think it might be possible to tone it down a little. Let me think. You could combine chit chat and fun web sites, agreed. Another idea is to combine the Science of Psychology Forum with the Book Forum, since that is a lot of related discussion and articles. And then sure, you could combine the ACOA and the Substance Abuse Forum- I mean we are all responsible for avoiding reading things that upset us anyways, so- or we could have it the way it was before, and people post about problems like that under stories and coffee talk- or even sensitive issues, if feeling vulnerable about it.

Just a couple ideas, but I don't have any huge strong preferences or anything...just throwing this out there, Aglet, as disucssion...

Wow Draggers- you are Good! Yes- that is it.

I like having the separation to an extent. When there are so many threads in one forum it's actually harder to sift through it all and find the one I'm looking for. Although it does get tricky if I can't remember which forum it was in to begin with. If you combine the three main ones I think it could just be called Therapy Talk in general because that is what we talk about in all three.

I think the suggestions above are good ones in terms of consolidation although not sure about the ones involving substance abuse and ACOA because I don't go in those so I can't comment on that.

One thing that comes to mind...and again, it is just thoughts wandering randomly through my mind, so pleas understand that I'm not criticizing or anything...just that this is a nice place to distract right now!!! Is that, when there are a lot of different forums it gives the impression that one has to get their thoughts into the "correct slot." and that if we do not manage to do that we have "failed the forum" somehow. hmmm I guess I deal with that to some extent...I shouldn't post this here, it should have been over there...haha! oh the trials and errors you and shrinklady have, managing a forum for people in therapy!! You will probably both need years of expensive therapy to deal with th effects of surviving it! hah, just kiddin' around,

AAAAAAGGG! Page two!!! The horror!!

**clutches chest, falls down on the ground gasping..**

I hate page two.

BB,

Ha ha, you are so funny! Thanks for falling on the page two sword for the rest of us.

I hate page 3 even more!!

Agree with the above combinations. Sometimes I feel like I'm eenie-meenie-miney-moe-ing the two or three main sections to decide where to put a post. Now that we have a chit-chat forum, the coffee talk forum is confusing, because it is to include therapy topics, but maybe not necessarily as intense or something? I don't know. I don't have too much problems with ACOA/Substance Abuse, but I think those should probably be separate still. I guess books and Science of Psych could be combined into a "Further study on psychology and therapy" section or something like that...

I agree with Fun Stuff and Chit Chat being combined and Substance Abuse and the ACOA but I'd like to keep Personal Accounts of Therapy separate because that is where we post accounts of our sessions and if there are too many threads in there due to combining with other forums then threads are harder to find.

Personally, I'm fine with mostly all of the forums.

TN

quote:

Another idea is to combine the Science of Psychology Forum with the Book Forum,

Maybe it could be the Reading about therapy forum? or something like that...

I think combining Fun stuff forum and chit chat would be great too!

Coffee talk? I take that as the forum for intense stuff that may or may not have to do with therapy. I think it's good to have a forum like that in some way where non-therapy stuff is more included sometimes... Or am I off about what the forum is for?

I tend to post anywhere between Coffee Talk, Questions and Stories without much difference to them. I hope people don't mind if/when I post them in not the best spot for them.

Stories about therapy and Questions about therapy could be combined fairly easily though... ? except as TN said, more posts would fall to the bottom.

I think I would sometimes feel lost no matter how many forums (or how few) there are! I'm ok with it all as it is, and I'd be ok with changes too.

just a few thoughts,
~ jd

quote:

I think I would sometimes feel lost no matter how many forums (or how few) there are! I'm ok with it all as it is, and I'd be ok with changes too.

oh my JD, you said it...I feel the same way!

Any chance there can be a simple way to find "today's posts" or "most recent posts" with a button? I know that there is a way to see posts since last log-in, but that is a rather messy page sometimes, depending on the amount of posts that pop up.

I agree, I think that Questions/Stories could be combined, as could Fun/Chit-chat. I can, though, see how posts could fall further back and not get the response they might otherwise get.

I will say, I do like how forums that have new posts since my last visit are lit up in yellow. Makes for a quick check in to catch up!

Thanks, AG, for checking in on this for us!

I think there are too many forums and I have been reading here less because it is just too much to try and follow. And there is so much overlap i never know where to post. (warning - I am an organizational freak, i love planning shit!!)

I like some of the ideas suggested. This is how i would see it best organized.

Combining the book discussion, science of psychology forum, and let's add in questions about content from myshrink.com (so this is about dealing with psychology from a more technical viewpoint)

Then combine the adult children of alcoholics and substance abuse forum. Reminding people that this is abuse of any type of substance i.e alcohol, drugs (prescription or illegal), food etc. and that it is about dealing with it or the effects your abuse or someone else's abuse at any time in your life.

Then combine Fun stuff and Chit Chat (same shit different pages I think)

and after that can we combine coffee talk, stories about therapy and questions about being in therapy (so this is about dealing with psychology from a more personal viewpoint)

That would leave us with 5 forums in the general discussion area

psychology and therapy from a technical academic standpoint (i.e I read/saw/thought this cool......)

therapy and psychology from a personal standpoint (this is what is happening to me and i am looking for feedback)

Substance abuse and their effects on ourselves and within family systems

Sensitive issues

Intimate discussion

I would also suggest that the description of the forums be longer and flushed out more. So people have a really good idea of what to post where.

Just some ideas

CNC

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to say thank you for all the wonderful feedback. I have been reading but I want to let this soak for awhile and give more people a chance to respond before we make any changes. I really appreciate everyone's feedback.

AG

quote:

One other thing - and this is not a need or even a request really, just thinking out loud - I'd like an area devoted to positive therapy experiences. I say that because I feel sometimes that I'm being insensitive to the pain of others when I post about how well things are going for me at present in the midst of so much pain and angst, and maybe others do too at times?

This is really thoughtful of you, Monte- but I think it's a mistake, personally. It is crucial for people to be able to read about good therapy experiences. We cannot possibly avoid pain in this world. Seeing what someone else has that we may desire to have towards our own healing, can be therapeutic in itself for those of us who are finding our therapy less connective than we might wish it to be. And it is always our own responsibility to stop reading of something is too upsetting for us. Personally, I like to read about the good experiences people have in therapy- it gives me a reference point.

hugs,

BB

I'm so confused!

I think you are just being caring and thoughtful, Monte- as you are prone to being. It's a good idea...I was just throwing my two cents in. So much safer to disagree here among friends who will not oust me than with my T, I suspect.

quote:

- I'd like an area devoted to positive therapy experiences. I say that because I feel sometimes that I'm being insensitive to the pain of others when I post about how well things are going for me at present in the midst of so much pain and angst, and maybe others do too at times?

I loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee that idea. I think its great. I’ve noticed since the first day I posted on the forum that negative stories are the majority of the forum, so a “positive stories” thread would even it out! I feel bad sharing positive stories. I especially feel like I can’t share positive stuff about my T and I reconciling since many have gone though a forced termination and not been able to keep seeing their T’s. There are so many new forums right now it probably wouldn’t be good to add another now though.
M.

oh please oh please post the positive stories! in a thread, in a seperate forum, mixed in with everything else, here or there, or anywhere... (ok, now i sound like dr suess) but seriously, please do share.

yeah, i have gotten triggered now and then by positive stories when i have been hurting, but it's been healing too and well worth it. it is also healing for me to share my own positive stories for myself too and helps me feel more brave to do that myself. and i like celebrating the positive stories with people, even when i'm hurting!

if anyone is worried about triggering people, then i guess you could put a "hey this is positive story" trigger warning on it - (i don't think this is required or needed at all) but it could be a way for you to feel like you protect against that?

and please do share... if you want and all... no pressure... seriously!



negative, mixed, any stories totally welcome!

jd

Agree with Jane, wholeheartedly, here.