Legal

Terms & Policies

Community Guidelines

Last Updated: May 17, 2021

The Starling Minds community is a supportive, respectful and empathetic space for our Members to share, validate and learn from one another’s experiences. We have a zero-tolerance policy for hateful, abusive, slanderous, defamatory, violent or discriminatory comments, threats, harassment or cyberbullying. 

The Starling Minds Community Team reviews all comments and will remove any that violate our zero-tolerance policy, and the account may be subject to suspension. Any posts containing profanity or that violate social or community norms are subject to removal or redaction at the discretion of the Starling Moderators. Moderators have the final say on whether a comment made in the Starling Minds Community meets community guidelines. 

Focus on Sharing as Opposed to Advice-Giving

Often, it is helpful to hear from others who have gone through similar situations. Whether it be related to therapy, medication, or thought processes, your own experiences are extremely valuable in helping others find hope and see that they are not alone on their mental health journey. Reflections on new perspectives or learnings also support others in managing their stress, anxiety and worry. Sharing experiences go a long way in normalizing and destigmatizing mental health. 

Within our Starling Community, we urge members to frame their language with empathy and compassion, focusing on listening and understanding instead of offering unsolicited advice or problem-solving. This will go a long way in helping others feel validated and understood. For example, try using phrases that indicate a sharing of experiences, such as “I have found it helpful to ____”, in place of problem-solving phrases such as, “You might need to _____” or “You should try to _____.”

Security and Safety

While other Starling Minds Members cannot see your progress and work within the program, note that your comments in the discussion section are visible to all; therefore, please be mindful of what you are posting. We respect your privacy and the privacy of those in your life; therefore, the Starling Community Team reserves the right to remove or redact any comments that reveal sensitive personal information. This may include but is not limited to names, addresses, place of employment, government entities, organizations, email addresses and insurance providers. 

Our moderators are extremely concerned with the safety of all our Members and will reach out and direct Members who’ve indicated or implied that they may be in danger of self-harm or harming others to the appropriate resources. Our Starling Moderators will identify themselves in their responses. Comments that provide false, misleading, or dangerous information will be removed at our Starling Moderators’ discretion. Disrespectful and inappropriate comments will be reviewed and subject to removal or redaction at the moderator’s discretion. We are here to make sure that the community remains a safe space.

Non-Commercial

This community is a place to learn and share your mental health journey. This is not the place to advertise a service or business for personal gain. Posts made for commercial purposes (e.g. links to irrelevant campaigns) will be removed at the Starling Community Team’s discretion.