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TWHJ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Care of Self & Others . Message Forums . Administration . Miscellaneous
Care of Self & Others
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Message Forums
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Administration
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Miscellaneous
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I'm in crisis. Is there someone I can talk to?
Are you a person under age 18? Click here for helpful resources.
The Wounded Healer Journal does not offer crisis intervention or any other professional service.
If you are in the care of a mental health professional, call them first since they are usually in the best position to understand your immediate needs.
If you are not in immediate crisis and desire to locate a mental health professional in your area, try the Who's Who in Mental Health on the Web database, which contains practice descriptions of hundreds of social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors around the world.
Please help us maintain an accurate resource. Report additions, broken links/non-working numbers by clicking here.
This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of crisis resources. Instead, it is meant as a starting point for you to explore.
Unless indicated otherwise, the following numbers
are for residents of the U.S.
- RAINN: Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (USA) 1-800-656-HOPE)
- Hopeline - 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) "THE HOPE LINE NETWORK 1-800-SUICIDE is not limited to use by depressed or suicidal callers. It is also a valuable resource for anyone concerned about someone who seems at risk, despondent, hopeless, or considering a self-destructive act."
- SAMARITANS USA: http://www.mhnet.org/samaritans/
- SAMARITANS UK/IRELAND: http://www.samaritans.org.uk/
- Childhelp USA National Hotline: 1-800-422-4453
- Covenant House Nineline is a 24-hour, toll-free crisis hotline which provides crisis intervention, referral and information services to homeless, runaway and other troubled youth and their families throughout the U.S. With a database of over 26,000 agencies, trained crisis counselors are able to refer callers to help in their own communities.
Covenant House NINELINE 1-800-999-9999 TTY: 1-800-999-9915
- Boy's Town (*Not* just for boys): 1-800-448-3000
- Kids Help Phone (Canada/Bilingue): 1-800-668-6868
- Tel-jeune (Canada/Bilingue): 1-800-263-2266
- Suicidology.org - Click the button labelled "Crisis Centers"
- Self-Help for Self-Injury by Anonymous: http://www.mindspring.com/~thefly/selfinjury.htm
- Secret Shame (Self-Injurers): http://www.palace.net/~llama/psych/injury.html
- Befrienders - Gateway to to 1,700 suicide and emotional helplines worldwide and on the Net
- Childline (UK): 0800 1111 1111 - UK's free national helpline for children and young people in trouble or danger
- Rape Crisis Federation (UK) 0115 934 8474
- Secret Shame: http://www.palace.net/~llama/psych/injury.html
If you are in immediate danger, Call 911, your local crisis response line, or go to an Emergency Room
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What should I do if someone at TWHJ claims to be in an ongoing abusive situation and requests my help to escape it?
While your response is ultimately up to you, the administration of TWHJ does not support or participate in "rescue" efforts. An exception to this is in the case of mandated reporting of the abuse of minors. Since we refer those under age 18 elsewhere to sites which are equipped to deal with them, this circumstance will be rare. But with respect to adults (over age 18) who report that they experience continued abuse, here are some issues for consideration.
There is no way to accurately assess the reality of another person's life solely over the web. People can and do misrepresent their circumstances for a variety of reasons.
People who are in distress cannot be sure that others who offer to "help" are safe people. If we promote rescue efforts, we can't know for certain that we are helping people to true safety and not just promoting an "out of the frying pan and into the fire" experience.
People who have been abused may require support or assistance for an extended period of time. How long would you be willing or able to make a commitment to help? What if support is still required in two, three, five years? Are you setting yourself up to disappoint the person you seek to help because of their unrealistic expectations of your availability and resources?
Adults who are being abused have options for help in the U.S. and elsewhere, and social service programs which can help them in various ways. But first and foremost, they need to do what they can to help themselves. They need to call the police, report the abuse, and be willing to accept realistic help as it is offered. If they are not willing or able to do these things, then the long-term success of a "rescue" attempt may be questionable.
Another consideration for someone in a family who is considering helping someone in such straits is whether or not there are children present in the family who might be adversely impacted by the person seeking help. We know that sometimes, but not always, people perpetuate the abuse that was done to them. Of course, this would be tragic for everyone -- but not an outcome which is totally unexpected. Also, what if the person you seek to help becomes re-traumatized while in your care, or makes allegations that they are being harmed by you or your family? You and your family need protection, too.
We have no way to assess the mental health status of people over the internet. Can you be sure you are not inviting someone into your life who has severe behavioral or social problems or even a history of serious criminal behavior?
For these reasons, people who are needing help need to find social services to help them in ways that have safe boundaries -- in their own town or in a nearby city.
If the person in question has been participating at TWHJ very long, you can be assured that others have already suggested reasonable alternatives for him or her. Perhaps the best course of action would be to encourage follow-up on the advice given by others.
As one friend of mine wryly said, "Try lending a hand, and not the whole body." Listening, responding, supporting in the message forums can be extremely valuable in and of itself. Don't underestimate what you can do from afar!
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Can you help me locate a local group therapy or support group?
If you have a therapist, begin by asking them for a recommendation or referral.
We recommend calling your local rape crisis, domestic violence or women's center and asking them if they are aware of any resources. If you live near a major university, their counseling and testing center may have information, too -- although whether or not such groups (if on campus) would be available to a non-student may vary.
Also, try the United Way referral service or local Mental Health Association to see if they have lists of support groups.
Another strategy might be to check the phonebook for people who work with abuse and trauma survivors and contact them to see if they are aware of any possibilities. Community mental health centers may also be good resources for this information.
Also, consider contacting Survivors of Incest Anonymous or Incest Survivors Anonymous
to see if there are any chapters in your area (or to start one).
Another opportunity for face-to-face contact with other people who have survived abuse is at the annual VOICES in Action conference.
Good luck in your search!
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How do I join TWHJ?
Go to the TWHJ Forums and click on the "Register" link for details.
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Is there a closed forum for therapists who have experienced abuse?
From Linda Chapman:
We carefully considered this question several times. Here are some of my thoughts.
Forums that are "exclusive" to mental health professionals tend to leave others feeling excluded, even when that is not the intention. There is a power imbalance inherent in being a "helper". Closing the doors to non-professionals reinforces the distinction between professionals and non-professionals. That is antithetical to the purposes for which this site was originally designed. My goal then (and what I hope to see continue at TWHJ) is to see all participants here as equals.
If you are going to have a "gate" you must have a "gatekeeper." Credential checking is a pain in cyberspace. And... Who qualifies to participate? Standards are not uniform around the world. In some areas, people with 4-year college degrees (or less) can practice. Others require graduate degrees and licensure or certification. Ultimately *someone* will get excluded and feel hurt, discriminated against, left out.
In my experience running some small listservs for professionals, I saw that it was no panacea to limit participation to professionals. The more I hang around mental health pros, the more I know that we professionals are just people with letters after our names. Of course we have the same quirks, personality problems and issues as anyone else. (Ask any client! ) Maybe we're a shade more likely to have worked on our stuff, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything in the aggregate.
Limiting participation to professionals also means that you will have a very small number of people to draw input from. Occasionally a few mental health pros will hang out at TWHJ on a regular basis, but most people I know who are practicing barely have time to check their e-mail.
People who do not have abuse histories also tend not to be interested or motivated to hang around talking about it in their personal time. I would worry a little about those who do!
In my experience, it is much richer to have a give and take among all different kinds of people. There are people here without degrees who may be far more knowledgeable and articulate about the therapy process than 9/10ths of the actual "trained therapists" (I always think of "trained seals" for some reason when I read that phrase ) you'll run across.
So... My vote is to encourage you continue using TWHJ as is. Let's maintain a welcoming place for all kinds of people with all kinds of backgrounds, including therapists with trauma histories.
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I recently signed up but never received a forum username or password.
It may take a few days for new accounts to be approved and activated. If you have
waited longer than 3-4 days please re-apply or contact the forum administrator for
assistance.
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I've lost my username or password for the forums.
If you can remember the e-mail address you used when registering you can reset your
password. Otherwise, simply create a new user account by selecting the "Register" link in the
upper right hand corner of the forums at http://twhj.net/u.
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Is it OK to link to TWHJ from my page?
To add a link to TWHJ to your website... Simply copy and paste the following code to your HTML source:
<A HREF="http://twhj.com">The Wounded Healer Journal</a>
To link directly to the Forums: <A HREF="http://twhj.net">The Wounded Healer Journal Forums</a>
Thanks for the link!
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Would you add a link to my website?
If you have a website which you feel is relevant to TWHJ, please send an e-mail with
your link to twhj@twhj.net.
The decision to add links is solely at the discretion of the administrator. Because of time
constraints, we do not provide feedback or respond to inquiries about when or why a link has or has not been added.
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How can I find mental health professionals in my area?
Word of mouth is a good way to find a therapist. Ask friends and acquaintances for their recommendations.
Another option for people in the U.S. and Canada is to check here.
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I would like to interview child abuse survivors for my project.
This is a support-oriented site, and the needs of our members come first. We regret that we are unable to assist with requests for interviews of our members.
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I need information about child abuse for my homework assignment.
We regret that we cannot provide homework assistance. Please try a websearch instead.
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Why don't you allow users to exchange e-mail addresses or post urls or pointers to other websites in the forums?
For several years we did allow people to post this kind of information. Then we began to notice that some of our participants were using the forums primarily as a means to create social relationships (outside of TWHJ) which were sometimes disastrous.
We also noted that some people seemed to enjoy stirring things up, being disruptive, and that they used e-mail for this purpose. While posting urls or directions to other websites seems innocuous, in practice we have seen that doing so can undermine the operation of the board.
Because we want TWHJ to be an agent of healing and not of destruction or confusion, we decided that clear boundaries were needed. Keeping this boundary helps us maintain a focus on what we do best: Creating a place where people can discuss issues of mutual interest in relative safety and anonymity.
Choosing to participate at TWHJ means agreeing to honor this parameter. While you are certainly free to disagree with this policy, it is non-negotiable and any discussions pro or con should take place through e-mail with Admin. Furthermore, if you wish to post information about any other site, please e-mail it to TWHJ Admin at twhj@twhj.net and we will review it and pass the information along if we feel it is appropriate.
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What are the terms and conditions for the use of this site?
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE ACCESSING THE WOUNDED HEALER JOURNAL. BY ACCESSING THE WOUNDED HEALER JOURNAL, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS BELOW. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, YOU MAY NOT ACCESS OR USE THE WOUNDED HEALER JOURNAL.
By accessing The Wounded Healer Journal you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions listed below:
Rules. While visiting The Wounded Healer Journal ("TWHJ"), you may not: post, transmit or otherwise distribute information constituting or encouraging conduct that would constitute a criminal offense or give rise to civil liability, or otherwise use The Wounded Healer Journal in a manner which is contrary to law or would serve to restrict or inhibit any other user from using or enjoying The Wounded Healer Journal or the Internet; post or transmit any information or software which contains a virus, cancelbot, trojan horse, worm or other harmful or disruptive component; upload, post, publish, transmit, reproduce, or distribute in any way, information, software or other material obtained through The Wounded Healer Journal which is protected by copyright, or other intellectual property right, or derivative works with respect thereto, without obtaining permission of the copyright owner or rightholder.
Monitoring. We have no obligation to monitor The Wounded Healer Journal. However, you agree that We have the right to monitor The Wounded Healer Journal electronically from time to time and to disclose any information as necessary to satisfy any law, regulation or other governmental request, to operate The Wounded Healer Journal properly, or to protect itself or its users. We will not intentionally monitor or disclose any private electronic-mail message unless required by law. We reserve the right to refuse to post or to remove any information or materials, in whole or in part, that, in its sole discretion, are unacceptable, undesirable, or in violation of this Agreement.
Privacy. We cannot insure or guarantee privacy for TWHJ users. It is therefore recommended that this service not be used for the transmission of confidential information. Any such use shall be at the sole risk of the user, The Wounded Healer Journal and any affiliate and related companies shall be relieved of all liability in connection therewith.
Limitation of Liability. The Wounded Healer Journal does not take any responsibility for the accuracy or validity of any claims or statements contained in the documents and related graphics on The Wounded Healer Journal. Further, neither The Wounded Healer Journal make any representations about the suitability of any of the information contained in the documents and related graphics on The Wounded Healer Journal for any purpose. All such documents and related graphics are provided without warranty of any kind. In no event shall The Wounded Healer Journal be liable for any damages whatsoever, including special, indirect or consequential damages, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of information available from the service.
Recourse. If you are dissatisfied with The Wounded Healer Journal or with any terms, conditions, rules, policies, guidelines, or practices of The Wounded Healer Journal in operating The Wounded Healer Journal, your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue using The Wounded Healer Journal.
Identifying Information. We strongly encourage all users to withold all identifying information. If, at any time, identifying information is made available to The Wounded Healer Journal in conjunction with disclosures of abuse, We will, as required by law, report such abuse to the appropriate child welfare authority.
Indemnity. You agree to defend, indemnify and hold The Wounded Healer Journal harmless from any and all liabilities, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, related to any violation of this Agreement by you, or in connection with the use of The Wounded Healer Journal or the Internet or the placement or transmission of any message, information, software or other materials on The Wounded Healer Journal or on the Internet by you.
Trademarks. The Wounded Healer Journal, Healing-Journey and other names, logos and icons identifying The Wounded Healer Journal products and services referenced herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. All other product and/or brand or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Miscellaneous. This Agreement, including any and all documents referenced herein constitute the entire agreement between The Wounded Healer Journal and you pertaining to the subject matter hereof. The failure of The Wounded Healer Journal to insist upon or enforce strict performance of any provision of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any provisions or right. If any of the provisions contained in this Agreement be determined to be void, invalid or otherwise unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, such determination shall not affect the remaining provisions contained herein. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the state of Pennsylvania and the federal laws of the United States applicable therein.
ACCEPTANCE OF THESE PROVISIONS CONSTITUTES YOUR UNDERSTANDING THAT NO PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OF ANY KIND ARE OFFERED BY OR THROUGH THIS WEBSITE.
USE OF THIS SITE SIGNIFIES YOUR AGREEMENT TO THE TERMS OF USE.
Rights. Unless expressly permitted by the provider of such material, the material obtained from or through the The Wounded Healer Journal may not be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means physical, electronic or otherwise. The Wounded Healer Journal have no liability for any information or services provided on or through The Wounded Healer Journal or the Internet, except as set forth in the terms and conditions. In providing information and services, The Wounded Healer Journal make no warranties regarding the content and its application by users, or regarding the accessibility and security of its services. Users are responsible for ensuring that any information they use is appropriate to their purposes. This information is not meant as a substitute for qualified professional advice. Users should continue to seek information from a qualified professional specific to the situation. This disclaimer is made on behalf of The Wounded Healer Journal, its administrator(s) and any sponsors, corporations, individuals, government agencies and organizations that present information on The Wounded Healer Journal.
Revised: 09/15/2002. THANK-YOU FOR VISITING THE WOUNDED HEALER JOURNAL!
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I have a book or publication that I think may be of interest to your visitors.
If you have a resource which you feel is relevant to TWHJ, please send an e-mail with information to twhj@twhj.net. The decision to add resources or reviews to this site is solely at the discretion of the administrator. Because of time constraints, we regret that we cannot in most cases provide feedback or respond to inquiries about when or why a resource has or has not been added. Thank-you for understanding.
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My husband/wife/partner was abused. Can you help me?
4/25/2004: We have had a FAQ for partners and allies of abuse and trauma survivors in the past. It is being updated.
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Who is responsible for this site?
Linda Chapman was the original creator and administrator of TWHJ from 1995-2002. As of 9/15/2002 the admin and owner of TWHJ is Carol McClure. All questions and contacts related to the website, forums or Healing Journey chat should be directed to Carol McClure.
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Where can I find a chat room?
Healing
Journey & Warmroom Chats
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Forum Guidelines
The Wounded Healer Journal (TWHJ) is for Adult Survivors
of Trauma and Abuse. We realize that there are some
people diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder
(DID) and have young alters that like to post. TWHJ
is not designed for alters posting in the forums. However,
we will permit young alters to post in The Park forum
and the Lighten Up forum for jokes. In The Park forum
they can play, and have conversations with other young
alters. We won't, however permit the discussions of
subjects that are triggering, difficult, and generally
belong in a theraputic setting. Since TWHJ is a peer
supported site, members are generally not equipped to
deal with young alters nor is it fair to ask them to
do so. The ownership of this site firmly believes that
support for young alters belongs with the host and the
therapist, not a public forum. Members will be held
responsibile for any behaviors and posts of their alters.
TWHJ was designed for adults and adult conversations.
We cannot be all things to all people, and thus limit
our scope to those areas we feel we can be helpful and
productive.
For everybody's safety we will not permit posting
of email addresses, URL's, chat handles, or any identifying
information.
Do not try to disguise your email addresses in conversations
nor direct members to other sites on the web in any
manner. If a member has a URL they feel is relevant
please email use the "Submit URL" link at
the top of the topics page in the forums. URL's are
reviewed for their appropriatness before posting. Also,
all URL's submitted may not be posted at the discretion
of the Moderators.
Spamming the forums is prohibited. Doing so will result in a permanent loss of membership. (Spamming the forums would be posting the same message in more than 2 Forum Topics. (ie. Member to Member, Chat Connection, etc.)
Please be respectful of yourself and other members
when posting. This is a suppport community.
No discussion of Suicide in any manner is permitted
in the forums.
Please use the proper forums for the proper subjects.
There are over 60 forums of a variety of subjects in
which to post. (ie. writing, poetry, etc. belong in
the Writing Forum, jokes and fun activities belong in
Lighten Up forum, etc.)
Do not post copyrighted material in the forums. There
are legal issues associated with this, which we need
to avoid. (ie. poetry, song lyrics, articles from magazines
or web sites, etc.)
By accessing TWHJ you indicate your agreement with and
acceptance of the Terms
and Conditions
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How to add TWHJ to your favorites (bookmarks).
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Should I use asterisks or spoilers in
my forum posts?
The purpose of the forums are to promote healing from
trauma and abuse. It is assumed that most people are
here because they are dealing with some degree of painful
life experiences and thus will experience a degree of
triggering when encountering certain posts.
Graphic descriptions of traumatic events are off-topic
in the forums. This includes detailed descriptions of
abusive events. If we observe that these kinds of descriptions
are being posted, we will (at our discretion) edit and/or
delete the problem post.
Each person who visits the forums is responsible for
their own safety and well-being. Depending on where
a person is in their healing process, the forums may
be too triggering for comfort. In that case, it may
be appropriate to consult with a therapist and consider
whether or not participation here is appropriate at
a given time.
Occasionally people take "breathers" from the forums
for this reason, and they're always welcome to come
back at a later time when participation is more manageable.
Our preference is that people avoid the use of asterisks
(*) or "spoilering" within words and sentences. It makes
text unreadable and can actually be as triggering in
and of itself as the unspoilered word is.
After all, if every other word is spoilered, it loses
its power.
However, using asterisks to create space within a post
to encourage the reader to take extra care before proceeding
is ok. That would look something like this: *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Somewhat disturbing content, use caution...
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
However, due to the fact that the forum messages are
listed sequentially on a page, such spoilering is kind
of ineffective since you have to scroll down to read
"unspoilered" posts.
It is no failing on anyone's part to need to take a
breather to work in therapy (or elsewhere) to develop
containment methods to stay safe while reading the content
here. It's a part of the self-care skills everyone needs
in life.
We hope this clarifies the policy here at TWHJ on the
use of spoilers and creating safety.
It may be an imperfect solution, but we feel each person
is more empowered when we decide to do what is necessary
to keep ourselves safe, even if it means closing the
browser and walking away.
And on that note, we need to avoid begging people to
stay when they are clearly overwhelmed. Though we wish
they might be able to stay, we need to honor their efforts
to do what is in their own best interests.
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Do you have a list of helplines for
children and/or teenagers?
The Wounded Healer Journal is designed for adults over
the age of 18. Here are some crisis lines and resources
which are specifically for people under age 18:
"Just Say No" International - Drug & Alcohol Help 800-258-2766 (24 hrs)
CANADA
Kid's Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 (24 hrs)
AIDS/Sexually Transmitted Diseases Info 1-800-772-2437
End Abuse - Domestic Assault Line 1-800-END-ABUSE (24 hrs)
Zenith Child Abuse Reporting & Help Dial the Operator and ask for "Zenith 1234" (24 hrs)
USA
Eating Disorders Help Line 1-800-382-2832 (24 hrs)
Domestic Abuse/Assault 1-800-333-SAFE (24 hrs)
Teen AIDS Line 800-234-TEEN (Mon-Fri) 800-440-TEEN (weekends)
National AIDS Line 1- 800-342-AIDS
National Teen Gay & Lesbian Hotline 1-800-347-TEEN (Thurs.-Sun., 7 pm-11:45 pm ET)
Family/Children's Mental Health Hot Line 1-800-654-1247 (24 hrs)
National STD Hotline 800-227-8922 (24 hrs)
Childhelp USA - Child Abuse Reporting 1-800/4-A-CHILD (24 hrs)
Family Violence Help Line 1-800/222-2000 (24 hrs)
National Runaway Hot Line 1-800-HIT-HOME (24 hrs)
Runaway Help Line 1-800-621-4000 (24 hrs)
Covenant House Crisis Support 1-800-999-9999 (24 hrs)
Suicide Help Line 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
Youth Crisis Line 1-800-448-4663
RAINN - Rape Support Line 1-800-656-HOPE
Pregnancy Support and Advice 1-888-4-OPTIONS
General Crisis Counselling 1-800-785-8111
This site has a much longer list and includes resources for other areas: TeenAdviceOnline.org
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Help! My password doesn't work.
Passwords are CaSe sEnSiTiVe. That is, flOWer and FloWer are seen as two completely different passwords. You must enter your password exactly as it was sent to you by the system. Also, please doublecheck and make sure that you have not mistaken a number for a letter, or vice versa. Zero and the letter "O" look a lot alike, as do l ("el") and 1 ("one").
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I need to stop receiving forum posts.
Log in to Your Account from the main TWHJ forums page and uncheck the boxes associated with the forums you are subscribed to. Save your changes.
If that doesn't work, you may have signed up more than once using a different username. If this is the case, ask the administrators for help.
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I posted something I shouldn't have.
Click on the Edit icon on the problem post (it looks like a pencil and paper). Log in and edit the message as desired within 30 minutes after posting.
If it has been more than 30 minutes since the message was posted, you can ask the admins for help but whether or not they will intervene is
strictly their prerogative.
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What if this FAQ doesn't answer my question?
Send a message to Carol
McClure . We will attempt to respond to your question
within 1-7 days.
If your question pertains to the message forums, please
detail what steps you have already tried to resolve
the problem, and forward any e-mails you have received
from the forum system. If you are having technical difficulties,
post in the Forum Tech Support Forum. Often times others
have experienced and solved some of the problems and
can be of help.
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TWHJ has been a great help to me. How can I give something back?
Thank-you for asking. First of all, be assured that simply by participating you are already giving back to our community. When you post and reply to others' messages, you inspire others to keep on keeping on. That is one of the most important ways of "giving back."
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What are "cookies" and how safe is my personal info at the TWHJ forums?
Do not store any information in your profile which you do not wish to disclose. While no one but myself has legitimate access to any data in the profiles, we cannot guarantee that the server is hack-proof or that the software might malfunction. Not even the White House could guarantee that for its own website.
Therefore, you are 100% responsible for safeguarding your own privacy by ensuring that you include no information in your profile that you do not wish others to see, including your e-mail address. If your e-mail address contains your real name or other identifying data, consider setting up a free, anonymous web-based e-mail account for the purpose of your participation here.
Do not include your real name or other identifying information in your profile.
We do reserve the right to designate one or more trusted people ("designees") to assist us in the operation of the board. Were something to happen to me that would prevent our continued operation of the site, those people would be able to access the userfile so that the members could be notified of an alternate site, etc.
The use of "cookies" enables the software to "remember" which forums you have visited and whether or not there are new messages in them. They also have something to do with the "search" facility and remembering username and password between visits. Cookies reside on your computer, not the server. If you want to know more, do a websearch on "Cookies."
Incidentially, cookies have been in use at TWHJ forums for approximately 4-5 years. If you locate the directory on your computer which holds cookies of the sites you have visited, you will note that you have been leaving "cookie crumbs" all over the internet. Furthermore, every webserver automatically records data about each visitor (IP address, platform, referrer, browser type, operating system) for statistical purposes.
There are risks involved in everything we do. It is our intention to keep the risks in participating at TWHJ at a minimum. However, as any internet security expert will tell you -- the individual user is usually the weakest link in the security chain. Therefore, we are glad that you are asking these questions and we hope our answers are, if not enlightening, at least fodder for your further investigation of internet security.
There's a ton of information online on this topic. One good tutorial for domestic violence victims, for example, is at: HOW AN ABUSER CAN DISCOVER YOUR INTERNET ACTIVITIES
If anyone finds a safer message forum, please fill us in so we can emulate their methods.
Also see: Terms and Conditions you agreed to when joining the site.
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Can I change my TWHJ username?
You will need to delete your account, and then create
a new one. Excessive changing of usernames is prohibited.
Also, there can only be one account per person.
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A post I was wanting to save or print was deleted. Do you have a copy?
Older posts are periodically deleted in order to make room for new posts and to cut down on the time it takes forum pages to load. Some forum messages are available through the message archives. It is
recommended that you copy or save posts that are important to you since the forums are constantly changing and we cannot guarantee that specific messages will remain available over time. It may be useful to set up a free e-mail account for this purpose.
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