Pest Minds Connections – Community Guidelines

Welcome to Pest Minds Connections.
This space is designed for gentle peer support, check-ins, and positive connection.
Everyone here is a volunteer or member of the pest community — we are not professionals, and no one is expected to “fix” anything. We simply listen, chat, and support each other safely.

Please read these guidelines before taking part.

1. This is a Peer Support Space

  • Pest Minds Connections offers peer support, not therapy.
  • No one here is trained or qualified to provide medical or clinical advice.
  • We listen, share, and support — we do not diagnose, treat, or instruct.

2. Keep Yourself and Others Safe

  • If you’re in immediate danger, please contact emergency services.
  • If you need urgent mental health help, please use your local crisis line or NHS services.
  • Volunteers are encouraged to signpost, not intervene.

3. Privacy and Confidentiality

  • Only share what you’re comfortable sharing.
  • Do not share anyone else’s personal information.
  • Respect anonymity — many people use aliases or separate accounts.

3.1 Workplace Privacy

For your safety and the safety of others:

  • Do not share the name of your employer or organisation.
  • Do not share specific details about your workplace, service area, or team.
  • Do not share identifiable customer information under any circumstances.

This protects your privacy, your job, and the people you support in your professional life.

4. Boundaries Matter

  • No one is “on call” — volunteers respond when they can.
  • Keep conversations respectful and balanced.
  • Do not pressure others to talk, disclose, or respond quickly.
  • You do not need to take on anything that feels overwhelming.
  • It’s OK to say:
    “This is too much for me — I’m going to bring in a moderator.”

5. No Medical, Legal, or Professional Advice

  • Do not give instructions on medication, diagnosis, or treatment.
  • Do not offer legal or financial advice.
  • It’s fine to share personal experiences in a non-directive way.

6. Kindness and Respect

  • Listen without judgement.
  • Avoid insults, sarcasm directed at others, or dismissive comments.
  • Everyone has different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences — respect them.

7. No Hate or Harassment

  • No discrimination or slurs of any kind.
  • No bullying, intimidation, or persistent messaging.
  • If someone asks for space, give it willingly.

8. No Sharing of Explicit or Graphic Content

  • Please avoid detailed descriptions of self-harm, suicidal actions, or trauma.
  • You can talk about feelings safely without going into graphic detail.

Example:
✔ “I’ve been feeling really low and could use someone to talk to.”
✖ “Let me describe exactly what I did yesterday…”

This keeps the space safe for everyone.

9. Keep Contact Within the Platform

  • We strongly advise NOT to exchange phone numbers, social media profiles, or personal email addresses.
  • This helps protect everyone’s boundaries and privacy.
  • Use only the Pest Minds Connections platform/channels to talk.

10. Moderation and Privacy

We want Pest Minds Connections to feel like a safe, private space to talk openly.
To support that:

🔒 1-to-1 conversations are private

  • Moderators and administrators do not read or monitor your private chats.
  • We will not see your 1-to-1 discussions unless they are directly reported to us.

🚨 Moderators respond when something is flagged

  • If a member reports a concern, safety issue, or guideline breach, moderators will step in.
  • We will only review the parts of the conversation that have been shared with us by the user raising the concern.

🛑 Our right to close a connection

To protect everyone’s wellbeing, moderators may:

  • Close a 1-to-1 connection
  • Remove a user from a server or channel
  • Disable access to Connections

This will only happen when:

  • A guideline is clearly broken
  • Someone is unsafe, inappropriate, or abusive
  • A user is putting others under pressure or causing harm

💬 You will never be silently monitored

You are free to talk openly and honestly in your private conversations.
We are only here to act when someone asks for help or raises an issue — not to watch or review your exchanges.

11. You Are Free to Leave at Any Time

  • There is no obligation to stay, reply, or continue.
  • You can take a break or step back whenever you need to. Though for the sake of politeness we ask that you say ‘I’m taking a break’ in your chat so your connection is aware.
  • If you feel uncomfortable, please let a moderator know.

💚 Thank you for being part of Pest Minds Connections

Your presence, kindness, and willingness to listen help make this a safe, supportive space for everyone.

If you agree to these guidelines, you’re welcome to take part.