7 Cups
 7 Cups' official company logo (as of 2023) | |
Type of site | Online counseling |
|---|---|
| Available in | 32 languages |
| Founded | July 2013 |
| Founder(s) | Glen Moriarty |
| URL | www |
| Commercial | Yes |
7 Cups (formerly called 7 Cups of Tea) is an online mental health platform that provides active listening to its users. The active listening services are provided by "listeners", who have been trained in active listening, via anonymous text or voice chats.[1][2][3]
The site features distinct groups for adolescent minors and adults over the age of eighteen.[4] Groups and sessions with listeners are free with an account, with paid counselling options available for a fee. An investigation by Everyday Health found that training to be a listener was very brief and not highly regulated.[5]
History
[edit]In July 2013, 7 Cups of Tea (as it was known then), was founded by psychologist Glen Moriarty as a Y Combinator startup.[1] The company later rebranded itself as simply 7 Cups.
The company derives its name from the eponymous poem by the 9th-century Chinese poet Lu Tong.
Reception and criticism
[edit]In April 2025, 7 Cups faced scrutiny over its therapist directory after findings circulated on social media suggested that out of more than 130,000 therapist profiles listed on the platform, only 67 were verified. These findings were later reported by Mashable, which revealed that 7 Cups had created unauthorized profiles for therapists without their consent, some of which contained inaccurate or misleading information.[6]
ChoosingTherapy.com also weighed in on the issue, noting that some therapist profiles on 7 Cups appeared to have been generated by scraping external sources and rephrasing content using artificial intelligence tools.
Upon doing their own investigation, their Editor in Chief, Dr. Melissa Boudin, PsyD found an unauthorized profile in her name on 7 Cups. She also discovered that patient inquiries made through the profile were never sent to her and, instead, the patient was redirected to 7 Cups’ peer support service. The unauthorized therapist profile was eventually removed after a request made to 7 Cups.[7]
These reports raised concerns about the transparency and reliability of 7 Cups' services, the ethics of listing therapists without consent, and the potential risks to individuals seeking legitimate therapeutic support.
Additional ethical and legal concerns have been raised by ChoosingTherapy.com after further research into 7 Cups' online therapy services led to the discovery that 7 Cups matches prospective clients with therapists that are not licensed in their state.[8]
The article highlighted that this practice may violate state licensing laws and could mislead users into receiving care from providers who are not legally authorized to offer services in their jurisdiction.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Shu, Catherine (5 August 2013). "Y Combinator Startup 7 Cups Of Tea Connects People In Need Of Emotional Support With Trained Listeners". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
- ^ "7 Cups of Tea provides 24/7 emotional support". USA TODAY College. 2015-01-23. Archived from the original on 2016-05-14. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
- ^ "Stressed-Out Startup Founders Find Support Online". KQED Future of You. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
- ^ Carpenter, Dakota. "Free app provides emotional support for students". Iowa State Daily. Archived from the original on 2020-08-12. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
- ^ "Why We Do Not Recommend 7 Cups Therapy". EverydayHealth.com. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ Ruiz, Rebecca (2025-04-17). "7 Cups' therapist directory is filled with fake profiles, raising ethical concerns". Mashable. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
- ^ Rueger, Abigail (2025-04-24). "The Ghost Network Behind 7 Cups". ChoosingTherapy.com. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
- ^ Rueger, Abigail (2025-05-12). "Is 7 Cups Online Therapy Legit? No". ChoosingTherapy.com. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ "Online or Internet Therapy". Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
External links
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