Here at CS, we have spent a lot of time looking at how we can make the forum safer for the littles and teens of DID systems. Obviously, because littles are just kids, there are things on the main forum that are simply not appropriate or safe for them to be reading. It is very comparable to having our own children on the forum - it just wouldn't be appropriate for them to be reading in many areas... you would want to monitor and screen what they had access to.
We feel that, as a result of the special needs of this group of members, it was necessary to come up with some guidelines for the way the littles interact on the forum.
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DID Posting Guidelines
If you are DID, and have insiders who want to post here, they will need to have a separate user account created for them by the senior staff. (or alternatively, some members may find it more helpful for them to have group accounts created for them - one for each age group required.) There is a request thread for these accounts posted in the Ask the Staff forum! Before being eligible for insider access, the host must participate regularly for a period of 16 weeks. Only the host is allowed to use the host's account.
All littles & teens accounts will have access that is restricted to only forums which are safe for them. Hosts & protectors are encouraged to have access to these accounts, and to still watch over the younger members of the system when they are reading and posting on the forum. This will also help foster an environment in which internal communication is encouraged, and safe.
In order to ensure safety for everyone on the forum, we will request that any member who would like to post about parts, or would like accounts and access set up for their insiders, will need to have a diagnosis of DID from a trained professional with experience in trauma and dissociative disorders.
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Littles access will include 3 separate hidden forums : The Playroom, & the Littles Trigger Forum, Middle Place which have been designed specifically for younger children. This way they will have somewhere safer to post, and to form relationships with both other inside kids, and with safe staff and members here at CS. (A small group of trusted, regular members also have access there.) Not only does this keep these young members safe, but it will also allow them recognition as an individual - something which is vital for their healing!! Hosts of littles with access are required to also spend time in these areas providing support for the children.
For these same safety reasons, we discourage DID specific threads on the public forums. (i.e. threads whose topics are designed specifically for DID insiders) Most insiders need to be seen as individuals in order to work on their own healing, in much the same way as all survivors do.
Here at CS, we don't tend to have special threads only for people with PTSD or depression (for example), but rather, we tend to work very much on an individual basis. Each member will create their own threads to discuss the things they are dealing with - and people with DID, although they function on a different level, still have much the same issues as any other survivor.
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Therefore, any ideas for DID specific threads will need to be run by the senior staff before they are posted, and any threads posted without permission will be removed. (If you have a problem that relates specifically to your DID, it's still okay for you to discuss it in your threads of course!!)
Similarly to the littles, older kids & teens will also be required to have their own accounts set up if they wish to post. These accounts will be given access appropriate to their ages. This is so that they are able to interact with other people of similar age ranges to them. It would also mean that they are able to have somewhere hidden too, where they can talk about stuff that affects them as teens etc.
If either you or your teen feel that particular forums they have access to would be triggering for them, we can also modify each account individually to remove access to those areas.
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The following guidelines have been put in place to ensure greater safety for your insiders:
1. Each insider who wants to post will need to have their own account, or use a group account with access appropriate to their age. These accounts will be set up by the senior staff rather than the host, as we will set their access up as we create the accounts.
2. All new threads specifically for littles should be posted in 'The Playroom', or the littles trigger forum within it.
3. Insiders must only use their own accounts to post, as different age groups will have access tailored to their needs.
Anyone who does not respect these guidelines could risk losing their access.
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Access to Private Forums
In addition to these guidelines, any insider who wishes to have access to private forums must meet the same posting requirements that any other member must meet. This means that they will have had to be posting regularly on the regular forums for the specified time in order to gain access to private areas. Along with these requirements, any private forum access will be granted only after being okayed by the system host.
Along with these changes, new members who wish to have accounts created for insiders will be required to be regularly active for a period of 16 weeks before new accounts will be allowed.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us by posting in our Member Concerns & Resolution Place.
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This approach to posting on CS is designed to allow each insider the choice to be a person in their own right while on the forum. We believe that each insider should be allowed the opportunity to deal with their 'own' survivor issues, and to have a safe space to talk about what's happened to them - so that they can work towards healing.
There are different views on what 'healing' means for someone with DID. Some people believe that their goal should be one of 'integration' (where each part merges back with the host until they are no longer multiple). Others believe that integration is not necessary for healing, and that people with DID can learn to live healthily, whilst remaining multiple.
At CS, our policy is that the choice is entirely that of each system - and we will support members in working towards whatever goal they wish to aim for. We believe that for either goal, each insider needs to heal from their individual issues, in order for the whole person to find a place of healing.
If you have any questions about these guidelines, please feel free to ask them, as it is important to us that everyone understands our policies, and the reasons for them. If you would like to discuss this in private with the senior staff, rather than on the public boards, we would invite you to either email us, or to post in the conflict/concerns forum (where only the authors of each thread, and the senior staff, are able to read that thread). We will always take the time to work with each system to find the best way of working out these guidelines for their use!
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New accounts for insiders and access changes for those with DID
We just want to let everyone know that there are a few changes in the way that we will be granting access to insiders of members with DID. Up to this point, private forum access has been based on the hosts activity. However, from now on, any insider who wishes to have access to private forums must meet the same posting requirements that any other member must meet. This means that they will have had to be posting regularly on the regular forums for the specified time in order to gain access to private areas. Along with these requirements, any private forum access will be granted only after being okayed by the system host.
Along with these changes, new members who wish to have accounts created for insiders will be required to post regularly for 16 weeks before new accounts will be allowed.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us by posting in our Member Concerns and Resolution Place forum.
