New to SANE Forums? You can get up to speed fast with the Forums’ features by doing some of these things:
Read some discussions
The entire Forum is publicly available to read, so you can browse the Carers and Lived Experience Forums or use the search bar to explore. You’ll get a good idea of how the Forums work and what kind of topics are discussed.
Register as a member
Ready to add your voice? Click the ‘Register’ link on any Forum page to become a member and join the conversation.
Add a profile pic
Each member has a username and a picture to represent them on the Forums. In your Profile you can upload an anonymous picture or choose one of our preset images to be your avatar or on the Forums.
Read the Community Guidelines
The Forums are a safe, respectful and anonymous place. The Guidelines help all members make sure their voice adds to those principles, and explains what happens if moderators need to take any post down.
Find a discussion to join
Now you’re a member, you can find a discussion you can join and contribute to. Browse, search or filter the Forum to find a conversation you’d like to be part of. Not sure where to start? Introduce yourself and let the community point you in the right direction.
Write a post
Reply to any post to add your voice to the conversation. Introduce yourself in your first post and join the conversation. Your post will appear in the discussion and be moderated.
Favourite a post
Seen a post you’d like to read again, or come back to? Click the star next to it (on desktop or tablet) to favourite it.
Like a post
If a post is great, tell the Forum and the member who posted it by clicking the thumbs-up ‘Like’ button.
Start a discussion
If you’ve got something to share, here’s your chance to start a new discussion. Share your experience, your story, your thoughts and feelings.
Read the How-tos
Need more in-depth information about how to use the Forums? There are detailed, step-by-step guides in the How-tos section.
Join some regular Forum events
Here are a few:
Ask Anything Monday
You can email us any time at team@saneforums.org with any questions that you’re reluctant to post under your username on the Forums. We post these anonymously on Mondays so that members of the community can respond.
Topic Tuesday
Every Third Tuesday of the month in the Lived Experience Forum, and every fourth Tuesday of the month in the Carers Forum, we have a lively discussion about a topical issue. Sometimes we have a guest speaker, or we host an in-house conversation between our peers to address an issue of interest.
The Friday Feast
An opportunity just to mingle with other members. Bring along a virtual plate of food and enjoy people’s company. It usually starts around 6pm AEST.
Career Chat
A regular series of discussions about mental health and work hosted by Ostara Australia, where members can share practical advice and personal experiences.
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Keep an eye on the Special Events topic for more events to join.
For more Forums Guides, see:
Please note: SANE Forums are peer-to-peer support services. The information provided is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between a patient and their health care professionals.
They do not provide crisis support or counselling. If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs urgent help call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or in an emergency call 000.
