Anonymous posts are intended for serious, personal, sensitive information (e.g., fertility, divorce, discrimination, STDs, hemorrhoids, enuresis, therapists, disability, sexual dysfunction HIV, TB, abortion, financial issues, Nanny situations, etc).
NOTE: If we allow things been covered in past public discussions to be posted anonymously people become scared to show their imperfections and the community becomes less genuine, leading to people hiding behind the anonymous option to get questions answered. We may ask that you post publicly for the community's sake.
You can review the most frequent anonymous requests and questions HERE.
Anonymous Post Basics
We post anonymous messages on behalf of members when your questions cover serious, personal, sensitive information (e.g., fertility, divorce, discrimination, STDs, hemorrhoids, enuresis, therapists, disability, sexual dysfunction, HIV, TB, abortion, financial issues, nanny situations, etc). It's not meant for somewhat embarrassing but otherwise harmless situations (lice, "my child put a pea up his nose," "should I be worried about hot dogs?" etc.).
💌 Please send your message to: anonymous@parkslopeparents.com
If you’d like us to post to a group other than our general Advice/Community Group, let us know that when you write.
📣 IMPORTANT: Anonymous posts are not meant for somewhat embarrassing but otherwise harmless situations (lice, "my child put a pea up his nose," "should I be worried about hot dogs?" etc.)
❓Extenuating circumstances? Ask for a special exception.
💬 You can review the most frequent questions that come up in anonymous posts (and read some PSP members' thoughtful answers) here, and we're including some of those below. You can also find a lot of recommendations for therapists, real estate brokers, attorneys, etc. in PSP's archives and on our website. We collect lots of good information!
Anonymous Post Guidelines
- To post, please send your message to: anonymous@parkslopeparents.com
- Please absolutely do NOT send a message directly to a PSP group address with "Post anonymously" in the subject or body of the email. Given the volume of email on the groups, your request for anonymity could be missed—and if that happened, your message could go out with your name and email attached.
- Unless you request that answers to your post be sent directly to you only, they will be posted to the group. Our experience has shown that if you have a personal question, other people have it too, and the answers will help many people.
- Please make sure that both posts and answers are supportive and thoughtful, just as though you were posting to the list and signing your name.
- ***UPDATE***: In response to feedback received, if negative reviews are shared about a business in response to an anonymous request for advice, these will be shared will the full list: 1) unless the responder asks that their response go solely to the original poster and 2) as long as they do not violate our review policy (see here).
- We do not post negative reviews of businesses anonymously as one-off requests to our group. If you have something negative to say, and it fits within our negative review guidelines, post it with your name to the Advice Group. If you have a truly negative experience, consider using the services of the Better Business Bureau and regulatory agencies, if relevant, to report and/or resolve the dispute.
REMINDER: We have a dedicated moderator who handles all requests, so please wait 24-36 hours for your question to be posted. (It goes through a secure screening process to protect your anonymity.) Also check your spam and social promotions if you don’t see a message from us (they like to hide there).
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Park Slope Parents anonymous post mechanism isn’t truly anonymous: The anonymous moderator and key members of the PSP staff have access to the poster’s original email. Though PSP is committed to keeping all anonymous information confidential, if PSP receives anonymous posts that include information giving us reasonable cause to suspect child abuse, neglect, or maltreatment, that will be reported to proper authorities.
💓 A final note on what goes into posting anonymously vs. publicly: If we allow things that have been covered in past public discussions to be posted anonymously, people become scared to show their imperfections and the community becomes less genuine, leading to people hiding behind the anonymous option to get questions answered. The more open and honest we can be about needing help, the more supportive we can be, and the more we can learn from each other and build a stronger community. We may ask that you post publicly for the community's sake.
Longer Story: We balance the community's hope for openness and a member's need for privacy. That can sometimes lead to making difficult decisions about what we post anonymously. There are times that we feel that posting a certain topic anonymously will end up driving something that should be discussed openly into a "taboo" topic only to be discussed through the back door of anonymous posts. In these cases, you may receive a push back for you to post to the Advice group or one of our smaller groups. Please think about the reasons why we ask you to go public, and understand that it's most likely not personal. We do our best to offer patience and compassion to everyone, and we ask that you offer our Anonymous Post Moderator the same. Anonymous posts are extra work for our moderation team; they post some messages privately (those that you never see) and publicly, ask questions of our Mental Health and Medical Liaisons, and do so much more work to help our members.
Posting publicly helps us all acknowledge that we are all trying to navigate the challenging waters of parenting and urban life. Furthermore, the more open and honest we can be about needing help, the more supportive we can be and the more we can learn from each other to build a stronger community. Plus, you can make connections with people that wouldn't happen if it's all behind closed doors. There are times that members aren't happy with our choice to deny a member but it's a delicate balance that we're trying to achieve.
Review the most frequent anonymous requests and questions on our FAQs to Anonymous posts including:
Therapists
Recommended mental health professionals, including:
Recommended couples therapists
What Kind of Therapy is Best for Me?
9 Tips for Finding the Right Therapist
PSP Resources and Advice About Therapy
Anxiety/Trauma issues
Recommended trauma therapists (adult)
Depression and PMADs
Help, Resources, and Advice for Stressed Out Parents, Post Partum Depression (PPD), and PMADs
Marriage/Separation/Divorce Issues
Words of Wisdom from PSP members about rough patches in a marriage/partnership
Recommended couples therapists
Advice for People Going Through Separation/Divorce
Suggested Book/Reading List for Separation and Divorce
Support Mantras, Quotes and Sayings for getting through Separation/Divorce
Advice about the Kids regarding Separation/Divorce
Lawyers/Mediators
Divorce Coaches and Counselors
Lawyers - Divorce & Separation
Bed Bugs
Words of Wisdom from PSP members who have had bed bugs
Lice
Words of Wisdom from PSP members about getting rid of lice
Past “having more children” discussions
Words of Wisdom from PSP members about having a child later in life
Words of Wisdom from PSP members about being an only child
Words of Wisdom from PSP members about raising 3 kids in Brooklyn
Behavior and anger issues - KIDS
Words of Wisdom from PSP members about kids biting
Words of Wisdom from PSP members about handling hurtful kids
Words of Wisdom from PSP members about kids hitting you
Words of Wisdom from PSP members about extreme temper tantrums
Loss and Bereavement
Support for the Loss of a Partner
Helping Children Deal with the Death of a Loved One
Support for the Loss of a Newborn (Perinatal Loss)
How to Talk to Kids About Death (webinar recording)
Miscarriage/Baby Loss
Support Available for Miscarriage, Bereavement and Loss
Supporting a friend after a miscarriage
Support for Ending a Wanted Pregnancy
Support for the Loss of a Newborn (Perinatal Loss)
Cancer/Illness support
Resources to talk to a child or teen about cancer
Helping Others Through Tough Times
Supporting LGBTQ+ Kids
Gender and Sexuality Resources
Employment Issues
Recommended Employment Law attorneys
Contact our friends at A Better Balance, whose legal team combats discrimination against pregnant workers and caregivers and advances supportive policies like paid sick time, paid family and medical leave, fair scheduling, and accessible, quality childcare and eldercare.
Rental Issues
Resources for Renting Woes, which includes info on how to get in touch with tenants rights attorneys who can help with your specific situation
Thanks, The PSP Moderators
