Anonymous Question Box: Post Anonymously, Tap Me Too
A live wall for group therapy. Members post anonymously from their own device, others tap Me too, and the facilitator reveals, hides or removes posts. Nobody sees who wrote what.
Anonymous posts can't be followed up, so say clearly at the start that anyone who is unsafe should also tell the facilitator directly, or call or text 988 in the US or Canada, or your local crisis line or emergency number elsewhere.
More
Remove posts that name or identify anyone, and keep the discussion on themes, not on guessing who wrote what.
Run it as the facilitator of a group: you host, members join on their own devices. Posts are anonymous to everyone, including you. Posts with self-harm, suicide or abuse words (including teen phrasing such as kms or unalive) are held for you with a private flag. Anonymous disclosures can't be followed up: tell the group how to reach you privately, and follow your mandated-reporting duty and your setting's policy, especially with minors.
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How to play- Start with the group agreements and the confidentiality note.
- The facilitator picks a question for the wall.
- Members post anonymously from their own device. No names are attached, not even for the facilitator.
- Tap Me too on any post that fits you. Only the count shows.
- The facilitator reveals posts one at a time, and can hide or remove any post.
About the technique
About the techniqueAnonymous sharing in a group draws on what Irvin Yalom called universality: the relief of discovering that other members carry the same worries, shame or questions (Yalom & Leszcz, 2020). Seeing several people privately agree with a post lets members learn they are not alone before they have to say so out loud, which can lower the threshold for disclosure while trust is still forming.
Universality matters because it feeds cohesion, and cohesion is linked to outcome. A meta-analysis of 55 studies found a moderate correlation between group cohesion and treatment outcome (r = .26), and the link was stronger when leaders actively worked to build cohesion (Burlingame et al., 2018). The anonymous wall itself has not been studied, so its evidence is practice-based. Its value depends on what the facilitator does next: naming shared themes, inviting members to own a post only if they choose, and linking experiences across the room (Yalom & Leszcz, 2020).
It fits psychoeducational, support and process groups with teens and adults, especially in early sessions or around stigmatized topics, and works in person or on video. Anonymity cuts both ways. A post that signals risk cannot be followed up, so set expectations about safety before posting opens: anyone who is unsafe should also tell the facilitator directly or call or text 988 in the US or Canada (or the local crisis line elsewhere), and follow your mandated-reporting duties, especially with minors. Remove anything that identifies a person, keep discussion on themes rather than guessing who wrote what, and pace deeper prompts to the group’s stage.
For therapists: how to run it
For therapists: how to run itGoal
Group members discover they are not alone with a worry or question, and the group talks about shared themes.
In session
- Press Play together and share the link in the video chat (or show the code in the room). Posts never carry a name, and every member's device shows the confidentiality note and the crisis line (988 in the US and Canada, or the local one).
- Go through the agreements together and add one the group wants. Read the confidentiality note out loud, including that posts can't be traced, so anyone at risk should also tell you directly.
- Pick a question. New posts wait in a shuffled queue, so the order doesn't give anyone away. Reveal them one at a time and spotlight one to talk about.
- Invite reactions to the theme, not guesses about the writer. Hide or remove anything unkind or identifying.
- Finish: the summary (on your screen only) lists themes and counts only, for your group note.
As homework
Not given as self-guided homework. Use it together in session.
With a group
- Built for groups of 3 to 15, on video or in the room with phones.
- Use it when a topic is hard to say out loud: worries, shame, cravings, questions people are afraid to ask.
- No devices? Use one screen and pass it around: each person types, taps Post and hands it on. Count Me too by show of hands.
Exercises like this can lead to disclosures of abuse, neglect or risk. Know your reporting duties before you start, and pause if one comes up.
Seeing that others feel the same is one of the strongest helping forces in groups (universality, in Yalom's terms), and cohesion predicts outcome. Anonymity makes the first step easier on video, where people can't hide a face or handwriting. Posts carry no names, and the facilitator sees the wall only.
Worksheets that pair with this tool
Coping Skills Log Worksheet
A one-page table rating emotions before and after a skill, so clients see which ones actually work.
Triggers and Coping Skills Worksheet
One table pairing each personal trigger with its impact and the coping strategy to use.
Active Listening: Communication Skill | A Therapist’s Guide
Three steps to practice, showing you are listening, encouraging sharing, and striving to understand.Sources & credibility
- Method
- Anonymous posts and Me too counts to build universality and cohesion in groups
- Developed by
- Group therapeutic factors: Irvin Yalom; cohesion research: Gary Burlingame and colleagues
- First described
- 1970; 2018
- Approach
- Group psychotherapy
- Evidence
- Practice-based (limited trials)A meta-analysis found that group cohesion is reliably linked to better outcomes in group therapy. Anonymous question boxes are a common facilitation practice that supports universality; the wall itself has not been studied.
References
- Yalom I. D. & Leszcz M. (2020). The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy (6th ed.). Basic Books.
- Burlingame G. M., McClendon D. T. & Yang C. (2018). Cohesion in group therapy: a meta-analysis. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 384–398. Source
How it was made
Built by the Mentalyc team from the original method and the published sources listed here. Nothing you enter is stored.
Questions people ask
Questions people askHow do anonymous questions work in group therapy?
Members type a question or feeling on their own device. Posts arrive without names and wait in a shuffled queue; the facilitator reveals them one at a time, and others tap Me too when a post fits them. Nobody, including the facilitator, can see who wrote what.
Why use anonymous sharing in a group?
Seeing that others feel the same is one of the most helpful parts of group therapy. Anonymity makes it easier to say the hard thing first, especially on video where people can't hide their face or handwriting.
What if someone posts that they are not safe?
Posts that may be about safety are held back for the facilitator to read first. Because posts can't be traced, the facilitator reminds the group how to reach them privately and shares crisis lines: 988 in the US and Canada, or the local crisis line elsewhere.
What goes in the group note?
The summary lists the question, the agreements, and themes with counts only. It has no post text and no names, so it can be pasted into a group note.
How do you build cohesion in group therapy?
Start with low-risk sharing, highlight what members have in common and protect safety with clear group norms. Anonymous posts with Me too counts show members they are not alone, which Yalom calls universality.
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