Key Takeaways
What this article is about
This article is about 7 Cups, the online emotional-support and therapy platform. It covers how the service works, why its therapist directory drew legal fire, and what has changed in 2025. [1][2][4]
Directory practices under fire
Reports and professional alerts say 7 Cups created large numbers of therapist profiles without consent and funneled inquiries into its own system. The outcry crystallized around the idea of a “ghost network.” [2][6][11]
Litigation status as of today
Multiple therapist suits have been consolidated in federal court in New York, with transfers from other districts and an amended complaint tying related cases together. Activity on the dockets continued through autumn 2025. The cases are ongoing. [7][8][9]
Contract changes that matter
7 Cups’ Terms of Service dated October 6, 2025 highlight binding arbitration and a class-action waiver, shaping where and how most disputes will be handled. [10]
The wider pattern
Research and enforcement involving other mental-health apps show recurring privacy risks and rising regulatory scrutiny—context that frames the stakes for 7 Cups. [3][12]
Story & Details
From peer listeners to a global brand
Founded in 2013, 7 Cups blends free, anonymous chats with trained volunteer “listeners” and paid therapy with licensed clinicians. Over time it added forums, group support, and structured self-help content, becoming a familiar name in digital mental health. [1][4]
How the directory controversy took shape
In 2025, clinicians and reporters documented that 7 Cups had created a vast directory of therapist profiles—many without the therapists’ knowledge or consent. A prominent contact path led users toward the platform rather than directly to the named professionals. The combination of scale and thin verification fueled claims that users were being misled and professionals’ identities were being leveraged without agreement. [2][6][11]
What therapists and associations did next
Professional groups warned members, urged them to search for unauthorized profiles, and offered steps to request removal or raise complaints with regulators. Their alerts emphasized the difference between volunteer peer support and licensed clinical care, arguing that a blurred presentation confuses the public. [6]
Where the lawsuits stand now
By May 2025, a lead case—Castro et al. v. 7 Cups of Tea, Co.—was on file in the Eastern District of New York. Through September and October, related suits from other courts were transferred and consolidated into the same proceeding, and an amended complaint joined additional plaintiffs and defendants. Docket entries in October and November show continuing motions and appearances. No final judgment has been issued. [7][8][9]
Contract fine print and forum control
Against that backdrop, 7 Cups updated its Terms of Service effective October 6, 2025. The document stresses binding individual arbitration and a waiver of class actions. If enforced, many disputes move from open court to private arbitration and must proceed case-by-case. This approach is common across consumer tech but contentious in health-adjacent services. [10]
Why a quick sale would be hard
Calls for a simple exit underestimate the realities of selling a company during active litigation: buyers discount price, demand indemnities and escrows, and weigh reputational risks. Investor approvals and mission continuity complicate timing. The legal and trust issues would follow any new owner until they are resolved. [7][8][9][10]
The bigger picture: privacy risk across apps
Independent studies and enforcement actions show that mental-health apps often share data more broadly than users expect. In 2023, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission finalized an order against BetterHelp, banning certain data uses and requiring payments to consumers—an action that signals how regulators now view the category. While this order did not involve 7 Cups, it sets the tone for the sector. [3][12]
A clear public explainer
For a concise overview of how mental-health app data can be exposed through commercial data markets, see this public-broadcast news segment that translates the risks for a general audience. [5]
Conclusions
A mission tested by design choices
7 Cups helped popularize fast, low-barrier support. The directory’s design and consent gaps, however, fractured trust with clinicians and triggered litigation. Rebuilding will require consent-based listings, plain referral paths, and stronger verification. [2][6][11]
What to watch next
Court consolidation means the core questions will be argued in one place. Parallel to the legal track, contract terms point disputes toward arbitration. The broader market remains under privacy scrutiny. For platforms near people’s most private moments, trust is not a feature—it is the product. [7][8][9][10][12]
Sources
[1] 7 Cups — overview and history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_Cups
[2] Choosing Therapy: “The Ghost Network Behind 7 Cups.” https://www.choosingtherapy.com/7-cups-ghost-network/
[3] JAMA Network Open: “Assessment of the Data Sharing and Privacy Practices of Smartphone Apps for Depression and Smoking Cessation.” https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2730782
[4] 7 Cups — homepage. https://www.7cups.com/
[5] PBS NewsHour (YouTube): “Personal user data from mental health apps being sold, report finds.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZDb34d5XXc
[6] Clinical Social Work Association: “CSWA and PsiAN Response to Seven Cups’ Use of Mental Health Professionals’ Information.” https://www.clinicalsocialworkassociation.org/alerts/13490551
[7] PACERMonitor: Castro et al. v. 7 Cups of Tea, Co., 1:25-cv-02563 (E.D.N.Y.). https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/57970512/Castro_et_al_v_7_Cups_of_Tea%2C_Co
[8] Justia Dockets: Harb et al. v. 7 Cups of Tea, Co. et al., transfer and consolidation activity. https://dockets.justia.com/docket/new-york/nyedce/1%3A2025cv05356/536754
[9] CourtListener: Vorpahl v. 7 Cups of Tea, Co., transfer to E.D.N.Y., 1:25-cv-05296. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71417651/vorpahl-v-7-cups-of-tea-co/
[10] 7 Cups — Terms of Service (effective October 6, 2025). https://www.7cups.com/Documents/TermsOfService/
[11] 7 Cups — Therapist Directory Information. https://www.7cups.com/Documents/TherapistDirectoryInformation
[12] Federal Trade Commission: “FTC Gives Final Approval to Order Banning BetterHelp from Sharing Sensitive Health Data for Advertising, Requiring It to Pay $7.8 Million.” https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/07/ftc-gives-final-approval-order-banning-betterhelp-sharing-sensitive-health-data-advertising
Appendix
Arbitration clause
A contract term that routes disputes to a private arbitrator rather than a public court. When enforced, it typically requires one-by-one claims.
Class-action waiver
Language in a contract that prevents people from joining group lawsuits, often pairing with arbitration to limit collective redress.
Digital mental-health platform
An online service offering peer support, therapy, or self-help tools through web and mobile channels, operating between consumer tech and healthcare.
Ghost network
A directory that appears full of clinicians but relies on scraped or unauthorized listings and contact flows that do not reach the named professionals.
Therapist directory
A searchable list of licensed professionals. It works when entries are consent-based, verified, and connect users to the clinician through clear, direct routes.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 