Posts Tagged ‘mixed reality’

On Tuesday, May 11th I had the pleasure of attending the screening of Life 2.0, a documentary about Second Life, at ICF Theatre’s  Stranger Than Fiction. Director Jason Spingarn-Koff follows people for a period of over a year or more as they maneuver life lived in a mixed reality.

The scenarios include two people, each married to someone else,  involved in a cyberaffair, complete with hook-ups in Second Life to using webcam technology for face-to-face encounters. Their love affair takes them out of cyberspace for several in-person encounters. Emotions are high and limerence, that state of intense romantic desire for another person, is clearly evident. This is an affair of great proportions~ emotional, cerebral and physical~ filled with the excitement and consequences of infidelity.

An intimate look  into the lives of several people who are brave enough to share their stories continues. Another young adult who is engaged to be married logs into Second Life and soon he has created an alter~ an 11 year-old girl who he describes is a part of himself. This story line is rich and psychodynamic offering a glimpse into the impact of virtual worlds on the lives of people who have experienced childhood trauma. The vulnerabilities of the adult male, his alter child female, his “real life” fiance and other avatars the child befriends in Second Life are all laid out across the screen in a disturbing yet expected fashion.

A woman searching for meaning in her vocation  discovers that she can merge her love of gaming with her talent for design. She also explains that she has been dealing with several health issues so working from home is a plus for her. She starts a business creating a line of clothing and accessories as well as designer homes and landscapes. She manages to turn her hobby into a profitable enterprise. As with any entrepreneur, she applies focused concentration and long hours.

It is the stuff of life that therapists have been dealing with for years, or is it?

Enter the ability to create an alternate digital reality and these life struggles become magnified. Online disinhibition means that people do and say things in cyberspace they might not be able or willing to do or say in their “real life.”  Quotations are purposeful here because the underlying message is that these cyber experiences ARE real- as real as what I had for breakfast this morning.

So what does this documentary offer those of us in the helping professions? How about a new chapter in multiculturalism? Cyberculture is rich, full, real and impactful. Our clients don’t just go to soccer games, or movies or to Paris or Walt Disney. They don’t just have clandestine affairs at work or deal with historical issues of abuse in the therapist’s consultation room. They go to Second Life, another destination rendering the thrill of decadent and clandestine meetings, corporate enterprise, vocational fulfillment and the ability to create a new beginning, reconstruct a past event or extend parts of oneself into another reality.

If you have the opportunity to view Life 2.0, don’t miss it.  Your understanding of cyberspace will grow beyond measure.

Stay tuned for more about Life 2.0. We will regularly post notes of interest to our readers.

DeeAnna

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Yesterday I completed facilitation of a two-day Distance Credentialed Counselor training in Springfield, IL.  Every time I do a training I meet great people and I learn.  In this training there was much concern expressed about therapists being able to cross state lines; how to know what each state’s law says, and whether there is a “clearinghouse’ for such information.

Well, OTI has an Ethics and Law wiki and we do our best to keep it updated as we receive information about the legal and ethical aspects of practicing online counselling across the globe.  But still, this method relies on all of us to make sure the updates are received in a timely manner and that Kate and I can upload the information that is sent to us if a person does not enter the information to the wiki him/herself.

So in this training I heard of two more states that may have implemented restrictive language into their law regarding online counseling- not allowing a licensed practitioner in that state to offer online therapy services to anyone outside the state (MA and NE).  I am hoping I can get more clarification and actually see a copy of their language.

And so on my drive back the hotel it occurred to me that one way we can effect change as professionals in our various states and countries is to become active in our professional organizations.  If you are in the states and you are member of APA, ACA, NASW, get involved. Join taskforce committees.  To have influence in your state, join a state chapter.  Volunteer to be on the board. Be part of a government relations or ethics committee.  Become the ethics chair of your state chapter.  That is how we can begin to educate our colleagues about the value of online counseling.  I do not think we should be legislating WHERE online counseling can occur.  I think we should be legislating competency.

It is obvious to me that state licensing boards are way behind the curve when it comes to understanding the global community – and global e-commerce.  Placing practice restrictions on licensed professionals does not allow consumers choice in treatment, and seems to be a rather paternalistic stance.  And clearly, state licensing boards have no clue about the online culture.  Most states require practitioners to have taken a class on multiculturalism to obtain a license to practice, yes? Yet the boards do not understand that we have an entirely new culture of people who live within a mixed reality, choosing to receive professional services online through their global community.  So if we look at the online community as a culture, then we could make the claim that in this instance, our state boards are not being very culturally sensitive, could we not?

While this issue of “crossing state lines” is rather U.S.-centric, my point in this post is to encourage professionals to become involved in their local professional organizations no matter what country, so that we can all make a difference.  We want online therapy to be a viable option within the global community!!

Have a great summer day!

DeeAnna

… and the location is not too shabby either!

Lago Maggiore, Verbania-Intra, Italy

Below is a summary.  More information can be found at http://www.e-therapy.info/

Don’t forget to check the Online Therapy Institute’s Events Calendar for this and other related conferences!

The 14th Annual International CyberTherapy and CyberPsychology Conference (CT14) brings together researchers, clinicians, policy makers and funding agencies to share and discuss advancements in the growing disciplines of CyberTherapy & CyberPsychology.

 

The conference will seek input from a wider segment of the scientific community, and is interested in attracting experts in clinical therapy and rehabilitation, cognitive sciences, social sciences, and computer sciences interested in the meeting’s core topics: emerging applications of new media, design of new media and effects of new media.  

 

There is also an interest in continuing to design, evaluate and apply cutting edge technologies such as Ambient Intelligence, Augmented and Mixed Reality, Avatars, Shared Virtual Worlds, Video Game Virtual Reality (VGVR), Web 2.0 and 3.0,  3G and 4G mobile phones.

We are excited about our new social network which offers the opportunity for members and friends to create a free listing, featuring a bio, as well as links to one’s website and blog.  Our social network is a way for members and non-members alike to connect.  While social networks are popping up everywhere, ours is a bit of a niche focusing on a place for people who share a common interest about online counseling and the impact of mental health on technology.

Membership in the social network is free, and while the social network does not offer all of the benefits of membership in the institute, it is another way to meet and greet.  Your profile can be viewed by everyone so the network doubles as a listing feature to market your services and products.

Please consider joining up! It is yet another place to get linked, get to know others and get known!!

OTI’s Social Networking website: www.onlinetherapyinstitute.ning.com

DeeAnna & Kate