Looking forward to 2009

Going into Year Three with Wellness Island and the Counseling Center in Second Life, I realize the amazing amount of growth in SL. When I joined, there were maybe 3 of us who were mental health professionals in RL. Now there are dozens upon dozens. How many are legitimate, trained, degreed, not roleplaying, etc? Maybe 1/3 of that. That's the topic of a whole other blog post, of articles in past Wellness Magazines, and in-world trainings we do from time to time.

But it does show that discussions about mental health, in one way or another, have become much more commonplace in our virtual world. Awareness is a good thing. So one of our goals for 2009 will be working to continue to share resources, to provide groups and workshops, and to make sure the magazine covers topics relevant to resident interests.

The holidays have been fun on the island, with dance parties, skating tours (love The Guided Tour Company), and lots of visitors popping in to say hello, visit the library, or check out the community center.

My SL client practice continues to thrive and grow and always keep me on my toes. Because most of my RL work is in the hospital setting, I don't get to establish ongoing relationships or treatment plans with my patients there. In SL some come for one or two visits, others on an ongoing basis. It's been great to have the opportunity to work with all of them, and to try to meet the challenges of running a RL quality practice (within ethical constraints and for....hmmm...about 1/10 of my RL hourly fee...lol) in a virtual world. So far, so good.