What is a "Qualified" Counselor?

I am approached often by new residents who want to start a counseling business in SL. Often enough that I have a small packet of info to send them that answers the most common questions, including things like professional links in-world, groups to join, etc. It also includes some things that can turn off a prospective counselor-to-be, like ethics and what constitutes "qualified" when it comes to calling yourself a counselor or therapist.

Maybe I am missing something. In-world or in RL, I don't see the difference in what makes one qualified to provide mental health services to others. So when someone says "Well, I am not really a counselor in RL but I want to be, and I am a good listener. lol." I sort of wonder what they're thinking. Some have a class or two under their RL belts, some are currently students in good programs, some have no experience or training whatsoever. Most have an idea of setting up a center in SL, making money, and having that grow into a RL business. And a lot of excitement, which I hate to squash.

It's a dilemma, as there is no official verification system in SL for medical and mental health personnel. We are working on one, but what it seems to be is just a formalized version of each of us, who are legitimate practitioners in RL, continuing to follow our licensing boards Codes of Ethics and being honest about who we are, our qualifications, and not practicing outside that scope. Just like RL. This level of honesty has to start with ourselves, though. Again, maybe I am missing something but I don't think it's okay to present myself as a therapist in SL if I can't do the same in RL, say, applying for a job. If I don't have the credentials or training or knowledge in RL, what do I think I am I going to do in SL? (I am not including SL roleplayers here, who clearly state they are roleplayers and not counselors or doctors so everyone knows up front who is who)

SL has a real need for peer counselors, and we provide training for anyone who wants it, free of charge. There is also a need for coaching and other types of support, which may be a good fit for those not trained in providing actual therapy but who want to help others. Even those of us with advanced degrees and RL experience don't get rich on our services. Most of our work is done free of charge, or for a very nominal donation. We do it because we believe this platform has potential for psychosocial education, resources, and support.

I guess I need to channel my concerns into more consumer education in-world and continued work on establishing a credentialing system that has merit. And maybe helping those who, even with minimal training, want to help others in a way that is beneficial to all. But when I see Profiles that advertise "SL's first certified Medical Docter!! [sic]" or "Psycologist!" etc it makes me shake my head and wonder when the first lawsuit is going to come down, and how the fallout will affect those of us working in-world.

Spring Wellness Magazine

Already in the works is our Spring issue of Wellness Magazine, which will focus on avatars and identity.

I'm interested in learning:

• How did you choose your avatar's "look"?
• How does the appearance of your avatar relate to the RL you? The same, different, or ?
• Has your "look" changed since you rezzed, and how?
• What kinds of avatars catch your eye? In a positive way, and also in a negative way?
• Any favorite or "signature" looks that you have?
• If you are a furry, tiny, child av, etc. do you notice other residents reacting to your appearance, and in what ways?
• Anything else you want to share about your identity and how you express it through your avatar?

Send your answers to me on a notecard in-world or by email at avalonbirke@gmail.com (please, not by IM as my messages cap daily). Thank you! Your name will be kept confidential unless you specifically state I can use it.

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.

Any Plurkers?

http://www.plurk.com/avalonbirke

Thread on SL Healthy

A good thread started by Knoh Oh (who also has an article in the upcoming Winter issue of Wellness Magazine)

http://slhealthy.wetpaint.com/thread/2149328/I+wish+my+support+group+had....

Devotees?

Tonight we had another encounter with a "disability devotee" - defined as a type of paraphilia:
This paraphilia is a type of sexual fetish involving attraction to people with impaired mobility, especially those with appliances such as braces or wheelchairs. Another word for a person with this fetish is devotee.

Now I really am a therapist. Trained in sexual stuff. And I have a disability; multiple sclerosis. But this was new to me till about 2 months ago when I got a semi-literate IM from someone who was trolling the Wheelies group in SL, looking for females who appeared online. "Are you an amputee?" Yeah, buddy, that's quite the smooth opening line women are dying to hear. I was building and answered something along the lines of "Huh?" He went on to tell me how he "worhisped women in wheelchairs" and wanted to know if I could walk. Okay by now my skin is crawling. This is not a client, this is unsolicited, this is personal. And, just, eww. End of story, this guy had been trolling enough women that he got the boot and that was that.
Oh, wait. He wasn't the only one. I guess there was a whole workshop in-world about it, and tonight one showed up where a group of us were dancing. Just to...watch. And IM. One thing we all had in inventory were wheelchairs, so when he finally left we put them on and had a laugh. Talked about using the next devotee as a speed bump.

Then he came back. And we all, en masse, went to have a chat with Mr. Paraphilia. It was kind of sad to see how excited he got when he saw 5-6 female avatars in wheelchairs coming his way. Alas, he was disappointed in what real women with disabilities are like.

Now, again. This man was not my client. He came to us, in what has been for a couple of years a safe place to be. He started off with apparently the requisite "Are you an amputee?" line. To a group of about 5 women and one man, all with various RL disabilities. His profile was filled with amputee and wheelchair related sex clubs. Yeah, I know.

He got an earful from a pretty offended group of people, some of us trying to explain about what it feels like to be the focus of a paraphilia, some very angry. Most of us a bit of both. He tried to make peace. "I don't mean to offense. I feel sorry for you rl." Umm, yeah. Don't be.

"But all the sex club amputees are rl amuptee women." LOL. Okaaaaay. And I am the Queen of Sheba.

Some days I think I have seen it all. Where I work there is a locked unit, two in fact. Some very sick folks, trying to get better. Other days, like this one, I just shake my head.

Winter 2008

Being bitten by the Plurk bug brought me back to this dusty old Blogger. I was surprised to see it had been well over a year since I last updated. I work on my "official" SL webpage all the time (www.slcounseling.org) so maybe finding this was a chance to go in a more personal direction than just Wellness Island and work info.
So hopefully I will be here a little more, updating about the bigger SL picture and my time there :-)