Mental Health Resource Center in SL

[LeonaSea]

Hi everyone! This is my first post on the board. 

My RL dream is to educate about mental health and advocate for patients. I also want to take strides to eliminate stigma. 

My interest is to start a mental health resource center in SL. A place where people can meet, have group discussions, learn about resources in their state, and possibly have a therapist lead group therapy sessions. 

Do you have any ideas that can help get this project started?? I have the land and a group so far. 

Thanks for reading!!! Have a great day :)

LeonaSea Resident

[Dilbert Dilweg]

This sounds like a fantastic idea. There are other support groups out there that do specialty meetings for others aspects of health as well.You Might Search some similar groups that only rely on group chats and introduce your self and maybe they will partner up with you. At least you market your self and get known.

Of course make sure the land is set to show in search and put a good name and description that appeals to search.

You could even create a classified ad for 50 lindens and make it auto renew. Your best bet is to market to similar groups if you could without breaking any group rules of that particular group you might contact...

Good luck to you and your adventures. I hope it works out for you

 It would be helpful to have a website maybe to help with links and information . Prims can interact with websites in world.

 

Would be cool to find users to help be counselors from different states. . And Countries. I know someone in world who works with children with disabilites, including mental disabilities. You may be able to find more residents in the same field by connecting to other groups . 

You May Post about it in the Destinations Forum also. Also post in Wanted forum if you are looking for residents with the same backgrounds who may want to help

 

[Thinkerer Melville]

You probably want to talk to Gentle Heron at Virtual Abolity.  Here is related information:

Vifrtual ability - Disabilities left behind

http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/2011/10/stech-vifrtual-ability-disabilities.html

Support groups in Second Life

http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/2011/10/stech-support-groups-in-second-life.html

TKR

 

 

[PeterCanessa Oh]

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LeonaSea wrote:

Hi everyone! This is my first post on the board. 

My RL dream is to educate about mental health and advocate for patients. I also want to take strides to eliminate stigma. 

My interest is to start a mental health resource center in SL. A place where people can meet, have group discussions, learn about resources in their state, and possibly have a therapist lead group therapy sessions. 

Do you have any ideas that can help get this project started?? I have the land and a group so far. 

Thanks for reading!!! Have a great day

LeonaSea Resident

---

 

Hello, let's hope you don't get scared away.  Ideas:

1. Stigma suffers from paranoia, anxiety and depression about all the people who are trying to eliminate him.  Stigma needs love too!
2. Be clear whether their "state" includes their nation-state or whether you're a parochial centre
3. Check out all existing mental health groups and support-centres in-world

 

[LeonaSea]

Thank you all very much for your input, I will take your advice

[VRprofessor]

 

Google search "mental health" "Second life" and you should find a few things that will help you avoid reinventing the wheel.

[Czari Zenovka]

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VRprofessor wrote:

 

Google search "mental health" "Second life" and you should find a few things that will help you avoid reinventing the wheel.

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I was going to say this as well.  There are quite a few groups - some large, some small - many  have been in SL for years.  You might want to speak to the owners of some of the groups and/or attend some meetings to get an idea of what is currently available.

Some of the groups hold regular meetings, others more informal, some are more of a peer-support group setting.  I have seen groups for anxiety, social phobia, depression, bipolar, and some others that aren't popping into my mind atm.

I have a Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling and my reasons for gaining the degree was the exact reason you stated - to bring awareness to the general public of mental health issues and to destigmatize the illness, as well as educate patients and their familes.  As it happened, my professional work in the field as a mental health counselor was with Hospice working with terminally ill patients and their families - quite a bit different than what I had imagined entering grad. school but very, very rewarding work.  I left this position after a number of years (patients constantly dying tends to be emotionally draining after awhile) but still have the dream of doing some type of writing or public speaking in the field.

One thing I would caution re: actual counseling in SL - as I'm sure you are aware, the laws in most states now are very strict about licensing.  A medium where one can say they are anything would give me a bit of pause about seeking professional counseling online.  I'm not saying there is not a way this could be accomplished (and probably is somewhere on the net); it's just a tricky area.  I attended a SL class years ago on stress and methods to alleviate it.  Although, iirc, the instructor was a professional in the field, she emphasized verbally prior to class as well as in the class materials that she was acting SOLELY as an educator and not a counselor.  She also cautioned anyone prior to sharing personal information due to the non-private nature of being in an online class where anyone can log, as well as no "confidentiality" restrictions being in place since she was not acting in the position of a counselor.

I definitely think there is a need and place for this in SL, just echoing VRprofessor in doing some research to what is already in existence first. 

[madman626 Fall]

Not to sound mean or hateful but really ? anit we all here to get away from RL don't take this the wrong way but any one that believe its a good ideal to start something like this in sl make me think they couldn't do it in RL so why would any one wanna seek help in sl of all place ,, I not trying to be mean but I always find this very fishy we all can clam to be something we not that why I think like I do. I hope I not upset you but really come on but plz don't jump me because I feel different then you about it and I hope I have not upset you

[Boudicca Littlebird]

I agree with you, I felt the same when I saw this, bit like turkeys sorting out were the Xmas stockings go, I think if you see Sl as a substitute to real life then that means you have a problem..

[Dresden Ceriano]

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LeonaSea wrote:

Hi everyone! This is my first post on the board. 

My RL dream is to educate about mental health and advocate for patients. I also want to take strides to eliminate stigma. 

My interest is to start a mental health resource center in SL. A place where people can meet, have group discussions, learn about resources in their state, and possibly have a therapist lead group therapy sessions. 

Do you have any ideas that can help get this project started?? I have the land and a group so far. 

Thanks for reading!!! Have a great day

LeonaSea Resident

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While I see no problem with educating people and raising awareness within the context of SL, I would strongly advise you to forget about providing any sort of inworld therapy.  It's just a fact of the nature of a platform where anyone can pretend to be anything they want, that you could end up including people that are dishonest and/or disingenuous... whether as a therapist or a patient.  Therapy has to be based on a level of trust that just isn't possible in SL... it could very well end up doing more harm than good.

Other than that, good luck in your endeavors.

...Dres

[Parhelion Palou]

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madman626 Fall wrote:

Not to sound mean or hateful but really ? anit we all here to get away from RL don't take this the wrong way but any one that believe its a good ideal to start something like this in sl make me think they couldn't do it in RL so why would any one wanna seek help in sl of all place ,, I not trying to be mean but I always find this very fishy we all can clam to be something we not that why I think like I do. I hope I not upset you but really come on but plz don't jump me because I feel different then you about it and I hope I have not upset you

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Some are here to get away from RL, some are not. Everyone has their own reasons for being here.

There are/were PTSD, autism, and alcoholism support groups in SL, and probably many others. I know of a drug counseling nonprofit that's getting better results from virtual world counseling than real world (though they use a private grid to meet privacy requirements). SL also had a resource center for abuse victims that was very good.

To the OP: Do contact Virtual Ability to talk about your plans. The leaders are fine people.

 

[Czari Zenovka]

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madman626 Fall wrote:

Not to sound mean or hateful but really ? anit we all here to get away from RL don't take this the wrong way but any one that believe its a good ideal to start something like this in sl make me think they couldn't do it in RL so why would any one wanna seek help in sl of all place ,, I not trying to be mean but I always find this very fishy we all can clam to be something we not that why I think like I do. I hope I not upset you but really come on but plz don't jump me because I feel different then you about it and I hope I have not upset you

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There are probably as many reasons why people come to SL (or any online community) as there are people.   Sometimes I want a break from RL to relax, other times I'm in SL to build and work on my SL business, etc.  However, for me, even the few times I am role playing - I don't pretend to be someone else - my emotions, reactions, etc. are exactly as I am in RL.  In other words, I don't come to SL to try to be someone I'm not.  I consider SL an extension of my RL.  This in itself could be and has been a separate topic thread.

As for mental health support groups in SL, as I stated in my previous post, I very much think there is a need for them here, especially given the many current groups that exist.  For example, I have met several people in SL who say they have social phobias and/or are agoraphobic in RL.  Whether they choose to seek out support in SL for this, at the very least SL provides them with a safer environment in which to interact.

I did also state, however, that I am not an advocate of providing professional counseling services within SL, both from the perspective of not knowing with whom one is dealing and from a legal perspective.

I respect your opinions on this issue, but do respectfully differ in some aspects.

[Celestiall Nightfire]

Hey, LeonaSea check out the Mental Health Awareness Retreat inworld. 

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sterling%20Pointe/177/15/22

 

I'm actually there right now..listening to a fabulous live music set!   They are doing a lot of the things that you mention in your OP, and would be happy to talk to you about your idea.  : )

 

 

 

 

[Storm Clarence]

I was wondering if you will provide group 'alt' therapy, and will discounts be available for multiple atls?   

[Melita Magic]

Personally I would advise against online group therapy sessions. There is absolutely no way to know what is real in that setting. The counselor could be a fraud. Or a sociopath. The patients could be making it all up. You will think that sounds hateful, but it is the truth, and it's from a wish to stop further abuse of vulnerable people.

I am not saying your intentions are not the best. They probably are. But that can go very far awry. 

The most I would recommend (and I don't really recommend even this) is possibly to hand out (read: make available for anyone - giving them out = prescribing) note cards somewhere with links to real life mental health professionals or hotlines in various parts of the globe. Even so, you would be putting yourself at risk for giving medical advice online. Maybe other countries are not as lawsuit happy as the U.S. can be, but you would be taking a risk even then.

It's wonderful you want to help people, but there are some very damaged people out there, and monkeying with their minds or emotions with the blindfold of the internet applied can be dangerous. To them, and to yourself.

I don't mean to be a buzzkill...that's meant to be the voice of reason.

BTW There is a building in Hippoden that has mental health note cards etc. already.

ETA: I find it much more appropriate to the context of Second Life to try to 'minister to' or 'help' others by just trying to provide something fun, peaceful, or beautiful. An imaginative escape can be restorative.