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Psychologist in real life ... and in game?


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Hello everyone!

I joined SL months ago and I've had some in world experience, but it wasn't until recently that I've really started dedicating my time here. I have been exploring and making some new friends, and I absolutely love it. I hope I am posting this in the correct area.

I was searching the forums among other places and wondering if self help is a big area here in SL? Are there such things as therapy, counseling, etc. in SL? Group sessions, private sessions? I haven't been able to find much, and I was curious.

I also wanted to invite anyone to contact me in any way (IM, reply to this threat) if you are interested in friendship, chatting, or any kind of communication with me. I am a psychologist in RL and I explain a bit more about my specialty in my profile.

I am not necessarily seeking to "make money" here in SL but I think it would enhance my experience here to be able to do what I love in world, if anyone would be interested in utilizing my services. If not, I'd just be happy chit chatting and getting to learn more about SL!

Any feedback would be appreciated!

Thank you!

Laiken

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LaikenCitara wrote:

Hello everyone!

I joined SL months ago and I've had some in world experience, but it wasn't until recently that I've really started dedicating my time here. I have been exploring and making some new friends, and I absolutely love it. I hope I am posting this in the correct area.

I was searching the forums among other places and wondering if self help is a big area here in SL? Are there such things as therapy, counseling, etc. in SL? Group sessions, private sessions? I haven't been able to find much, and I was curious.

I also wanted to invite anyone to contact me in any way (IM, reply to this threat) if you are interested in friendship, chatting, or any kind of communication with me. I am a psychologist in RL and I explain a bit more about my specialty in my profile.

I am not necessarily seeking to "make money" here in SL but I think it would enhance my experience here to be able to do what I love in world, if anyone would be interested in utilizing my services. If not, I'd just be happy chit chatting and getting to learn more about SL!

Any feedback would be appreciated!

Thank you!

Laiken

Then you may start by providing your real name, professional credentials, ie the licensing body to which grants you permission to practise  in New York and their website where we can go and look to see whether you are a member in good standing, your educational background and the name of your insurance company that will be handling any malpractice suits.

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There are several people in SL that like to role play being a counselor or psychologist.  The concern is that they can cause more harm than good to someone inworld that has actual real life issues with depression, suicide, whatever...  That sort of person may think they are getting actual help and advice from a professional when it is actually all roleplay on the side of the person playing.  So as good as your intentions sound, there is no way of verifying your credentials unless you choose to give out real life info.  I don't recommend handing out real life info.  Best of luck!

Cinn

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Cinnamon Mistwood wrote:

There are several people in SL that like to role play being a counselor or psychologist.  The concern is that they can cause more harm than good to someone inworld that has actual real life issues with depression, suicide, whatever...  That sort of person may think they are getting actual help and advice from a professional when it is actually all roleplay on the side of the person playing.  So as good as your intentions sound, there is no way of verifying your credentials unless you choose to give out real life info.  I don't recommend handing out real life info.  Best of luck!

Cinn

Just had a look at the profile Cinn and it is barren for someone who has been here 9 months.

No 'real' professional specialty to speak of just a vague reference to counselling psychology.

Are you familiar with the laws of California regarding practising without a license? New York? Maybe we should provide a link.

 

PS It must be nice to have so much time after spending over $250,000 getting the degree etc and then do pro bono work here in SL. lmaooooooooooo

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Most support groups in SL are peer-support groups, so people with similar problems are trying to help each other. Sometimes someone who has their own issues starts a group, hoping to help others, but then their RL gets in the way or they have a melt down (probably due in part to the stress of trying to run a group with little support from others), so then that group might end up being pretty dead. There are trolls who love to target emotionally vulnerable people in SL, as well as these fake counselor who do more harm than good, so good, consistent moderation of group chat is essential, as well as frequent & regular in-world meetings.

If you really want to help, I advise joining groups that already exist & offering to be a moderator and session leader. Search on Mental Health and Depression as keywords for groups. If you have another speciality, such as addiction, grief, or caregiver support search on those terms and see if there are groups that could use your help. The only relatively reliable counseling group I know of with trained therapists, rather than just peer support is NewWays counseling, so you might talk to their group leader too. As has already been said, if you expect people to believe that you are a RL therapist, then be willing and able to show your RL credentials to prove it.

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I am a professional hitman in real life. I specialise in assassinating people who pretend to be psychologists. If anyone would be interested in utilising my services inworld please get in touch.

Alec - to keep in practice by terminating actual psychologists, as they do nearly as much harm.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Visit Virtual Ability's Health Info Island; and our 'Path of Support' for a myriad of SL based support groups, for just about anything.  Although many SL residents are professionals in RL, in their various fields,  the fact is that most of us aren't licensed to practice whatever it is we do, everywhere in the world, and thats a valid concern when it comes to plying one's RL trade in SL.  Unless you're licensed to practice 'everywhere' you might want to rethink that, as most people you meet in SL are from somewhere else.   Jurisdictional issues abound...... 

Peer support is fine but unless you're ready to provide verifiable RL credentials, probably best not to hang out that shingle in SL...... 

 

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Very good points, Treasure. In RL I am an attorney, but I do not practice law or give legal advice on SL. I am admitted to the bar in serveral states, but not everywhere. And the laws are different from one state to another and certainly from one county to another.

One problem that can exist in SL is that people can claim to be a lawyer, doctor, or whatever.You cannot verify the credentials. The advice (legal, medical, psychological, etc.) might be good or it might be very bad.

In support groups the people do not expect anyone to have a license or professional training. However, on SL it is important to remember that you don't know if a person actually has the condition or is faking it . This could be a problem with certain conditions that may attract people for the wrong reasons,. But, in general, on-line support groups can be very helpful and are a good thing.

 

Marybeth

Blog

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Marybeth, yes, in communities of the 'truly disabled', that is, disabled in RL, 'devotees' are often a problem; people who want to either pretend to have a RL disability, or want to be around people who really DO have a RL disability, it can be either a psychological or sexual attraction, who knows why people want what they want.  I am deaf in RL, and i hear with the technology of cochlear implants, however, when I take off my external processors, I am completely deaf.  I once ran across a Yahoo group called 'Deaf Wannabees', consisting of hearing people, who either pretended to have a hearing loss, by wearing hearing aids or other assistive equipment, or actually trying to physically damage their hearing, so they WOULD require equipment.  To me, that's crazy time, but I realize these types of conditions exist, had to learn not to be judgmental.......... I'll avoid it like crazy if I know about it though.

As for verifying credentials, as you know, SL Bar Association will  indeed verify credentials if the attorney would like to do so, to be verified in SL.  Then they can be referred to someone who needs help, in that person's RL jurisdiction.  As for doctors and other RL professionals, seems impossible and also improbable to verify..........  

 

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Treasure,

It does seem strange that people would actually want to be deaf. But I know that there are people who actually want to lose a leg, and will damage a leg so that it has to be amputated. I can't understand it, but I know that it happens.

A few years ago there was an on-line support group (not part of SL) for women who had certain bladder problems and were incontinent. But the group ended up attracting people who did not have that problem but pretended to be incontinent. It included men pretending to be women to discuss personal matters with women. The moderators disbanded the group and formed a new one where you had to go through a doctor's office to join.

I am a member of the SL bar association. However, I do not work in a field that would be needed in SL. Most of the legal advice or work would be related to merchants who sell in SL.

Verfication of creditionals of professionals and imposters are a problem. However, on-line support groups can be very valuable to many people.

Marybeth

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Marybeth Cooperstone wrote:

Horrors!!  I am in the state of extreme embarrassment. I made a typo - and a misspelling!

I meant to say that "
I am admitted to the bar in
serveral
 
several
 
states, but not everywhere."

We lawyers aren't supposed to make misspellings!
:)
Maybe I shouldn't write things after traveling all night.

Marybeth

I would recommend, to satisfy the misguided perceptions of those who expect lawyers to behave in a professional manner, that you try using a spell-checker. The one that comes with the forum post editor would suffice, since the wonderful utility called After The Deadline which I normally recommend includes style and grammar checking, but does not have a "legal" mode which eliminates punctuation to encourage ambiguity (thereby promoting litigation) and of course "style" is not an epithet which could in any way be applied to any legal document I have ever read.

Alec - ambiguity myself, but humour is wasted on lawyers

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Alec,

In RL I work at the same law firm as Mary Beth. In fact, I was the one who persuaded her to join Second Life.

I can assure you that she has been admitted to every bar she has ever entered.That includes bars in most of the airports in the US. :)

But she, like the rest of us in the firm, is licensed to practice law in certain states, but not in all states. Speaking of "bars" and "the bar", many of us have left the offices, stopped at a place where one can get a drink, then gone home and told the spouse "sorry I'm late, I had a bar meeting to attend".

Bob

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Thank you Robert; you are a real white knight defending MaryBeth; are you in litigation, rather than whatever mundane specialism she practises?

I do know about "legal humour"; I have had acquaintances (I would not call them friends, especially after having to sue them - successfully - for negligence***) who were lawyers, and some of them even wore dresses and wigs to work.

Alec - to be in contempt

*** Why do they call it "professional negligence" when it is extremely unprofessional? Because they got paid for it I suppose.

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Bob really is a sweetheart. And he was the one that got be interested in Second Life a number of years ago. Neither of us do litigation or criminal defense. We are each involved in different types of mundane specialism.

 

On my office computer I do use a special spell and grammar checker. It does have a special legal option that adds commas and replaces plain English words with Latin.  :)

 

As for legal humour, I do know a number of lawyer jokes. In fact, I work with a few.  :)

 

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