Considering the Cultural Differences between Twitter and Offline Life

In the past year or so, I’ve given in and am finally on Twitter because I’m currently working as a psychotech journalist and it’s proven itself to be a great way to find stories, monitor chatter between sources, and network with fellow reporters. But for professionals like us, and especially clinicians, it’s much more complicated than it seems, and blurring the lines can happen in a single tweet.

But the deeper you get into the “Twitterverse”, you’ll find that not only does it come with its own language, but also its own set of norms. It always amazes me; despite the massive volume of civilized people dwelling within its pages, things are drastically different from the real world.

So here is a quick guide to the rules I’ve discovered:

On Twitter, when someone “follows” you, it’s good. It means they want to read what you write. In real life, it’s creepy. It means they might plan to kill you.

On Twitter, when you “follow” someone else, they’ll often thank you for the compliment. In real life, when you follow someone else, they’ll probably call the police.

… read the complete story ~ http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs/titliss10/62

This article first appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.

Click here to read the entire PDF version of the Considering the Cultural Differences between Twitter and Offline Life article.

Samantha Murphy is a former psychotherapist turned freelance psychotech writer based in “Silicon Pastures”, aka, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She discusses all things psychology, technology, and bacon-related at @smanthamurphy.

“B” Your Best

Seven years ago, self proclaimed “tech geek” Ran Zilca was working at IBM’s research division, developing the next voice biometrics technology. Little did he know at that time that he would soon start a chain reaction in his life starting with recruiting an all-star team of social scientists, founding the first company to release positive psychology and coaching apps, becoming a social scientist, going on a 6,000 mile solo motorcycle trip, and eventually completing coach training at the Institute for Life Coach Training and earning his Board Certified Coach credential. Today, as Chief Scientist of bLife, Inc, Ran has the opportunity to be a part of the team that formed bLife – the first iPad coaching app, utilizing his research knowledge, his personal transformation, and his coaching experience.

In this edition of “Technology Enhanced Coaching” we’re looking at this unique app that Ran describes as a mixture of three interlocking components:  Evidence-based behavioral science; a finely tuned user interface which incorporates algorithms replicating the natural coaching process; and a third element Ran refers to as “heart” – that which makes the sum total of all of the parts in some way personable and likeable. I find myself immediately thinking of what makes Jobs’ iPhone and other Apple creations so insanely likeable for so many people.  Users know it when they see it, but they can’t quite say exactly what makes it that way.

Considering his professional background, we might expect such a three-part, formulaic description from Zilca.  After all, he holds a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering from Tel Aviv University and a Bachelors of Science from Ben-Gurion University. He served six years in the Israeli Army specializing in the research and development of statistical and signal processing algorithms, followed by further work at IBM in New York where he worked in the area of biometrics and for the first time got interested in social science when researching the idea of a “mind print”. Yes, a “mind print”, like hand scanning or a fingerprint only, well, a tad more complex …. I’m thinking we’ll be hearing more about this in the upcoming editions of Wired Magazine.

… read the complete story ~ http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs/titliss10/40

This article first appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.

Click here to read the entire PDF version of the “B” Your Best article.

Lyle Labardee, LPC, BCC, DCC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Board Certified Coach who is credentialed in distance counseling. He serves as CEO of the Institute for Life Coach Training and its parent, LifeOptions Group. He is based in Michigan, USA and may be reached via lyle@lifecoachtraining.com.

Our Interdependent World: Tiffany Shlain’s “Connected”

Tiffany Shlain’s new film Connected begins with a familiar scene: she’s enjoying dinner with an old friend and, while the company is good, the topics of conversation plentiful, she caves to her desires, sneaks into the women’s room, pulls out her cell and succumbs to texting and emailing. She asks, “What have I become?”

Indeed, what WE have become is the central concern fueling “Connected.” Shlain asks, “When did things begin moving so quickly?” What has the historical surge of technology meant for human beings? How has the increased interconnectedness of the world impacted us physically, socially and, globally? As her father, the author and surgeon Leonard Shlain once advised; when you want to know about something, go to the past and look for patterns. That’s what Tiffany Shlain does in this documentary exploring the internet, the synthesis of left and right brain hemispheres and, our increasingly interdependent world.

Woven throughout this documentary is the very personal account of Shlain’s father; his work, his life, and his eventual death to cancer while she was simultaneously experiencing a high-risk pregnancy and working to complete this film. Shlain relies on the writings of her father as she probes the modern era (check out his work here). Zipping across the time line, past the dinosaurs, after the earliest of humans with their fancy opposable thumbs, literacy was invented as a way to accumulate knowledge. It was right about here, Shlain argues, that a balance of power shifted. As we cruised into the age of enlightenment, science and reason stimulated the left hemisphere of our brains, leaving our right hemisphere, the one prone towards beauty and empathy, to play a less vital role in modernity (make sure you check out hers and her father’s interesting argument that patriarchy was born out of this brain hemisphere split).

… read the complete story ~ http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs/titliss10/36

This article first appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.

Click here to read the entire PDF version of the Our Interdependent World: Tiffany Shlain’s “Connected” article.

For more information about the film visit http://onlinetherapyinstitute.com/connected-film/

Jean-Anne Sutherland is assistant professor of sociology at University of North Carolina, Wilmington, USA, with one of her research focuses being the study of sociology through film.

Marketing Your Online Practice Close to Home

All real estate agents know that building their business is about location, location, location.

The same can be true for your online practice.

Marketing, whether done online or off, is all about people getting to know, like and trust you and your services.

Often the process of getting to know people can be easier in your community than online.

Think about this: if you see face-to-face clients they already know, like and trust you. They may be the first (and best) candidates for your online work.

Maybe they are ready to step down from intense office-based work, but could use an occasional check in by video or email.

Maybe you work with parents who find it difficult to come to the office weekly due to child care issues, but would be happy to meet via video.

Or maybe you have an online psychoeducational program that will benefit current (or former) clients to improve their treatment outcome or maintain their progress.

… read the complete story ~ http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs/titliss10/64

This article first appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.

Click here to read the entire PDF version of the Marketing Your Online Practice Close to Home article.

Dr. Susan Giurleo is a psychologist who blogs about health care, small business and social media marketing at http://drsusangiurleo.com. You can connect with her on Twitter at @SusanGiurleo

Three P’s of Digital Ethics: Privacy, Protection, and Policy

Social networking has sparked many questions for counselors, such as, “Is it ethical to utilize a search engine such as Google to look up a client?” and “Should I accept a client’s friend request on Facebook?” You can protect your career, your reputation, and your license by following three P’s of digital ethics: privacy, protection, and policy.

Privacy

You are responsible for keeping client information confidential, whether it’s in speech, in print, or online. Adhere to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rules and professional standards such as the Code of Ethics from the American Counseling Association.

Because encryption of e-mails isn’t universally available, don’t include anything you wouldn’t feel comfortable posting in public for all to read. Consider including a signature line in your e-mail that reminds clients the information exchange isn’t secure. The need for privacy extends to social networking venues such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. Don’t post information related to a client even if you think it can’t be linked back to him or her—you may end up in court. In June 2010, for example, Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, Calif., fired five nurses for allegedly discussing patient cases on Facebook, even though apparently no names were disclosed. Using a pseudonym isn’t enough. There may be enough information elsewhere online for someone to put the pieces of the puzzle together. If you want to post information about a case for educational purposes, obtain consent from the client but still omit names and key identifying information. Keep in mind that your lecture at a professional meeting may end up online on YouTube.

… read the complete story ~ http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs/titliss10/38

This article first appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.

Click here to read the entire PDF version of the Three P’s of Digital Ethics: Privacy, Protection, and Policy article.

Reprinted with permission from Healthcare Providers Service Organization (HPSO); 159 E. County Line Road, Hatboro,PA 19040 1-800-982-9491 HPSO Risk Advisor 2011-2012.

For the Love of Books

“I suggest that the only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little farther down our particular path than we have yet got ourselves.” ~ E.M. Forster

Controlling_Connectivity: Art, Psychology, and the Internet
Gretta Louw

There are many who argue that participation in the elaborate communication networks that now underlie social interaction is no longer a matter of choice, since failure to participate is akin to social withdrawal and even ostracisation. It is argued that with the opportunity for connectivity and limitless access to information, comes the obligation to be increasingly available to receive and transmit; to be perpetually connected. The consequent erosion of true leisure time, the blurring of the traditional professional / personal, public / private dichotomies, and an information overload are creating hitherto unknown levels of psychological pressure.

Controlling_Connectivity uses the pervasiveness of internet-based social networking, and our ability to (and ever increasing obligation to) constantly be connected with these platforms as a paradigm for a severe and systematic disruption of normal, socially accepted patterns of time within daily life during a self-documented performance.

… read the complete story ~ http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs/titliss10/66

This article first appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.

Click here to read the entire PDF version of For the Love of Books article.

A Day in the Life of an Online Coach

I awake at 6am at the sound of my alarm clock. I’ve set my alarm sound for church bells because it inspires me to get out of bed. The church bells tell me I have important work to do today. I have a calling. I have a ministry. I am an Online Coach.

I say a few words of gratitude, brush my teeth, comb my hair, get my coffee and sit outside on my patio with my day planner. I spend my first half hour making my list of all the things I need to do today. Then I look at my short-term and long-term goals, just to make sure I’m on track. I spend some time contemplating and prioritizing. I write in my Gratitude Journal – giving thanks for all that I have now, and all that I will soon receive. I recite my favorite Wayne Dyer quote, “Nothing bad happens…everything happens for my highest good. It’s all good.”

I love what I do – it’s my passion — well, at least the coaching part. But before I can do it, I have to get through the mundane chores. It’s Monday, my busiest day. I stay in my pajamas until I’m finished checking my emails and voice mails, which takes about an hour or two. Then I get dressed and ready for my day – usually wearing exercise clothes — as I am fortunate to be able to work mostly from my home office. Still, I make sure I look presentable, because I usually see people – my assistant, the mail carrier, the UPS guy, the Fedex guy, and various other visitors who stop by to chat because they think I don’t really work since I work from home (NOT!).

… read the complete story ~ http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs/titliss10/54

This article first appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.

Click here to read the entire PDF version of the Day in the Life of an Online Coach article.

Lyn Kelley runs www.GrowTrainingInstitute.com, which offers educational programs for Mental Health Professionals, Coaches and Medical/Healthcare Providers. She can be contacted at lyn@growpublications.com.

Day in the Life of an Online Therapist

Each day, when I arrive at work, I set out to plan a therapy session that will impact and influence the lives of my patients. As a project coordinator of a research study, there are countless tools at my disposal and each one provides an opportunity to facilitate and measure change. It’s up to me to choose the method that I believe provides the best outcome. For me, my tool of choice is a unique online virtual reality program, which provides social training to individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Using this technology I act as part therapist, part research scientist, part community liaison, and part member of a digital development team. Having this virtual tool allows me to seamlessly take on each role with dedicated purpose to help my patients recognize their own social roles that can connect them to their daily life.

As I begin each day, thinking about my patients as a therapist, each one has their own unique circumstances and situation in life. One may be in college looking to make a friend, one may be graduating high-school and worried about their next steps in life, and one may be struggling to interview for a job. My role is to take each person’s story and create a social practice session that is meaningful to them. The training must come alive through the unscripted conversation of an avatar and must be standardized enough to follow the research study guidelines. Using the online tool enhances the social practice and eliminates extra effort on my part to help the participants “feel” the realism of a conversation. They become immersed in practice allowing me to step back and simply guide their improvement by giving feedback of how they are progressing.

… read the complete story ~ http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs/titliss10/52

This article first appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.

Click here to read the entire PDF version of the Day in the Life of an Online Therapist article.

Tandra Allen is project coordinator at The Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas. Her work at the Center focuses on evaluating and treating social cognitive disorders in children and adults. She has over 9 years clinical experience as a speech-language pathologist working and residing within Dallas, Texas. Her work with the social cognition research study is featured on The Center for BrainHealth website: centerforbrainhealth.org.

Using Creativity in Online Supervision

No academic solution
Is satisfactory
It has to be
a lived posture
(From Miller Mair in ‘No academic solution’)

For me, these four short lines embody the essence of supervision. While theory and academic knowledge are useful as an underpinning, we miss the person, both the client and the supervisee, if supervision is not a ‘lived posture’. What I would like to suggest in this short article is that using our creativity helps us to move towards that integration – that living posture. It can cut through the layers of ‘shoulds, oughts, musts and mustn’ts’ and help us discover what may be happening in the counselling relationship and how we can then be alongside our clients as they journey.

Humans are creative beings, though through education and life experiences, many people believe that they are not. Creativity is wrongly equated to being ‘artistic’, rather than being concerned with using our ability to harness our right brain.

Using our creativity with our online clients and supervisees may help them to break through to meanings and understandings that they are struggling with. Because it often by-passes conscious thought, it can be very powerful.

… read the complete story ~ http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs/titliss10?mode=window&pageNumber=58

This article first appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.

Click here to read the entire PDF version of the article.

Anne Stokes is based in Hampshire, UK, and is a well-known online therapist, supervisor and trainer and Director of Online Training Ltd.

Cyberspace as Culture: A New Paradigm for Therapists and Coaches

What is it about being connected in a virtual world that some people don’t “get”?

I am not a gamer. But I understand how one can become connected in a virtual world like Second Life, and even become absorbed to the point of neglecting one’s responsibilities and relationships in their real life or “first life” (as Second Lifers refer). But that’s not really the story that needs to be told. Connections are taking place. New relationships are being built. Students are learning. Co-workers are listening.

And yet there are many people who don’t understand any of it.

In one’s role as a coach or therapist, a person’s life journey is heard from many different perspectives. People tell their stories in different ways. Coaches and therapists may even give the client tools to discover different ways to tell their story -vision boards, sand play, gestalt, art, music and other expressive therapies are considered a quite proper adjunct to the work.

So how would most of us react (at least the unseen reaction) to someone telling their story through an avatar in a virtual world? Would you be open or would your biases be immediately obvious? Would the fear of the technology itself keep you from joining with your client to hear possibilities? Or would you embrace the opportunity as a sacred invite from someone who has chosen you to accompany them to the next guidepost?

… read the complete story ~ http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs/titliss10?mode=window&pageNumber=24

This article first appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.

Click here to read the entire PDF version of the article.

DeeAnna Merz Nagel and Kate Anthony co-founders of the Online Therapy Institute and the Online Coach Institute. Gretta Louw is a multi-disciplinary artist working with a variety of mediums, exploring the potential of art as a means of investigating individual, cultural and psychological phenomena.