Reflections on EAPA 2011
I attended EAPA 2011 this week to conduct a pre-conference training, the Distance Credentialed Counselor training for therapists obtaining the certification. I arrived on Monday in Denver and trained all day Tuesday and Wednesday. The first day of the conference officially began on Thursday and on this day, I presented with Lyle Labardee, CEO of LifeOptions Group on new innovations in the delivery of mental health via technology. Lyle demonstrated LifeOptions’ feature-rich, LifeCounselor, web application. LifeCounselor was recently deployed by the State of Wyoming Department of Mental Health for the citizens of Wyoming, and by the New York State Bar Association – Lawyer Assistance Program.
For our breakout session, we had well over 100 in attendance and the audience was very engaged. I talked about innovations in videoconference delivery and offered screenshots from Breakthrough.com. I also talked in general about in vivo virtual reality therapy and discussed some of the efforts of the military and the work of Walter Greenleaf. I gave everyone a quick “tour” of the Online Therapy Institute’s space in Second Life and also talked about the documentaries, Life 2.0 and Login2Life, suggesting both of these films as excellent ways to learn more about the cyberculture of virtual worlds and gaming. I also touched a bit on avatar therapy and the use of artificial intelligence. We packed a lot of information in our 90 minute presentation.
Afterward I went to the exhibit hall for the Marketplace Opening Reception. Many vendors were there and if they weren’t displaying something about technology, everyone was talking about technology (or walking into people as they gazed down at their smart phones)! With more and more people inquiring about technology, training and ethics, I am wondering, is there a change in the air? Is the climate shifting?
DeeAnna
