Avalon Birke is the Director of The Counseling Center on Wellness Island, and provides counseling/coaching by appointment and consulting services for Second Life® residents and Groups.

Summer 2008 - My work schedule with real life patients is extremely busy this summer, and that means my SL time is limited to when I can get in-world. I am not in SL every day. Thank you for your patience - if you need to reach me please send a notecard or email and I will contact you as soon as I possibly can. We are still open, still working, just with limited time temporarily. :-)

I am a therapist in RL, with two Master's degrees and extensive RL and SL experience. In RL I work part-time in Acute Care in a local hospital, and part-time running my own private practice.

A partial list of my prior accredited coursework is below.

I specialize in individual and couples therapy, communication skills, relationships, addictions, trauma, disability issues, and working with chronic illness and pain. I am (slowly!) working toward my PhD at this time, am a published author, and a college instructor. I have been trained in EMDR, Non-Violent Communication, Domestic Violence Recovery, Internet Addiction, and more. I see SL residents by appointment - details are in my Profile in-world and at our Boncarus Center and The Counseling Center on Wellness Island.

ALL proceeds from my services go to support Wellness Island and our Boncarus mainland office.

Voice and Text:
I am happy to use Skype with clients in conjunction with our in-world appointment. Just let me know in advance when you make your appointment that you would like to use Skype, and wait for my confirmation. When SL voice becomes more stable I will consider using that as well, but have found it to be more of a distraction than a benefit so far. As technology grows, the Counseling Center will grow with it and if the addition of Skype to your session is of interest, just ask in advance. Yahoo Messenger is also an option.

To make an appointment:
Just check the available times and dates on my Google calendar ("Available" means the time is open, and you can request it) and send me an IM or email with your SL name, the date and time you are requesting, and a brief idea of what you would like to work on in counseling.

Counseling/coaching/consulting appointments are paid for in advance - at the time the appointment is made.

When you are looking at the Google calendar, please make sure you are in the current month, and remember that appointments are scheduled in SLT - if your Google view is set for EST, for example, you may need to adjust the time.

If you prefer, you can fill out a confidential Counseling Intake Form at our Boncarus and Wellness Island locations, and I will respond to you asap.

You can help me serve you best by reading the following:
- If you would like to send me a message, a short question or notecard is much better than "hi" or "are u there?"

- My IMs cap often, so I always appreciate notecards or emails for long messages.

- Most basic questions are answered in my Profile, on the website, or at the Counseling Center. The Google Calendar is right in my SL profile for your convenience, under the Web tab. Press Load Page if you don't see it.

- Important: There are limits to what I am able to responsibly do in SL - some problems need real life attention and must be referred to your real life doctor or therapist.

In-world, I am unable to diagnose or treat, therefore my work is focused on talking with you about issues related to relationships, personal growth, identity, addiction, sexuality, anxiety, depression, etc. If in doubt, ask, and I will be glad to clarify. But in general, if someone is suicidal, hearing voices, going to harm someone, has just been sexually assaulted, etc - those are not SL issues. They need RL help and I am glad to help you find RL resources. Other SL counselors may handle that differently - this is my personal and professional judgement call, to protect the wellbeing of each resident who asks for help.

- If you have specific requirements of an in-world therapist, such as a specific technique you want to use or an orientation you prefer, please let me know first. If I fit your needs, great, and if not I will be glad to help you find what you are looking for.

- Do you need a speaker, consultant, interview about SL or online mental health issues? My time in-world is mainly spent seeing clients these days, but I am always willing to help other practitioners, groups, or students when I can. It is helpful if you can give me specifics about what you need and how I can help. Email is preferable since I am not on duty in-world everyday - avalonbirke@gmail.com.

- Avalon Birke is my avatar's name. My real name is not something I put on my website for common sense privacy reasons. After the second SL resident tracked me all the way to my employer, whom they harassed, I decided that RL info is best shared with those who need to know it. That said, nearly all my clients who want to know my real name do, know where I live and work, and have even seen photos of my real life dog, daughter, etc!

My training: here is a partial list of accredited post-graduate courses in Psychology I have completed. I have a Bachelors degree in Sociology, a Masters in Management, and a Masters in Counseling Psychology - all accredited, all completed with nothing lower than an A- average.

PSY 635 Development Contexts in Psychotherapy: Childhood and Adolescence
PSY 629A Development Contexts in Psychotherapy: Adulthood and Aging
PSY 653 Research: Paradigms and Critiques
PSY 623A Perspectives on Psychopathology Individual Psychotherapy and Clinical Assessment I
PSY 623B Principles of Psychotherapy I: Assessment and Interventions Individual Psychotherapy and Clinical Assessment II
PSY 636 Principles of Psychotherapy II: Child and Adolescent
PSY 632A Couples/Family Therapy A
PSY 632B Couples/Family Therapy B
PSY 628 Principles of Psychotherapy III: Group Approaches
PSY 627 Legal and Ethical Issues in Marriage and Family Therapy
PSY 631A Practicum I: Marital and Family Therapy
 (Prerequisite: Department approval)
PSY 631B Practicum II: Marital and Family Therapy
 (Prerequisites: PSY 631A and Department approval)
PSY 637 Principles of Psychotherapy V: Cultural Competencies
PSY 624 Assessment Techniques for Marriage and Family Therapists
PSY 642 Relational Violence
CHD 640 Addictions: Contexts and Treatments
PSY 626 Human Sexuality in Psychotherapy
PSY 655 Psychopharmacology

Plus ongoing training in EMDR, Domestic Violence Recovery Programs (certified), Non-Violent Communication, sandtray, and more.

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CRISIS INTERVENTION

Important - if you are having thoughts of hurting yourself or anyone else, please log off the computer and call your local emergency number - in the US it is 911, or you can call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) or 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Your safety is important!

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Click the Google button below to see this week's schedule or click HERE. The calendar is updated every day. I do my best to accommodate all time zones and schedules, within my own RL schedule. If Google is down, just IM or email me and I will be happy to help you find an appointment time.

If you cannot make it to your appointment, kindly give 24 hours notice by IM or email - just like in RL, "no-show" appointments are charged at the full rate. If the grid is down Avalon can be reached by email at avalonbirke@gmail.com and we can meet via Gmail or Yahoo chat, if you like.

MEDIA

I get interviewed sometimes and invited to speak at various SL events. Below is a list of some of the appearances and workshops I have done in SL:

WORKSHOP – “Depression and Anxiety”
June 14, 2008

WORKSHOP – “PTSD – What is it?”
June 28, 2008

ONGOING – April 2008 to present
“Peer Supporter Training”

WORKSHOP – “Support for Caretakers and Helpers”
Offered February and March 2008

CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING
“How to Help in a Crisis”
Offered on an ongoing basis, February 2008 to present

WORKSHOP
“When and How to Refer to RL Help”
March 2008

DREAMS FAIR
“Mental Health Issues in a Virtual Environment”
and
“Medical Ethics” (with Dr. Ren Stonecutter)
April 2008

TAKE PRIDE EVENT
“Self Esteem – Loving Yourself”
April 2008

CONFERENCE: 'Mental Health in Second Life - Potential chances and threats' by SL'ang Life magazine
“Choosing Legitimate Support In-World”
March 29, 2008

CONFERENCE: ‘Health Care Event’ by SL’ang Life magazine
“Wellness Island Overview”
February 9, 2008

WORKSHOP: “Breaking Up is Hard to Do…Learning to Let Go”
January 2008

WELL BEING CONFERENCE at The Cove
“Virtual World - Real Emotions”
Saturday, December 1st, 2007

HERON SANCTUARY OPEN HOUSE
“Mental Health in Second Life”
Sunday, September 16, 2007

Interviewed by Draxtor Despres (Life4You SL TV), Voodoo Buwan (SL-Newspaper '07), Eureka Dejavu (blog), and many more. I have assisted in more grad school projects and term papers than I can count, and provided support and resources on mental health to dozens of SL practitioners and educators.

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