Virtual Ability on BlogTalkRadio.com's "Talk! with Marie" Program

Join Gentle Heron and Marie on Talk! with Marie for this half-hour informative broadcast on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Gentle Heron, Founder of Virtual Ability, Inc. joins Marie in this energetic discussion about Virtual Ability's mission, activities, and upcoming professional symposium on April 26, 2014 in Second Life®. 

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Addiction and becoming "weller than well"

How can people serious about addiction recovery become “weller than well?”

2014 Mental Health Symposium, April 26, 2014, 11:30 am SLT/PDT

The Sojourner Auditorium in Second Life®

Virtual Ability welcomes Dick Dillon, CEO of Innovaision, LLC. His alter-ego, avatar Coughran Mayo, has spent more than seven years actively involved in Second Life®, working for the NonProfit Commons initiative and building and hosting the Preferred Family HC region. He has made numerous presentations and been interviewed on Metanomics,  Rockcliffe University's "Inside The Avatar Studio" program and other inworld news and issues programs.

Mr. Dillon has been in the mental health field for over 30 years in a variety of clinical, management and administrative positions. He was the co-founder of the Substance Abuse Services Department of a large Missouri hospital and developed that project to be one of the premier medically-based programs in a multi-state area.  He recently left his position as Senior VP of Planning and Development for Preferred Family Healthcare to open his own consulting firm, Innovaision, LLC.

His firm is dedicated to helping nonprofits realize the potential of using virtual worlds and other technologies.  Innovaision, LLC assists behavioral health organizations to leverage their abilities using innovation and social and digital technologies.

In his presentation at this year’s Mental Health Symposium, “Super-Good: Why people serious about addiction recovery can become ‘weller than well,’” he will offer information and ideas on how addiction recovery can offer a “super-good” outcome. 

Several decades ago, a leading physician working in the addictions field asserted that people who diligently worked to recover from alcoholism or other drug addictions often turned out to be 'weller than well'. He noted that the recovery plan for most addictions addresses not just the disease, but the mind, the body, the spirit and even the social interactions of the recovering individual. This holistic approach has some surprising and rewarding results. 

Please join us at The Sojourner Auditorium in Second Life® to find out more!

Join Second Life® and learn to use your new avatar.

Visit The Sojourner Auditorium in Second Life®.

See 2014 Mental Health Symposium schedule.

Well-being Among Persons at Risk of Psychosis: The Role of Self-Labeling, Shame, and Stigma Stress

How does labeling and stigma associated with a mental health diagnosis impact young people?

2014 Mental Health Symposium, April 26, 2014, 10:00 am SLT/PDT

The Sojourner Auditorium in Second Life®

Virtual Ability welcomes Dr. Nicolas Rüsch from the University of Ulm in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, to the 2014 Mental Health Symposium, held at The Sojourner Auditorium in Second Life®.

Dr. Rüsch is a consultant psychiatrist and Professor of Public Mental Health in the Department of Psychiatry II, University of Ulm, Germany. He received his clinical training in Freiburg, Germany, and Rome, Italy, and spent two years working with Prof. Patrick W. Corrigan on mental illness stigma research in Chicago. 

In his presentation, Dr. Rüsch will share insights from his recent research, which focuses on young people at risk of psychosis who may label themselves and may be labeled by others as mentally ill due to early signs of the disorder or due to interventions.

Until now, empirical data on the link between labeling, stigma and well-being in this group were lacking. Dr. Rüsch’s research assessed self-labeling, stigma variables, well-being and psychiatric symptoms among 172 young people at risk of psychosis in Switzerland. Results suggest that perceived public stigma, shame about having a mental illness and self-labeling are associated with increased stigma-related stress and with reduced well-being, independent of age, gender, psychiatric comorbidity and symptom levels. In addition to clinical early intervention programs, the research suggests a need for strategies to address the shame and stigma associated with at-risk states and early psychosis.

• View Dr. Nicolas Rüsch’s Curriculum Vitae and list of publications.
• Join Second Life® and learn to use your new avatar.
• Visit The Sojourner Auditorium in Second Life®.
• See 2014 Mental Health Symposium schedule.

Employment Equality through Accommodation and Self-Advocacy

What do we need to know about employment equality and ADA accommodations when it comes to mental health?

2014 Mental Health Symposium, April 26, 2014, 8:30 am SLT/PDT

The Sojourner Auditorium in Second Life®

Join us at Virtual Ability’s third annual Mental Health Symposium for an introduction to reasonable accommodations in the workplace. Learn how to request and provide workplace changes to meet mental health and other disability-related needs. 

Teresa Goddard, a Senior Consultant from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) at West Virginia University, will discuss workplace accommodations and methods for advocating for oneself and others using the protections afforded by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Ms. Goddard will explain the stages of the accommodation process and will provide tips for navigating important steps, including making or recognizing a request, exploring options, and obtaining medical documentation in support of requests.  Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about real life examples of employees who successfully requested workplace changes and employers who provided effective accommodations. 

As a Consultant on JAN’s motor team, Ms. Goddard fields questions from employees and employers regarding their rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act and assists in identifying accommodation solutions for employees with disabilities. Her professional experience includes work as an Educational Speech-Language Pathologist and as an English as a Foreign Language instructor in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, where in addition to classroom teaching, she led continuing education workshops on collaborative instructional techniques and cross-cultural understanding.

Ms. Goddard holds a bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology and a master’s degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from West Virginia University’s College of Human Resources and Education. She has earned 45 hours above the master’s level with elective course work in augmentative and alternative communication, behavior disorders, and reading. Her research interests include assistive technology and cross-cultural perspectives on disability services.

• Download Teresa Goddard’sCurriculum Vitae. 
• Visit the Job AccommodationNetwork (JAN). 
• Join Second Life® and learn to use your new avatar.
• Visit The Sojourner Auditorium in Second Life®.
• See 2014 Mental Health Symposium schedule.