Online Therapy...Naked? Heading To 2012 SXSW Fully Clothed
South By Southwest Festival is legendary in the music, film, and technology worlds. I've always wanted to go, but this year I'm actually going to make the trek to Austin, TX to present on an interactive health panel! PsychCentral's CEO and founder Dr. John Grohol, a pioneer in online counseling, invited me to participate on a panel called "Online Therapy...Naked?"
Yes, you read that right...n a k e d. An unlicensed NY woman (with a BS in Psychology) and founder of "Naked Therapy" who claims to be providing "therapy" online to "patients" while getting naked (and aroused) will be on the panel. Also, weighing in on the discussion will be LICENSED professional counselor Audrey Jung, LPC who provides legitimate online counseling services.
Our discussion kicks off the SXSW interactive health track on Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. Here's the panel description from the official SXSW site:
Professionals have been offering psychotherapy online since 1995. While the earlier services focused on offering therapy through email, this has changed in recent years. With the popularity of video conferencing, it was inevitable that someone would invent a form of therapy called "naked therapy."This intriguing panel will discuss how Internet and mobile technologies enable therapeutic interactions between professionals and individuals. Experts will discuss e-therapy, how it's changed over the years, and how technology is disrupting traditional professional relationships -- enabling therapeutic modalities not possible a decade ago... Even the possibility of "naked therapy." It should make for an interesting, heated discussion between practitioners of traditional forms of online therapy and the founder of "naked therapy."
So, why was I invited to be on this panel?While I do use online therapy as an adjunct to face-to-face clients (always fully clothed) I primarily use the web for mental health education and promotion through Ask The Therapist Q & A's, blogging on JulieHanks.com, WasatchFamilyTherapy.com , and through social media channels Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and others. In addition to giving a social media and mental health perspective, I'll also be commenting as a working, credentialed clinician for 17 years on the idea of a "new kind" of therapy "Naked Therapy." Frankly, it doesn't sound new at all. It sounds like a lot like one of the world's oldest professions.Follow My SXSW TweetsI'll be tweeting SXSW updates throughout the weekend through Twitter @Julie_Hanks. Also follow Twitter hashtags #SXSWH (for tech & health topics) & #NakedTX for interesting info on this specific panel. Feel free to tweet me your thoughts on online therapy issues, "naked therapy", or mental health & social media topics.If you're a going to SXSW Interactive check out the great health track presentations here.Curious to know what you licensed therapists think of someone using the word "therapist" in their business when they have no training or supervision in talk therapy?