2 dismissals Hide the Psychiatric Office from ghost observers

[Menroka]

Reading the clinical literature it is often stated, that the safety of the consultation room is a main priority.
It is stated for example, that "[...]the earliest comments of the therapist should be oriented toward establishing safety[...]" - Nancy McWilliams 2004 p.139
In the consultation room, the patient has to be able to say freely whatever comes to their mind without the fear of retribution. Otherwise the working alliance can not be established and the therapeutic endeavor is doomed to fail.

It would be really nice to say something like "It is normal to feel a little bit tense or anxious, but I can assure you this room is completely safe. Nothing that is said here will be heard by anyone except for us and I will never spill any of the knowledge acquired here into conversations outside of this room. Nothing you say here will have any impact on what happens after our session(s)."
And while this would be ok from an IC perspective, I OOCly do not feel comfortable saying that and it feels like a lie, because OOC we both know it's not true. The more I get into the literature, the more I even feel guilty about bringing clients into that room and eliciting/facilitating private conversation and exploration.

I already had someone come in with OOC problems and although I do hope the clinical privacy and the patient's inviolability has been preserved, I can not guarantee as such. (Yes, that person made a throwaway character for this occasion)

So the suggestion would be to hide the Psychiatric Office as well as anything that is said/emoted in there from anyone who is not currently there IC. I have no idea how to this from a technical standpoint, or if this is even possible.

Of course there are also server logs, but I trust the admins to only make those accessible to people, who can keep them a secret, or wouldn't dig for something like that.

Maybe I am making a fool out of myself, because its spess men and I am just taking it too seriously, but this is something that is currently burdening my mind.

[goolie]

The psychiatrist role is for RP and RP only. If someone is coming into it with their own OOC issues, it needs to be nipped in the bud and handled out of the game. If you don't feel comfortable RPing with other people watching you, then it's more likely than not that RP needs to stop. The only problem that could arise is if a ghost takes the information they gained from watching the psych RP and then uses it for their own benefit, either OOCly or ICly, but this can happen anywhere and isn't exclusive to that room. The RP in that room and on Aurora is for creating fun engaging storylines for your character. Why would you want to hide that? 

[NothingNew]

If you are currently experiencing real-world problems pertaining to mental health, it's better to seek out consultation from qualified psychiatrists or counsellors.

 

Goolie beat me to the punch, but yes - Nobody here is qualified to offer a genuine consultation, the purpose of the room is an aspect in acting and character development, which should be purely entertaining for both players and spectators.

[Nol4]

Joining the crowd to say it is reckless and irresponsible to present a spaceman imitation of a psychiatrist as genuine mental health care. There should be no OOC patient-provider alliance because there should be no real patient and there is certainly no real provider. If someone is approaching you with real world concerns and you want to be kind, direct them to real world resources.

[Fluffy]

I concur with goolies, the Psych office is for RP, as is the whole server; We do not even shield the CCIA interview room from ghosts.

If someone is making throwaway characters to come in with OOC issues, that is to me an administrative issue, it's OOC in IC, you're essentially playing a self insert, and we have more than enough problems that regards to IC-OOC separation already.

 

I would like however to take a moment to address your point: You cite establishing safety, but do not have the training/qualification nor the material means to do that, as you're knowingly dealing with a non-RP, real issue, by your own description. It's neither safe for you, nor for this person, to do as such.

 

Voting for dismissal.

[Noble Row]

I don't mean to be insensitive or mean, but as someone who plays a psych a lot, it is very draining for me when I realize I'm no longer roleplaying, I'm trying to help a person OOCly with their OOC issues. It's gotten so bad in some cases that I only play the character when I myself have both feet on the floor for that day because while I can roleplay just fine, and find solace in doing so, as soon as I realize it's not roleplay anymore it's just such a draining experience. This is my favorite character too.

[Flpfs]

Disagree with the proposal.

All content in the server itself should follow its roleplay standards, including the psych office. People's IRL issues should not be discussed in an inserted manner as this is not the proper environment for it, even if I understand your good faith intentions.

I sympathize that it may generate embarrassment for ghosts to be observing a psych session, but this is a public server. The rounds are designed with observation by third parties in mind, and nothing that occurs in a round is confidential.

If you wish to discuss certain things that you might not like others observing, there are always alternatives such as direct messages and private forks. The proposed change would create undue weight and serve as a basis for other controversial concepts.

[Gem]

seconding what other people have said.

voting for dismissal.

 

[Menroka]

I actually completely agree with most of what has been said here. This shouldnt be a place for OOC issues. Saying No can be very hard, but it probably is the best outcome.