Workshop 1
Title : Design and delivery of a master of science degree program for cyberpsychology: Case illustration of obstacles and opportunities from Norfolk State University
Author : Scott Debb
Presenter : Scott Debb
Date and time : July 11th, 2023; 09:00- 12:00
Abstract : This workshop will focus on the approach taken by Norfolk State University (NSU) to design and deliver its master’s degree in cyberpsychology. This fully online program, housed at a public, urban, historically Black university in Virginia, USA, will be discussed from an administrative, curricular, and educational perspective. Emphasis will be placed on the steps required to bring a new graduate degree program to fruition (in Virginia, USA), the challenges both internally and externally with regards to getting approval and support to start such a program, the process of developing a 14-course/42 semester credit hour curriculum including both design and delivery obstacles, and what NSU has done to promote and recruit for the program. Emphasis will be given to the mechanisms embedded in the curriculum to ensure academic rigor and facilitate student research despite the overwhelming asynchronous nature of the program. The target audience for this workshop include a) university administrators looking to build novel academic degree programs where significant precedent for such a new program (such as a stand-alone cyberpsychology) does not already exist for a specific discipline, b) instructional designers who are involved in building online course and learning management system-specific elements of a fully online program, c) faculty who are considering how to build their own cyberpsychology program in the United States or otherwise, d) faculty teaching cyberpsychology courses at any level and tactics they can utilize to facilitate both student and instructor presence in the online classroom, and e) students interested in understanding how an online yet research-intensive program gets developed with non-traditional (and often non-psychology background) student needs in mind. The format for this workshop will include guided discussion with the audience, demonstration of course design and delivery components of the degree program, and small group discussion with the audience focusing on paths for a new program such as this to grow, prosper, and ultimately connect students with needs in the (global) workforce. The following learning objectives will be met by participation in this workshop: 1—Participants will learn the steps involved in bringing a new graduate degree program online (in Virginia, USA); 2—Participants will explore at least five curriculum design and delivery issues when developing a fully online program; 3—Participants will understand the administrative processes required to implement and begin to offer a new graduate degree program in cyberpsychology; 4—Participants will identify at least three best practices for teaching cyberpsychology curriculum in an asynchronous classroom environment; 5—Participants will be able to recognize at least three cultural or cross-cultural concerns to consider when building an interdisciplinary-focused graduate degree program; and 6—Participants will classify at least five methods of promoting and growing a graduate degree program in cyberpsychology.
Workshop 2// Cancelled
Workshop 3
Title : A Masterclass on how to use virtual reality for emotional regulation and exposure for the treatment of anxiety disorders
Authors : Stéphane Bouchard and Éric Malbos
Presenter : Stéphane Bouchard and Éric Malbos
Date and time : Note. This workshop is sponsored by C2Care. Registration in free (but mandatory) and space is limited to 125 people. July 11th, 2023; 09:00- 12:00
Download a PDF copy of the PowerPoint presentation here: CYPSY26 – June 2023 Anxiety Workshop Bouchard and Malbos
Abstract : The use of virtual reality (VR) for emotional regulation and the treatment of anxiety disorders has often been guided by creativity, clinical experience, hunches, or classical approaches to treatment mechanisms (e.g., habituation). This presentation will argue in favor of a strong focus on neuroscience, current theories of learning and emotions, and reliance on empirical studies. The workshop is organized in three sections. The presentation will begin with a brief review of the core features of effective psychotherapies for anxiety disorders (phobias, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social anxiety and generalized anxiety disorders). The role of exposure and inhibitory learning will be described, along with nuances to distinguish between counterproductive therapeutic strategies that create more avoidance versus those that are effective. The limitations of standard exposure as used in traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and the advantages of using VR exposure will be presented. The part of the workshop will expose treatment protocols illustrating how to use VR for each disorder. Clinical illustrations will be provided by the two workshop leaders. A few key studies will be described to highlight the pros and cons of using VR. The last 30 minutes of the workshop will be dedicated to underline the relative roles of presence and unwanted negative side effects induced by immersion in VR (cybersickness). The presenters will use dynamic examples to illustrate how to make the best use of VR in psychotherapy.
After this workshop, participants will be able to: 1) Outline the scientific results about exposure in VR for all anxiety disorders. 2) Identify the key ingredients relevant to use VR in the treatment of treat phobias, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder and general anxiety disorder. 3) Know how to include VR in the traditional CBT treatment of anxiety disorders and to approach creatively the use of a variety of software. 4) Recognize and deal with cybersickness and take necessary clinical precautions. 5) Describe how to increase the sense of presence in order to make VR work more efficiently or to deal with low level of immersion. 6) Initiate a discussion about the emergence of new products and start-ups claiming that VR can cure mental disorders.
Note. This workshop is sponsored by C2Care. Registration in free (but mandatory) and space is limited to 125 people.
