My name is Anna Lee and I am a Doctorate of Social Work student at University of Southern California. This might be strange sort of inquiry, but I was wondering if anyone would be able to help design a wellness and cultural center for me as a backdrop to a virtual platform that I am developing. For my doctoral capstone, I am working on creating a virtual wellness and cultural center (VWCC) that is accessible online to people who have substance use disorders (alcohol/drug addiction). The VWCC would look like the interior of a center so that users experience as though they are actually in this safe space to receive help for a condition that is often so stigmatized by society. Many people are afraid to seek treatment because of this stigma so my idea is to create a virtual center where they can connect to peers who have shared experiences, support mentors, and counselors. I am also wanting to have several rooms such as: information/resource center, counseling room, recovery art gallery, storytelling lounge, café (houses the support groups and chat forums). This project is something that I am passionate about because of my own lived experiences recovering from addiction and is something that I will be pursuing as a start-up after the completion of my doctorate at the end of this year. I am a mental health therapist working towards licensure, as well as a certified alcohol/drug treatment counselor. My lived and professional experience with drug addiction has brought me on this journey of wanting to do something that will create innovation and impact in this field. I want to be able to reach those who need help and do so in a way that understands the courage it takes to seek it. My vision is that the VWCC becomes an accessible treatment modality that’s offered through insurance benefits, sliding scale fees, Employee Assistance Programs, and scholarships for those who cannot afford it. I’m wondering if anyone would be willing to take on this sort of project even though it’s not going to be a traditional brick and mortar building and do so at a considerably low amount as I am very limited on funding. I apologize in advance for having the audacity to post such a request. I hope to hear back from you. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Anna Lee
Non Sequitur
Feb 24, 20 11:34 am
This could very well be a M.Arch student's thesis. Best to reach out to the nearest architecture school and see if there are any profs with students looking into this type of space. No working professional architect has the time to do this sort of thing.
nyg831dom
Feb 24, 20 1:06 pm
Thank you, that sounds like a great suggestion. I appreciate your insight.
midlander
Feb 24, 20 9:31 pm
Look more towards video game artists or movie effects artists for support in this. The specific skills of architects related to building real buildings are less relevant for this than good sensibility in designing virtual spaces and a reliable understanding of modeling for users to view and interact.
the core of what you need has some overlap with architectural skills, but specialists in digital visualization would be more useful in implementing this successfully.
midlander
Feb 24, 20 9:34 pm
seeing you are at USC there should be plenty of opportunity to reach out to other departments for support in this
My name is Anna Lee and I am a Doctorate of Social Work student at University of Southern California. This might be strange sort of inquiry, but I was wondering if anyone would be able to help design a wellness and cultural center for me as a backdrop to a virtual platform that I am developing. For my doctoral capstone, I am working on creating a virtual wellness and cultural center (VWCC) that is accessible online to people who have substance use disorders (alcohol/drug addiction). The VWCC would look like the interior of a center so that users experience as though they are actually in this safe space to receive help for a condition that is often so stigmatized by society. Many people are afraid to seek treatment because of this stigma so my idea is to create a virtual center where they can connect to peers who have shared experiences, support mentors, and counselors. I am also wanting to have several rooms such as: information/resource center, counseling room, recovery art gallery, storytelling lounge, café (houses the support groups and chat forums). This project is something that I am passionate about because of my own lived experiences recovering from addiction and is something that I will be pursuing as a start-up after the completion of my doctorate at the end of this year. I am a mental health therapist working towards licensure, as well as a certified alcohol/drug treatment counselor. My lived and professional experience with drug addiction has brought me on this journey of wanting to do something that will create innovation and impact in this field. I want to be able to reach those who need help and do so in a way that understands the courage it takes to seek it. My vision is that the VWCC becomes an accessible treatment modality that’s offered through insurance benefits, sliding scale fees, Employee Assistance Programs, and scholarships for those who cannot afford it. I’m wondering if anyone would be willing to take on this sort of project even though it’s not going to be a traditional brick and mortar building and do so at a considerably low amount as I am very limited on funding. I apologize in advance for having the audacity to post such a request. I hope to hear back from you. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Anna Lee
This could very well be a M.Arch student's thesis. Best to reach out to the nearest architecture school and see if there are any profs with students looking into this type of space. No working professional architect has the time to do this sort of thing.
Thank you, that sounds like a great suggestion. I appreciate your insight.
Look more towards video game artists or movie effects artists for support in this. The specific skills of architects related to building real buildings are less relevant for this than good sensibility in designing virtual spaces and a reliable understanding of modeling for users to view and interact.
the core of what you need has some overlap with architectural skills, but specialists in digital visualization would be more useful in implementing this successfully.
seeing you are at USC there should be plenty of opportunity to reach out to other departments for support in this