Spotlight Stage

Thursday, August 7

Friday, August 8

Saturday, August 9

Living the Dream While Barely Living: A Psychologist’s Reckoning with Success, Burnout, and a Choice to Pivot

Thursday, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.

This session offers a candid exploration of what happens when the pursuit of professional success begins to undermine our ability to live well and stay aligned with purpose. The conversation centers the lived experiences of three psychologists who achieved what many in our field strive for, only to find themselves exhausted, disillusioned, or unwell. Led by Dr. Taisha Caldwell-Harvey, psychologist, entrepreneur, and founder of The Black Girl Doctor, this panel brings together Black women psychologists who all made the choice to pivot. Each panelist will reflect on the high cost of overachievement, the burnout they faced, and what it took to redefine success in ways that made room for rest, purpose alignment, sustainability, and joy. This conversation amplifies voices and stories that are often left out of traditional models of success in psychology. It explores how honoring diverse lived experiences, particularly those shaped by race, gender, and cultural context, can reveal new pathways for thriving in our profession.

Through storytelling, insight, and reflection, this session will explore:

The emotional and physical toll of success when systems reward overwork and self-sacrifice
How burnout and moral injury show up in Black women psychologists
The moment you realize you need to pivot, and the fear, grief, and freedom that follows
The courage it takes to leave coveted roles and choose wellness over prestige
How healing and redefining success can transform both professional and personal life
This session is an invitation to reimagine what’s possible when we center identity and purpose as catalysts for impact and innovation.

Presenters:

Taisha Caldwell-Harvey, PhD, Founder + Consultant, The Black Girl Doctor

Amy R. Beck, PhD, Missouri Psychological Association

Shelly-Ann Collins Rawle, PhD

Akilah Reynolds, PhD

How to Scale into a Group Practice with Ease

Thursday, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Most therapists receive little to no business training in graduate school, leaving many highly skilled and compassionate mental health professionals struggling to attract patients and grow a sustainable practice. In this presentation, paid for by Jane App, Retired Psychologist and Business Coach Nicole McCance will share her proven 5-Step Scaling Method, the framework that enabled her to grow her clinic to 55 therapists in just 3 years and successfully sell her practice. Her 5-Step Scaling Method provides a clear, actionable roadmap for therapists looking to build a thriving, profitable practice while maintaining clinical excellence.

Presenter:

Nicole McCance, M.A.C. Psych

Generative AI and Mental Health: Opportunities, Risks, and Research Priorities

Thursday, 2:30- 3:30 p.m.

Psychologists have tried to keep pace with the ever-increasing rate of mental health problems, but there are simply not enough clinicians to treat everyone in need. Generative AI could be used in a number of ways to improve access to evidence-based interventions including through education and training, supervision tools, and self-guided interventions. Some parties are also exploring uses that remove humans from the loop such as autonomous AI chatbots. In exploring responsible uses of this breakthrough technology in the context of mental health it is critical to be guided by ethics, safety, and responsible development practices. This panel discussion, paid for by Google and moderated by a psychologist from the Mental Health Center of Excellence at Google, will explore the opportunities and risks associated with generative AI use in mental health. Panelists include scholars at Google, as well as academic researchers with expertise in this area. The aim is to educate psychologists about generative AI and to address some of the more pressing concerns and questions in this space.

Moderator:

Renee Schneider, PhD, Google

Panelists:

Daniel McDuff, PhD, Google and the University of Washington
Shannon Wiltsey-Stirman, PhD, Stanford University and the National Center for PTSD's Dissemination and Training Division
John Torous, MD, MBI, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC)
Jessica Jackson, PhD, Mental Health America and Founder & CEO of Therapy Is For Everyone Psychological & Consultation Services, PLLC

To Release or Not to Release: A Review of Common Scenarios and Risk Considerations When Releasing Patient Records

Friday, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Patients are entitled to access their health records in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It is essential to facilitate easy access to this information for patients or their authorized representatives while ensuring compliance with privacy and security standards outlined in the HIPAA Privacy Rule. This session, paid for by American Professional Agency, will examine the rights of patients under HIPAA regarding access to their health records and will cover various types of requests, including the release of records for minors, requests for letters or forms, and third-party requests from attorneys, law enforcement, or family members. Additionally, we will address best practices for managing subpoenas and court orders, as well as the importance of obtaining consent for the release of information. The presentation aims to educate participants on these matters to mitigate potential harmful consequences for both the patient and the psychologist. Familiarity with state and federal laws and regulations governing patient confidentiality and data privacy and security is crucial to minimize the risk of board complaints, grievances to the Office of Civil Rights, and litigation when disclosing an individual's records.

Presenters:

Cara H. Staus, CPHRM, FASHRM, AVP Risk Management, AWAC Services Company
Allison M. Funicelli, MPA, CCLA, ARM, CPHRM, DFASHRM, AVP, Risk Management, Allied World Assurance Company

A Conversation about Autism Spectrum and Related Constructs: Implications for Psychologists

Friday, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

The construct of autism has undergone changes since the original description of “infantile autism” by Leo Kanner in 1943. Over time, the construct of autism broadened to include other presentations, such as Asperger’s syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder. In 2013 responding to poor diagnostic validity DSM-5 introduced autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which collapsed 5 diagnoses into a spectrum. Alongside this conceptual change additional constructs, such as profound autism, syndromic autism, autistic social identity, and pervasive demand avoidance have emerged. Despite predictions ASD diagnostic criteria would result in a decrease in autism prevalence, autism rates continue to raise while rates of intellectual disability (ID) diagnoses, have decreased. There are benefits and drawbacks associated with a spectrum and associated constructs. For example, autism social identity maybe associated with improved mental health. In this session, paid for by Catalight, three presenters with expertise in autism, a psychologist who is a parent of a child with ID, an autistic researcher and a researcher who is also a diagnostician, will engage in a conversation that explores autism constructs, implications of the spectrum and potential avenues for more cohesion in our conceptualization of autism.

Presenters:

Doreen A. Samelson, EdD, MSCP, Chief Clinical Officer, Catalight Foundation
Cynthia M. Anderson, PhD, BCPA-D, Avela Health
Ben Pfingston, MS, Catalight

Healing the Healers: AI’s Role in Addressing Burnout and Moral Injury

Friday, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Mental health professionals face mounting administrative demands that detract from direct client care, contributing to burnout and moral injury. Systemic barriers—such as excessive documentation requirements, insurance-driven constraints, and inefficient workflows—often force clinicians to work against their professional values, leading to emotional exhaustion and ethical distress.

This session, paid for by Upheal, explores how AI-assisted documentation can help streamline workflows, reduce administrative burdens, and realign clinical practice with ethical care. It will include emerging research from Upheal on AI’s potential to automate repetitive tasks, enhance documentation accuracy, and minimize insurance-related hurdles, allowing clinicians to prioritize therapeutic presence over paperwork.

Attendees will gain practical insights on integrating AI responsibly, addressing concerns around bias, autonomy, and data security, and ensuring that AI supports rather than replaces clinical decision-making.

Presenter:

Ted Faneuff, MSW, LISW-S, LMSW, LCSW, MBA, Upheal

Advocacy In Uncertain Times: ACC’s role in APA’s/APASI’s current and future directions

Saturday, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Join this Critical Conversation session to learn how the Advocacy Coordinating Committee (ACC) and the membership influence the APA/APASI's advocacy priorities. We will discuss the ACC's role in assessing member priorities and engagement and explore opportunities for psychologists at all career stages to engage in advocacy.

Presenters: