In- Person Conference Schedule
June 5, 2026
9:00-10:30: Keynote by Dr. Gulsah Kemer, LPC
Staying Grounded through Complexity: From Cohesive Thinking to Action
10:45- 12:15: Breakout Session #1
Healing Forces: Trauma-Informed Supervisor Practices in Counseling
Presenter: Michelle Caulk, PhD, LMHC (IN), LPC (MO), NCC, ACS
Trauma-informed supervision helps supervisors create an atmosphere of trust, safety, agency, and collaboration with their supervisees. It is one critical tool that reduces burnout, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue among supervisees. As it models attachment-based relationships between supervisees and clients, its effects are far-reaching and transformative. The presentation offers an overview, alongside practical applications and case study discussion, of trauma-informed supervision.
OR
So You Want to be a Supervisor: Best Practices for Clinical Supervision
Presenters: Elizabeth Irwin, PhD, LPC (MO) and Emily Oliveira, PhD, LPC (MO)
Counselors in training can include graduate students in practicum and internship or new professionals seeking a counselor credential. Supervising a counselor in training requires specific strategies, considerations, and techniques. This session will introduce some of the essential topics to consider when supervising a counselor in training. This session will present information on a specific supervision model that can be used with a counselor in training as well as strategies for addressing counseling competencies in supervision and navigating critical issues and incidents in supervision of new counselors.
12:15pm-1pm: Lunch (provided)
1:00- 2:30: Breakout Session #2
Supervision and a Suicidal Crisis
Presenter: Kristina Kersting, PhD, LPC (MO), LCPC (KS)
Many clinicians are under-trained and inexperienced with navigating a suicidal crisis. This implies that those clinical supervisors struggle with the same challenge. This presentation will help clinical supervisors gain confidence in their skills when assisting clinicians who are serving high risk clients. Supervision of clinicians with high-risk clients may not look the same as your average clinical supervision session. We will learn how to be available, while maintaining boundaries, and how to practice self-care.
OR
Play Therapy Supervision Panel
Presenters: Mary Martha Abernathy, PhD, LPC (MO), NCC; Rabia Shoaib, MEd, PLPC; Kelli McKee, MA, MT-BC
It is imperative that supervisors are prepared to support interns and licensees as they pursue their RPT and continue to build skills and knowledge as a clinician. Supervision is a key form of learning and growth for those pursuing an RPT. Hear from a panel of individuals who have been supervising practicum students, interns, and provisionally licensed counselors in the RPT journey. Hear about our research regarding play therapists experiences of multiculturally informed practice.
2:45-4:15: Breakout Session #3
Compassionate Support for Addressing External Stressors in Supervision
Presenter: Nichole Angieri, PhD, LPC (MO) & Ericka Cables, PhD, LPC (MO)
OR
Developing School Counselors through Trauma-Informed Supervision
Presenter: Emily Brown, PhD, LPC, RPT-S, NCC
School counseling supervision has unique considerations given the complexity of school environments and school counselors' multifaceted roles and responsibilities. In this session, participants will learn about school counseling supervision models for effective supervision across the components of a comprehensive school counseling program. This session integrates a trauma-informed supervision lens to discuss best practices for school counseling supervision.
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Virtual Conference Schedule
June 12, 2026
9:00am-10:30am
Real Rap: A Study on African American English in Cross-Cultural Supervision
Presenter: Shantanique Johnson, MS, LPC
Grounded in intersectionality and Black feminist thought, this phenomenological study examined the cross-cultural supervision experiences of Black and African American women counselors in training (CIT) who were African American English (AAE) speakers. Using the Modified Stevick-Colizzi-Keen method, it explored how race, gender, and language intersect in supervision. While supervisors' policing of language challenged participants' authenticity, they continued to embrace AAE as a strength-based tool. Findings call for linguistic justice, cultural humility, and recognition of AAE as a legitimate asset in counseling.
10:45am-12:15pm
Trauma-Informed Gatekeeping and Supervision in Counselor Education
Presenters: Agata Freedle, PhD; Meredith Moore, PhD
This presentation will provide an overview of pillars of trauma informed care (TIC) and social justice informed supervision and gatekeeping in counselor education through practices and procedures that acknowledge and honor students identities and trauma exposure. Specific case examples will be provided to illustrate how TIC and social justice frameworks can be utilized at various stages of counselor’s education and development.
12:15pm-1:00pm - Break for Lunch
1:00-2:30pm
Exploring the Use of Somatic Skills and Techniques In Clinical Supervision
Presenter: Areka D. Foster, PhD, LPCC-S, ATR-BC, SEP
This presentation introduces somatically informed clinical supervision, an embodied and trauma-informed approach that integrates awareness of the body and nervous system regulation into the supervisory process. Grounded in RCT, PVT, and qualitative research exploring supervisors’ experiences, the model highlights how somatic awareness can enhance the supervisory experience. Participants will be introduced to core principles of somatic supervision and engage in brief, practical somatic strategies for integrating somatic awareness into clinical training and supervision.
2:45-4:15
Strategies to Promote Emotional Regulation and Resilience for Supervisees with Pre-Existing Mental Health Conditions in the Counseling Field
Presenters: Denise Purvis, PhD, LCPC, NCC; Daniella Appiagyei, PhD, LCPC; Kimberly Schellin-Rog, EdD, LCPC
Research provides groundwork around compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma negatively impacting clinicians in the field. However, there is an existing research gap in the supervisory needs for clinicians with pre-existing mental health conditions and their individualized needs to promote welfare in the clinical role. Presenters will review their lived experiences of best practices promoting emotional regulation and resilience for supervisees struggling with negative symptoms of pre-existing mental health conditions through field experiences.