Light Up The Couch

Dr. Wendy Ashley explores how clinicians can move beyond the myth of neutrality by recognizing how identity, power, privilege, and lived experience shape clinical work. She offers practical guidance for practicing with greater cultural humility, reflexivity, authenticity, and responsiveness in the therapeutic relationship. Interview with Elizabeth Irias, LMFT.

Trish Yonker, LCPC, explores how foster care, family separation, instability, and disrupted relationships can affect children and the people who care for them. She offers practical guidance for pacing trauma treatment, building emotional and physiological safety, supporting overwhelmed caregivers, responding to behavioral and developmental needs, and creating flexible, relationship-centered care for foster and adoptive families. Interview with Elizabeth Irias, LMFT.

Mara Sammartino, LCSW, explores how clinicians can support Hispanic and Latino/x/e clients with cultural humility, curiosity, and respect amid heightened fear and safety concerns. She offers practical guidance for building trust, addressing systemic stressors, and reducing barriers to care. Interview with Elizabeth Irias, LMFT.

Boris Kisilev, MD, explores how cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship can affect patients and the people who care for them. He offers practical guidance for addressing anxiety, grief, trauma, treatment-related mental health symptoms, caregiver stress, fear of recurrence, and the need for coordinated, multidisciplinary support. Interview with Elizabeth Irias, LMFT.

Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, explores how cognitive impairment and dementia can show up in clinical work. She offers practical guidance for adapting communication, supporting caregivers, preserving dignity, and expanding care when clients need more support. Interview with Elizabeth Irias, LMFT. 

Dr. Julia Macaronis explores ethical, culturally responsive supervision practices, offering concrete strategies for addressing power, positionality, feedback, gatekeeping, and cultural humility in support of safer learning environments and supervisee growth. Presentation.