Description & Objectives

Continuing Education Hours: 1.5 CEs for LPC, SW, LMFT, and Psychologists - NBCC Approved

Description: As clinicians, we do not compete with technology—we safeguard healing. This presentation equips therapists to lead ethically in a digital age while remaining rooted in resilience, humanity, and survivor-centered care. As technology rapidly expands into mental health spaces, many clinicians express concern about artificial intelligence (AI) replacing the therapeutic relationship, compromising ethics, or minimizing the lived experiences of trauma survivors. This presentation offers a grounded, trauma-informed perspective that reframes AI not as a competitor to therapy, but as a clinical support tool that must be used with intention, boundaries, and ethical clarity. This session explores how female survivors of violence benefit most from human connection, safety, attunement, and empowerment— elements that no technology can replicate. At the same time, therapists are navigating increasing documentation demands, burnout, and requests from clients who are already engaging with digital tools outside the therapy room. Rather than ignoring this reality, clinicians must learn how to respond ethically and confidently. Participants will gain a clear understanding of what AI can and cannot ethically support in trauma-informed care. The session will distinguish between appropriate uses such as psychoeducation, journaling prompts, between-session reflection, and clinician workflow support—versus areas where AI should never replace clinical judgment, diagnosis, or relational healing. Special attention will be given to safeguarding survivor autonomy, confidentiality, cultural sensitivity, and emotional safety. Drawing from clinical experience working with survivors of violence, professionals, and high-functioning women, this presentation emphasizes that resilience is strengthened not by technology alone, but by how clinicians protect the therapeutic relationship while adapting to modern tools. Attendees will leave feeling informed—not fearful—and equipped to engage conversations about AI with clients and colleagues from an ethical, trauma-centered stance.

Instructor

Dr. Shannon Davis-Wills

Dr. Shannon Davis-Wills, DHA, LPC-S is a trauma-informed clinician with over eight years of experience supporting women impacted by trauma and life transitions. She is the founder of Hope Within Counseling, where she works with individuals, professionals, and leaders to navigate trauma, emotional regulation, and identity restoration through compassionate, evidence-based care. Dr. Shannon’s work is grounded in trauma-informed principles that emphasize safety, empowerment, autonomy, and emotional regulation. She is also a certified trauma informed yoga instructor, integrating mind-body awareness to support resilience and emotional regulation in survivors of violence and trauma. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Shannon is the author of Healing From Within, a reflective and practical guide that invites readers to explore emotional healing, self-awareness, and resilience through a trauma-informed lens. Her writing and speaking focus on helping individuals reclaim their inner strength while honoring the complexity of their lived experiences.