From Radio to AI: Navigating Fear, Ethics, and Opportunity in Counseling

Course overview

This interactive presentation explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in mental health counseling through a historical and counselor-informed lens. While concerns about technology disrupting human connection date back to earlier innovations such as the printing press and the telephone, the introduction of radio marked a pivotal moment when technology entered the home and competed for relational attention. Drawing parallels across radio, television, the internet, and AI, this session contextualizes current concerns related to ethical risk, bias, and the impact on therapeutic relationships. Grounded in emerging research (Gonzalez, 2026; Joshi & Gainer, 2026; Cangelosi & Hunter et al., 2025; Gainer et al., 2025; Maslej et al., 2025; Raman et al., 2025; Schlegel et al., 2025; Shoemaker et al., 2025; Olawade et al., 2024; van Heerden et al., 2023; Shaygan et al., 2022), ethical standards (e.g., ACA Code of Ethics, 2014; NBCC Ethical Principles for Artificial Intelligence in Counseling, 2024), and real-world clinical applications, participants will examine the accuracy, utility, and limitations of AI tools in practice. Emphasis will be placed on maintaining clinical judgment, protecting client welfare, and using AI to support, rather than replace, core counseling skills. Participants will first examine historical patterns of technological disruption to reframe fear and resistance within the counseling profession. The session will then transition into an interactive prompt development lab, where participants will apply a structured framework to generate and evaluate AI-assisted responses to clinical scenarios, with attention to ethical decision-making and clinical accuracy. Building on this foundation, attendees will observe demonstrations of AI tools used for documentation and treatment planning to explore practical workflow integration. The session will conclude with a guided overview of how counselors can design and utilize customized AI assistants to support supervision, psychoeducation, and skill development without requiring advanced technical knowledge.