Arkansas Psychological AssociationOctober 4, 2024
From Therapy Room to Thought Leader: Harnessing Media and AI
Session at 21st Century ArPA: Powering Advocacy, Ethics, & Media for a Brighter Tomorrow, an APA-approved continuing-education program for psychologists. Little Rock, Arkansas, in person and virtual. Presented with Margaret Rutherford, Ph.D., clinical psychologist, author of Perfectly Hidden Depression, and host of The SelfWork Podcast.
Recording published by the Arkansas Psychological Association. Watch on YouTube ↗
The session had three takeaways: how to amplify reach with media and AI together, how to think through the first steps of a thought-leadership identity, and what ethical integration of AI into professional work actually requires. It was built for clinicians, researchers, and faculty — including the ones who had no intention of being “in media” and simply wanted their expertise to travel further than the four walls of an office.
My portion was the systems half. AI as infrastructure rather than novelty: how a single hour of recorded expertise becomes months of accurate, attributable content; why prompting is a conversation and not a trick; how early-career professionals can use it for research and synthesis without outsourcing their judgment; and how to protect yourself — privacy, discretion, and the option to lead with your work instead of your face. Underneath all of it was the question I ask every institution: what are you building that will still be there when you are not in the room?