When does AI support learning, and when does it quietly replace it? We explore that question through the realities of counseling education, supervision, and practicum training. We discuss the ethical challenges of using AI as a study aid, feedback tool, or role-play partner, alongside the pressures educators face when guiding new clinicians. The conversation also examines how AI affects writing and revision, why faculty remain ambivalent, and how students might use AI to practice and learn rather than take shortcuts. From practicum supervision and student mental health to emerging research on AI and professional engagement, this episode looks beyond the hype to ask a deeper question: What should good learning feel like? A thoughtful conversation for anyone interested in counseling education, faculty development, and the role of AI in training and practice.

Timestamps
00:13 - Welcome to Mentor Moments and a mid-semester catch-up
00:54 - Brayton's busy counseling caseload with athletes and university adjustment
02:27 - Michael’s three teaching assignments across different student cohorts
03:06 - What practicum looks like for counseling students in real sessions
04:13 - Three papers in revision, including two studies on AI
05:51 - The 17-item Professional Engagement Questionnaire is ready to use
06:24 - Research plans for how practicing counselors are using AI
08:52 - Where practicum students are placed this semester
10:38 - Why practicum teaching can become an ethical and logistical puzzle
11:57 - Cohort bonding, role-play, and group supervision norms
13:41 - How much hands-on guidance is appropriate for new counselors
16:01 - Michael’s publishing rhythm and how workload changes over time
18:05 - Why research on teaching, learning, and AI keeps him engaged
19:13 - Early findings from the AI studies and the persistence of ambivalence
21:26 - Why some counselors see AI as useful and others as ethically risky
23:31 - Ethics, law, and values in the AI conversation
25:16 - When AI is a learning aid and when it may just be doing the work for you
26:54 - Why Michael is shifting AI use toward study support and role-play
28:23 - Reflection on how scattered higher ed’s AI response feels
29:53 - Maryville’s evolving stance on AI and why the gray area remains
31:30 - A comparison to MOOCs and why that movement never fully took hold
32:36 - AI role-play in practicum and the limits of practice with nonhuman agents
34:31 - Can AI or classmates really prepare students for real counseling clients?
35:36 - The limits of role-play across identity, bias, and lived experience
36:32 - How long research projects really take from idea to publication
37:35 - Why participant recruitment and review timelines slow everything down
40:25 - Music, concerts, and a quick pop culture detour
47:48 - Wrapping up, and one more mentor moment

Elizabeth Perkins shares the career decisions, mentors, and experiences that shaped her 20-year journey in vocational rehabilitation—and the leadership lessons that keep her challenging the system to help more people thrive. From her early days supporting customers at UPS to becoming coordinator of programs for Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation, Elizabeth reflects on the moments that drew her toward counseling, opened the door to leadership, and sparked her passion for advocacy, inclusion, and community partnership. If you care about disability employment, career development, or leading with purpose, this conversation will resonate.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• How an unexpected path through psychology, HR, and counseling led Elizabeth into vocational rehabilitation
• Why one participant’s “dream job” in a junkyard became a turning point in how she tells the VR story
• The leadership qualities she values most: adaptability, authenticity, collaboration, and genuine relationships
• How transformational and authentic leadership shape her decisions
• Why she stays current through boards, training, advocacy, and ongoing feedback
• The mentorship advice that still guides her: “Don’t let boundaries limit your imagination”

Elizabeth also discusses normalizing disability, embracing diverse perspectives, and asking a question every professional should revisit: What is your why? Her answer is a reminder that meaningful work comes from staying rooted in purpose and showing up for the people you serve.

Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome to Mentor Moments and introduction to Elizabeth Perkins
00:31 — Elizabeth’s role with Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation
00:49 — From psychology and UPS to considering counseling and HR
01:46 — Choosing graduate school and discovering vocational rehabilitation
02:43 — Two decades with the agency: from counselor to leadership
03:10 — Why direct counseling work was her favorite job
04:07 — A participant’s dream job and the power of competitive employment
05:01 — Using video to tell participant and employer stories
05:51 — Building partnerships across schools, providers, workforce, and family support
06:49 — Career happenstance and the theory of planned happenstance
08:58 — Why adaptability, trust, genuineness, collaboration, and innovation matter
11:47 — Staying relevant in a changing field and updating old systems
13:17 — Why collaboration and partnerships matter more than silos
15:39 — Transformational leadership and authentic leadership
17:31 — Being solution-focused and challenging legacy processes
18:40 — Wanting to be part of the solution and drive change
19:26 — How boards, advocacy, training, and feedback help her stay current
23:46 — Mentors who opened doors
26:31 — “Don’t let boundaries limit your imagination”
27:31 — What inspires her about serving people directly
29:17 — Encouraging diversity, inclusion, and authentic self-expression
30:39 — Normalizing disability and sharing lived experience
33:07 — Knowing your “why” and keeping it visible
34:41 — Closing thanks and listener call to actionAction items

Amy Turk reveals why talk therapy and EMDR can hit a wall, and how yoga, somatic work, and movement-based healing can unlock relief that insight alone sometimes can't. Amy opens up about the evolution of her practice, from private practice therapist to founder of a new Webster collective that blends counseling with yoga and somatic dance. She explains why she began looking beyond traditional therapy, what changed when she pursued yoga teacher training, and how that training reshaped both her own anxiety and the way she supports clients.

You’ll discover:

• Why somatic therapy matters when the mind understands but the body still feels stuck
• How EMDR and talk therapy can help, and where their limits can show up
• Why yoga is more than a coping skill and can function as a true healing art
• How somatic dance uses body keys, movement, and feeling to release shame, guilt, and fear
• Why group classes, routines, and community can make healing more sustainable

We also dig into the practitioner side of growth, lifelong learning, and what it means to keep evolving when your current tools are no longer enough. Our conversation gets honest about burnout, resistance, and the challenge of inviting clients into something deeper than a quick fix. If you work in the helping professions, support athletes, or are simply curious about the mind-body connection, this episode offers a fresh, practical lens on healing that is both compassionate and concrete. It’s a reminder that lasting change often starts when we stop treating the body like an afterthought. Perfect for therapists, counselors, coaches, and anyone ready to explore what happens when healing moves beyond the talk.

Timestamps

00:00 - Welcome back and Amy’s new Webster practice

00:41 - Amy’s background in rehab counseling and recovery settings

01:41 - Why she began looking for somatic approaches

03:25 - Mike’s idea of the scholar-professional and lifelong learning

05:19 - A full-circle moment with EMDR training

06:09 - How EMDR works and where its limits can show up

08:17 - How yoga shifts attention from the mind to the body

09:45 - Flow state, exercise, and why movement matters

11:30 - Yoga as more than a coping skill

12:52 - Why yoga teacher training changed everything

14:24 - Getting clients to buy into yoga and somatic work

16:55 - Teaching as nurture, not performance

18:12 - Process over outcome in habits and movement

19:51 - Solo yoga, group classes, and community energy

21:29 - What somatic means in therapy 23:01 - Somatic dance and how it differs from general exercise

25:41 - Why some clients stay stuck even after insight 26:17 - Working with childhood trauma in private practice 27:56 - How nutrition, sleep, and movement support the mind 29:57 - Applying the ideas to student athletes and resistant clients

33:35 - What private practice ownership looks like now

34:34 - Building a collective and expanding the space 35:53 - Local yoga and somatic training shoutouts

37:24 - Advice for helping professionals