The LA-CAMFT Membership Committee is a village that helps build the LA-CAMFT Village.

Membership is about involvement and commitment. The Membership Committee helps individuals understand the benefits resulting from making a commitment to being involved in LA-CAMFT. The Membership Committee informs others about the great opportunity to be part of a growing vibrant community of mental health professional that joining LA-CAMFT provides.

Everyone who is a member of LA-CAMFT is already a member of the Membership Committee, and in no small way. When a member shares with colleagues and friends their experiences at LA-CAMFT, it is an invitation for them to participate as well.

Specifically, the Membership Committee is responsible for bringing in new members and supporting the commitment of our existing members. The Membership Committee welcomes new members and helps them participate in the special interest groups and standing committees. We are also involved in outreach to the mental health community and inform psychotherapists about the benefits LA-CAMFT has to offer.

On a personal level, the Membership Committee has been a way for me to share with others that joining, being involved with, and contributing to the LA-CAMFT Village is a win-win experience. I feel enormous gratification in being a part of a caring, compassionate community- and it feels wonderful to be making a difference by helping the organization. I have met so many terrific people through the Membership Committee and I encourage anyone who is interested to call (310-479-7266) or email me at sietze@sietzevanderheide.com to learn about how you can participate.

As the newsletter’s editor, I welcome article submissions on various subjects pertaining to the field of mental health and healing arts. We are part of an ever-changing profession that requires us to stay informed and educated about new advances and discoveries in the field. We are also a community that brings together experienced and knowledgeable professionals and newcomers who have much to offer concerning mental health, psychotherapy, expressive arts, law and ethics, and much more. Therefore, I encourage you to share this knowledge by writing for the newsletter. You are invited to submit articles, 400 words in length, to sealoverv@aol.com. (Please attach your work as a Word document.) I welcome first person pieces as well as research findings, and topics of interest to our field.

If you would like to be on the newsletter committee as a writer, proofreader, or otherwise, I could use the help! Please contact me at the email address above. We can also use writers to cover our various events. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.

Participating in the work of this Committee presents an opportunity to have an overview of all the goals and activities of our professional organization.   The Committee’s challenge is to then use creative thinking and independent action to come up with ideas to support LA-CAMFT’s programs and needs.  The Committee then develops and researches these ideas to formulate realistic plans that can be implemented by and for LA-CAMFT.

The Committee reports to the Board of LA-CAMFT and is charged with making recommendations to the Board.  It’s a truly dynamic process that offers an opportunity to use a therapist’s forward thinking for community purpose, professional career enhancement purpose, as well as being one of the major components of the foundational health of LA-CAMFT.

Examples of the Committee’s current work are: research on the ways to establish an LA-CAMFT scholarship fund; community outreach to establish sponsorship for workshops and LA-CAMFT general meetings; development of ongoing and annual events including: private practice referral through social networking, multi-disciplinary practice-matching opportunities, and job fairs.

Ways and Means ordinarily meets once a month on a Saturday in West L.A. for approximately an hour and a half.  Subsequent to our meetings the members work independently and exchange email on the progress of the meeting’s outlined tasks.  The Committee welcomes visitations by LA-CAMFT members who would consider becoming a part of this active Committee.

Next meeting:

October 17th

11 a.m.

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Wilshire at 6th Street in Santa Monica

Contact information:  Maria Dylan, Chairperson mariadylan@dreamstudies.net

Cathy Graf

Richard Quaglino

Alan Johnson

Our organization will continue to reach professional and CAMFT members in the greater Los Angeles area to promote the rebirth and revival of the Los Angeles CAMFT. In order for us to grow and remain a solid and sound frame for our community, we must create and produce a collaborative space in which our members can engage, share resources and obtain the support they seek as professionals and individuals. Our committee’s task is three fold:

1. Connecting members. The Involvement Committee is analogous to a ‘concierge’ for LA-CAMFT. Once an individual has become a member, the Involvement Committee represents the conduit through which they can connect, realize their niche and utilize the LA-CAMFT community.  When members demonstrate an expressed interest in participation, the Involvement Committee facilitates that process for them by helping to guide and direct them into a space that is accessible, encouraging and welcoming. The Involvement Committee is dedicated to ensuring that all members meet their desired level of contribution.

2. Volunteer ambassadors. The Involvement Committee actively manages the volunteer experience, including the experiences of our appointed chairpersons and committee members. Check-ins and surveys of their experiences as volunteers in our organization will assist in the identification of future challenges and areas of forward progress.  The very nature of LA-CAMFT is based on the foundation of collaboration such that the efforts of the Involvement Committee ensure that members can always contribute and be utilized in a meaningful and satisfying way.

3. Committee resources. As our committees continue to grow and develop so will the need for participation. We are creating a process by which we can exchange communication to create and maintain a viable and working volunteer database. If a struggling committee requires support, we are a valuable resource.

The Involvement Committee is looking for energetic, organized and inspirational individuals who want to be a valuable resource for the Los Angeles CAMFT.  Please send all inquiries to Faith Morgan, Chair, at lacamftvolunteer@gmail.com

Licensed staff must complete three trainings; Eye of the Storm, Critical Incident Stress Management, and Foundations in Disaster Mental Health to be certified as a disaster mental health responder with CAMFT Trauma Response Network.  When members complete the trainings they can complete an application to be sent to CAMFT to be reviewed and accepted. The Red Cross requires that you be licensed and take the Foundations in Disaster Mental Health Course as well as a CPR class to be deployed as a “mental health responder” to a crisis location.  Interns may also take the course but will not be classified as a mental health responder until they are licensed.  There are many additional trainings (i.e.- shelter training) and opportunities available through the Red Cross to provide support while completing hours for licensure.

I am excited to say that I have completed two of the three courses required to be a part of the CAMFT Trauma Response Network. The disaster mental health trainings provide professionals with the training and skills necessary to deploy to a crisis situation and be able to identify needs and respond appropriately. I have completed the Red Cross Training and was recently contacted to respond to a local shelter to provide relief during the Los Angeles Regional Fires.  I am excited to watch and be an active participant both in the revival of LA-CAMFT and in the revival of the LA-CAMFT Trauma Response committee.   I want to encourage those of you who are interested in disaster mental health to contact me to discuss what that involves, both as a licensed professional and a non-licensed professional.

There are many ways to offer support during a crisis. My vision is to create an elite LA-CAMFT Trauma Response Committee filled with passionate professionals. I am looking for support from licensed professionals, intern professionals and trainee professionals to be a part of this vitally important, life changing committee responding both on the scenes and behind the scenes during times of crisis. We will work closely together to organize trainings and recruit interest in our MFT community as well as provide support to those in need.

Please contact Shannon Byrnes, MFT, Trauma Response Committee Chair, at shannon@shannonbyrnes.com

The process is more complicated than it sounds, and we need volunteers to help pull it off!  If this sounds like the perfect place for your contribution, feel free to contact Lynne Azpeitia at lynnemazpeitia@yahoo.com.

This Special Interest Group meets bi-monthly to offer expressive arts presentations, hands-on experiences, and discussions about the arts as a therapeutic modality. No knowledge of Expressive Arts Therapies is needed…just a curiosity to learn and an open mind!! For scheduled events as well as cultural and social activities for LA/CAMFT Members and Friends (UCLALIVE) please contact leslietuchmanMFT@aol.com or call Leslie at 310.562.6105. www.leslietuchman.com

Our members are your colleagues! And, as your colleagues, we invite you to join us on one of our sub-committees as we work together, get to know each other a little better, network, get some “how do you do it?” tips, and have some fun as we go.

The Event Coordination Committee organizes the mechanics and processes involved in putting on our monthly events. Committee responsibilities include registration and hospitality, table hosting, name tag development, literature table set-up, membership table staffing, and folder organization. Each of these important areas has its own sub-committee, chairs or co-chairs.

If you are looking for more involvement in your professional community, but aren’t quite sure what that would look like, please contact any of us for more information.

We welcome your participation and will help you find a way to become involved that works best for you!

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EVENT COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Karen Wulfson
310 475-1759
karen@karenwulfson.com
www.karenwulfson.com

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SUBCOMMITTEES:
Registration:
Tracy Bevington
310 226-2826
tracy@teensempowered.com

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Table Hosts:
Kate Boswell
310.658.3158
kate@2bstressfree.com
www.2bstressfree.com

Kathryn Heymann
310 202-0721
kheymann3@gmail.com

Meg Kuroda
310 699-2508
megchat@mac.com

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Name Tags:
Kelly McNair
310.866.5365
kellymcnair@gmail.com

John Helyar
818 231-7305
john@johnhelyar.com

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Literature Table:

Mona-Lisa Lind
310 376-7125
Mona-Lisa_Lind@msn.com

Erica Carrington
310 902-8323
Erica@4thecarringtons.com

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SM-WLA (AAMFT) chair
Unfilled

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Folder Organization:
Unfilled

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Whether you’re a long-time member or new to us, whether you’re a student, trainee, intern, clinical member or associate, we welcome you! If you’d like to get to know us just a little better, are more comfortable at meetings when you have a task to do or if you just think it might be more fun to join us, let us know today!