Los Angeles Chapter — California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
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Diversity Committee |
Diversity Committee Meetings Stay tuned for meetings in 2025! TOC Mentorship Program Committee gets ready to host Dishes of Diversity: A Mentoring Potluck (from November 2024 Newsletter)
Dishes of Diversity is more than just an opportunity to share delicious food—it's a chance to celebrate the rich diversity of backgrounds and experiences that make up the Therapists of Color Mentorship Program. Each participant is encouraged to bring a dish that represents their cultural heritage or personal favorites, creating a vibrant tapestry of flavors that reflects the unique stories of our community members.
This mentoring potluck is also an excellent opportunity for mentees to interact with their mentors outside of the usual professional context. Sharing food and engaging in games allows for more personal conversations and deeper connections, which can enhance the mentorship experience. It’s a chance to see mentors as individuals with their own unique stories and experiences, rather than just professional guides. This event underscores the importance of community within the Therapists of Color Mentorship Program. By coming together to celebrate our diverse backgrounds, we strengthen the bonds that make our community resilient and supportive. It is through these shared experiences that we can continue to grow both personally and professionally. We look forward to seeing all our mentees and mentors, past and present, at this year's event. Please USE THIS LINK to RSVP by Sunday, November 10, 2024. Let's make this event a memorable celebration of our collective heritage and the strong, supportive community we are building together. Call to Action: Not part of the program but eager to find ways to participate in this exciting event? Consider being a sponsor. For more details, please contact Keonna Robinson or Brian Hart. We can't wait to share this special experience with you!Keonna Robinson, MA, LMFT, is the TOC Mentorship Program Chair. Visit: TOC Mentorship Webpage. Email: Tocmentorshipprogram@lacamft.org. LA-CAMFT Diversity Committee Background Over the past few years, the Diversity Committee has focused on the following objectives:
Therapists of Color Monthly Support Group provides a safe place to receive peer support and process experiences of racism (systemic, social, and internalized), discrimination, implicit bias, racist injury, aggression, and micro-aggressions, along with additional experiences that therapists of color encounter in the field of mental health. For upcoming meetings, please check out our events page here. Black Therapists Support Group (BTSG)
For upcoming meetings, please check out our events page here. Asian American Pacific Islander+ Therapists Circle (AAPI+)
For upcoming meetings, please check out our events page here. Middle Eastern North African Therapists Community Group (MENA)
For upcoming meetings, please check out our events page here. White Therapists Fighting Racism (WTFR)
For upcoming meetings, please check out our events page here. Therapists of Color Mentorship Program
Therapists of Color 2024 Grant Award for Pre-Licensed Members
Questions? Contact the Committee Chair:Stara Shakti, LMFT
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Stara Shakti, LMFT, has a Master’s in Clinical Psychology and specialization in Trauma Studies from Antioch University-LA. With a private practice in West L.A, Stara works with young adults in their 20s/30s and specializes in: Trauma and Intersectionality, LGBTQIA+ and POC/BIPOC folks, Neurodivergents, and first-generation Americans (especially from East / South Asian communities). Stara also helps survivors of narcissistic abuse heal from their past trauma. A founding member of LA-CAMFT’s Diversity Committee (since its origin in 2017), Stara is excited to be 2024 Chair of the Diversity Committee to highlight intersectionality—the “diversity within diversity. Website: www.starashaktilmft.com. | Upcoming Events
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In addition to the culinary delights, the event will feature a variety of games and activities designed to nurture connections and build a sense of camaraderie. From traditional board games to culturally significant activities, there will be something for everyone to enjoy. These games are not only fun but also serve as icebreakers, helping mentors and mentees get to know each other in a relaxed and informal setting.
Therapists of Color Monthly Support Group (TOC) 
Black Therapist Monthly Support Group provides 
Asian American Pacific Islander+ Therapists Circle provides safe and empowering place for therapists of the Asian diaspora to experience healing, renewal, and belonging. We will collectively process experiences of racism and internalized oppression. We will also explore the coexistence of privilege and marginalization along with invisibility and hypervigilance. This space will help us appreciate and reclaim what we have in common while honoring our differences. Grace Lee Boggs notes, “The only way to survive is by taking care of one another.” May this circle embody her words.
The MENA Therapists Community Group is a safe place across the Middle Eastern and North African therapist diaspora to build community and a sense of belonging. We hold an inclusive space to process the impact of cultural biases experienced by people of MENA descent and the effect it may have on our work as mental health professionals. Within the process, we will strive to create healing, support, and empowerment. We will collaboratively exchange ideas, experiences and resources while acknowledging cultural differences and shared similarities. As the poet Khalil Gibran states — “The reality of the other person lies not in what he reveals to you, but what he cannot reveal to you.” — our community will create a place to be seen, heard, and understood.
The goal of White Therapists Fighting Racism (WTFR) is for white-identified therapists to become effective allies in support of decolonization and racial justice in our clinical practice, therapy association, and community. Recognizing that racism is maintained when whiteness is invisible to white people, White Therapists Fighting Racism provides a forum for white-identified therapists to explore what it means to be white. While this process includes learning about structural racism and deconstructing the false narrative about race, a primary focus in the group is on doing inner work.
Contact Information
California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists |
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