Christina Castorena
President, LA-CAMFT

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It’s December, and winter is finally here! Holiday decor is on display, shopping is in full swing and whether you like it or not, festive music is being played on loop. For me, it is bittersweet because it is the last month of my presidency at LA-CAMFT, and I will transition to my role as “Past President.” 

It's been an honor serving as President. I was given the opportunity to work alongside LA-CAMFT’s Board of Directors and committee members. This group of highly dedicated and skilled professionals, who are passionate about providing our community, worked tirelessly to bring quality events to our therapeutic community.  

It was an exciting year for our chapter. In 2019, LA-CAMFT held numerous activities which included both time-honored gatherings and new events. Can you believe we held eight networking events this year? These networking events are the cornerstone of our chapter and provide the community with a dynamic speaker’s series, fun networking opportunities, affordable CEUs, and of course delicious food. If you haven’t been able to make it out to one of our networking events, I highly recommend attending in January of 2020, since already have some dynamic speakers already lined up! 

We've also held four special events that included an expansive Law and Ethics Workshop, a memorable Summer Picnic, a celebratory Appreciation Event, and our festive Holiday Party celebration. These events helped to provide our community with opportunities to connect, learn and celebrate in a more casual setting.  

Our 3000 Club provided our pre-licensed membership with multiple fun and supportive social opportunities. These events helped provide a supportive community during the demanding process of reaching licensure.  

The Diversity Committee held monthly “Therapist of Color” support groups on both the East and West sides of Los Angeles. They also provided the chapter with several firsts this year. At the beginning of the year, the Diversity Committee was asked to lead the first ever facilitated Discussion on Diversity at the Annual CAMFT Leadership Conference that was held in Anaheim, California. This was a remarkable accomplishment for both the chapter and the state organization. The Diversity Committee also held its first workshop and this was the first event LA-CAMFT has held on the Eastside of Los Angeles. I am so proud of our leaders who worked very hard to make all of this come to fruition.  

We released twelve editions of our Voices electronic newsletter. Each newsletter has been filled with interesting articles from our membership that covered pertinent issues that impact mental health therapists. I was so happy to see so many new members contributing articles and sharing their voices with us.  

It’s important that I recognize and thank all our community sponsors who connected with LA-CAMFT this year to help us provide our members with affordable and quality events. It is equally important that I thank all our members for continuing to support the LA Chapter of CAMFT. 

As I close out my last message as President, I’d like to welcome our incoming President, Matthew Evans, LMFT and President Elect, Jenni J.V. Wilson, LMFT. I’m excited about our presidential team because Matt possesses a strong drive for Associate Advocacy and cares deeply about our community and Jenni is grounded in her passion for diversity, inclusion and expansion of LA-CAMFT’s resources and mission to support therapists.  

I will continue to support Matt and Jenni in my role as “Past President” just as former “Past President,” Shelley Pearce, LMFT, helped support my growth this past year. In collaboration with LA-CAMFT’s Board of Directors, the continued community partnerships, strong member support and the steady leadership that grows within LA-CAMFT, I am confident that our chapter will continue to thrive and evolve. I wish you and those you care about a most joyous holiday season and hope to see you in the new year. 

Best Regards,
Christina Castorena, LMFT

Christina Castorena, MS, LMFT, worked in community mental health before starting her private practice, Castorena Therapeutic Services, in 2016. She passionately serves adults, couples, and members of the LGBTQ+ community who are dealing with life transitions, parenting, relational conflicts, and anxiety. She employs family systems and mindfulness-based CBT. As president of LA-CAMFT, Christina strongly advocates for her professional community and celebrates the hard-working clinicians that facilitate healing. Her website is castorenatherapeutic.com. Christina may be contacted at president@lacamft.org.