Randi Gottlieb
Special Events Chair, LA-CAMFT

Life-Long Journey of Giving

When I was asked to write a piece on volunteerism and my motivation to be on the LA-CAMFT board, I immediately reflected on a journey that started in childhood.  

I first learned the concept of volunteer work, Seva or selfless services, as a young child from my father who challenged me to understand the words of the famous Jewish sage, Hillel “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And If not now, when?”

Raised in an atmosphere of social justice, I was taught that it is not enough for a person to be concerned about the injustice that affects her personally; to be a person of worth she must address the injustice to her brothers and sisters in the broader world. I am ever grateful to my father for instilling this guiding principle in me, though to be honest, it has been a challenge to learn how to live those sage words in a balanced way.

Halloweens were spent trick or treating for UNICEF. Summers were spent teaching disabled children to swim. In 1968, my dad ran for congress on an anti‐war platform and I walked precincts after school and on weekends. I was fifteen. That summer, as the city’s youth representative to the United Nations I organized the first Long Beach Walk Against Hunger and raised over $50,000. The following year I lived in Uruguay as an AFS foreign exchange student. I got my bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology at UCSB and spent my junior year abroad in Mexico City. The larger my world became, the more injustice I encountered and the more difficult it became to maintain being that person of worth I was striving to be. My experience in Latin America was formative in my development but overwhelming for me as an emerging adult with a dictate to make a difference in the world.

Perhaps a need to make a difference guided me towards my career as a psychotherapist. Over the next thirty years through my volunteer work, I sought to make a difference for battered women and for children and teens in the child welfare system. I was the founding director of the Shasta County Women’s Refuge, founding board president of the Shasta County Child Abuse Prevention Council, and lead therapist in the design and implementation of the Shasta County Child Sexual Abuse Treatment Program. I served on numerous boards and represented the ten north state counties in several state level reform efforts to improve policy and practice for the California Child Welfare System. I performed these work efforts as a volunteer and truly never questioned doing so. Rather, I felt enriched and alive and genuinely grateful to be able to be involved in such efforts.

That said, over the years I have struggled through some very challenging experiences on boards and with volunteer efforts that were poorly designed or plagued by dysfunctional leadership. I have learned to distinguish between the kind of board and service effort that is ultimately productive and sustaining from the kind that is not and I have learned to be more discriminating about where and with whom to engage.

I began coming to the LA‐CAMFT Networking Events in 2012 and was immediately drawn to the warmth and positive energy of the membership. I took a first small step to become involved as a table host and with each event I felt more and more engaged. It became apparent, however, that the chapter was undergoing a major transition and that my skill‐set and experience might be of benefit to that effort.

I began attending the full board and executive board meetings to get a better feel for the organization. I became Table Host Coordinator, joined the Somatic Therapies SIG leadership team and helped to put on its first three workshops, facilitated the LA‐CAMFT Leadership Retreat, and was appointed to fill the vacant position of chapter secretary. (Editor’s note: Randi went on to become LA-CAMFT President, Past President, and Special Events Chair)

So really, why am I writing this? How can I convey that this is not about me? It really is not. I am sharing my story as a way of sharing one person’s reasons for getting involved, for volunteering, for doing Seva. It is simply one way to journey this crazy and often alienating life: on a path of service. It is a way to connect, to feel part of something bigger than oneself, and to contribute to the building of community. I cannot think of a better way to travel and truly hope you will think about coming along!

Randi Gottlieb, LMFT, is in private practice in Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Her primary areas of specialization include treatment for children, birth through teen years, life transitions, trauma recovery, and existential therapy. Randi’s clinical work is rooted in Gestalt, with EMDR and Trauma Resiliency as complimentary body/mind approaches and she frames her therapeutic work within a post-modern, real-life lens.

This article originally appeared in the LA-CAMFT newsletter, the LA Therapist Update, in 2014 and has been updated for this issue of Voices.

Attention LA-CAMFT Members!
2020 LA-CAMFT Board Meeting Dates

Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes at a LA-CAMFT Full Board Meeting? LA-CAMFT members are invited to attend monthly Full Board Meetings hosted at Factor’s Deli in West Los Angeles.

February 14, 2020
March 13, 2020
April 10, 2020
May 8, 2020
June 6, 2020 (Board Retreat)
July 10, 2020
August 14, 2020
September 4, 2020
October 9, 2020
November 13, 2020

Factor’s Deli

9420 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035

Voices Publication Guidelines for 2020

Calling all community writers and contributors!

Are you searching for a unique platform to express your passions and showcase your expertise in the Marriage and Family Therapy field? Look no further, as we welcome your input!

Following are the due dates and publication guidelines for submitting articles and ads for the 2020 calendar year to Voices, LA-CAMFT's monthly newsletter:

Upcoming Voices Newsletters	Submission Deadlines
April 2020 edition	March 1
May 2020 edition	April 1
June 2020 edition	May 1
July 2020 edition	June 1
August 2020 edition	July 1
September 2020 edition	August 1
October 2020 edition	September 1
November 2020 edition	October 1
December 2020 edition	November 1
January 2021 edition	December 1 (2020)

 

LA-CAMFT Publishing Guidelines for Voices

• All submissions are DUE by the 1ST of each month.
  • Around the 15th of each month, you will receive the editor’s call for articles for the next edition of VOICES.
  • This editor’s call will allow contributors to have up to 2 weeks to put together all the material for submission by the 1st of the month.
  • Around the 25th of each month, you will receive the editor’s second and last call for articles, reminding contributors to submit completed articles by the first should they wish to be included in VOICES.
  • In this last call for submissions, the editor will include a list of the content planned for the next edition of VOICES.This editorial list will note submissions received as well as submissions expected but not yet received and which must be received by the 1st in order to be included.
  • Any submissions received after the 1st, will be included in the following month's edition of VOICES.
• ARTICLES are 500–1000 word submissions by LA-CAMFT members, sponsors, speakers, or recognized experts in their field. Only universal file formats, like Word (.doc and docx.) will be accepted as submissions. If an article is submitted in a “.pages” format, it will be returned to the submitter.
• HYPERLINKS in articles must be individually typed into the body of the article by the writer and must be included at time of submission. It is the responsibility of each writer to “type in” the hyperlink(s) in their own work when the article is submitted. Putting “LIVE LINK” in the body of an article won't work. When multiple links are being included, this must be made clear by the writer as to where each link is to be featured.
• IMAGES: All personal headshots or images must be attached to an email as either a JPEG, PNG or TIF. Images pasted into an email are not acceptable since the quality of such photos is diminished. Any images received in the body of the email may result in delayed publication of the submission.
• AUTHOR TAGLINES: Author taglines are a short paragraph of 50 to 75 words after the end of the article in which the author is identified. It includes the author's full name, pertinent professional credentials, a short business description, and website address with a HYPERLINK. Email addresses and phone numbers are not included — the only exceptions are lacamft.org emails. All taglines are limited to 75 words, MAXIMUM. This word count includes the author's name and website.
• IMAGES OTHER THAN PERSONAL HEADSHOTS. There is an issue about images. When you submit an image other than a personal headshot, you must provide proof of how you obtained that photo. Following is a link that covers the importance of copyright issues, but especially so when it comes to anything “Internet.” (Sued for Copyright Infringement)
• AN ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN:
  • Helpful tips, strategies, analysis, and other specific useful clinical, educational, business or professional marketing or networking information.
  • A review of literature or arts (reviewer not related to or in business with the creator of the item being reviewed).
• AN ARTICLE MAY NOT CONTAIN:
  • Reference to commercial products or services being sold or distributed by author;
  • Information that is only useful if the author’s book or other materials are purchased
  • Suggestions that the reader attend the author’s workshop, conference or podcast for more information;
  • Any other material that could be construed as an advertisement, rather than an article;
  • Language that could be construed as defamatory, discriminatory, or offensive