Christina “Tina” Cacho Sakai, LMFT
President, LA-CAMFT

Innovation, Courage and Passion

Join me in welcoming Secretary and TOC Mentorship Program Committee Member, Mayra Diaz, LMFT and Communications & Marketing Chair, Laura Sgro, LCSW to the 2023 LA-CAMFT Board of Directors! We are thrilled to have them join us this year as they bring forth their leadership skills of innovation, courage and passion to better the organization and therapeutic community at large. 

Mayra Diaz, LMFT, is known in the professional community for her specialty working with anxiety, OCD and people of color, and hosting monthly LA Therapist Mixers. Mayra enjoys working with people who are new to therapy or who haven’t had the best experiences in therapy within the realms of anxiety and OCD. “The appropriate treatment can be really effective and I love being able to give people that different view.” Last year, Mayra published “The Panic Attack Relief Workbook: A 7-Week Plan for Overcoming Fear, Managing Panic, and Finding Calm.” This year and as a self-proclaimed “training junky,” Mayra enrolled in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy for OCD Certificate Program. As a therapist of color, Mayra is passionate about helping other therapists of color and has a firm belief in the power of mentorship, finding support somewhere and being honest about your limits. 

Mayra’s “why” to being a LA-CAMFT Leader:

• Sense of community and connection
• Being a proactive and an involved type of person
• Likes to solve problems and have a platform to be able to help in that way
• Opportunities to learn things and exposure to different experiences
• Exposure to professionals in different areas

Mayra’s “hopes and dreams” for LA-CAMFT is to keep pushing forward to become more:

• Efficient
• Innovative
• Open to change

Mayra’s recommendations to those interested in getting more involved with LA-CAMFT:

• Just try and stick your foot in to volunteer
• Jump on opportunities that may be presented to you
• Find something that sparks your interest and ask if you could get involved
• Put forward your ideas even when you may be anxious or nervous because that is a sign of leadership that will get you noticed

Laura Sgro, LCSW is very excited to be on the LA-CAMFT Board of Directors. As a LCSW, Laura shares how she has felt so welcomed into the organization and has not felt that she has been othered or doesn’t belong. Laura feels that LA-CAMFT is a Therapist Organization with spaces for everyone regardless of the letters behind our name. Laura expresses how LCSWs and LMFTs have shared goals, similarities and shouldn’t have so much division. As the Communications and Marketing Chair, Laura enjoys creating and designing the social media graphics and finds fun in representing the organization through her graphics. Laura is clearly talented in graphics and design and we invite you to check out her creations and follow LA-CAMFT on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/losangelescamft/ and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lachaptercamft.

Laura’s “why” to being a LA-CAMFT Leader:

• Involvement in leadership and creation of change
• Opportunity to meet as many folks as I can
• Participation in the diversity initiatives and special events
• Connection to other therapists in private practice

Laura’s “hopes and dreams” for LA-CAMFT:

• Ability to connect more in-person
• Embrace fresher perspectives
• More special interest groups (i.e. hiking, crafting, etc.)
• Library of recorded trainings to watch
• Survey the members to find out more of their needs

Laura’s “highlights” of being a LA-CAMFT Leader:

• Fun to meet everyone and see everyone’s strengths and what they bring to the Board
• Nice to be part of something. I always wanted to be on a Board and be part of an organization
• Connection with others and making new friends
• Expansion of folks that I would not have met otherwise
• Enact change that impacts people

Special thank you to Mayra and Laura for allowing me to interview you and share your awesomeness with the broader LA-CAMFT Community! If you would like to get in contact with either of them, you could find them here: https://lacamft.org/Board-of-Directors-2023. If you are interested in leadership opportunities, please email me directly at President@lacamft.org

Hope to connect soon!

Christina “Tina” Cacho Sakai, LMFT

Christina "Tina" Cacho Sakai, LMFT (she/her) is a Latinx (Mexican-American) psychotherapist in private practice and a former community based therapist, clinical supervisor, associate director, and adjunct faculty at CSULA. She provides psychotherapy in a culturally responsive, LGBTQIA+ affirming and social justice-oriented atmosphere. Treatment specializations include healing from trauma, processing grief and loss, exploring creativity, and honoring full intersectional identities. She is currently in the BIPOC Somatic Experiencing Training Certificate Program.