President's Message

Akiah Selwa, LMFT
LA-CAMFT President

Harambee: Reconsidering Mentorship

My African ancestors’ words of wisdom are relevant when we consider the importance of mentorship. It does “take a village to raise a child.” It also takes a village of people to inspire and guide mental health practitioners on the journey from being a student to a seasoned professional all the way through to approaching retirement.

But I’ve noticed that something happens when a person crosses over from adolescence to adulthood; there seems to be less emphasis on the necessity and value of formal mentorship relationships. Apparently the thinking seems to be that as certified, licensed, or experienced mental health workers or professionals we have it together “enough” not to need mentors or mentees. There’s less urgency to develop impressionable minds.

I don’t think this is true; no one gets anywhere by themselves.

The last two years of my life in the United States have reminded me that I need my mental health community more than ever before. I challenge us to “Harambee”—Swahili for “push together”—to help each other continue to excel professionally.

While I am grateful for the things my mother and aunties taught me with their actions and inactions, the five mentors I had from age fifteen to middle adulthood built on what my family taught me and as a result they helped me become the mental health professional I am today. I know I am further down the road than I would be without my mentors’ love, wisdom, and feedback.

I am pleased to report that I have had the privilege of mentoring several associate therapists as well as paraprofessionals. I have found that if the mentors and mentees are teachable and intentional, the experience can be equally rewarding and educational for both parties.

Let’s reconsider the necessity for formal mentorship relationships and reserve the capacity to receive or give mentoring this year.

I invite you to start by exploring the LA-CAMFT Therapists of Color (TOC) Mentorship Program.

Akiah T. R. Selwa, LMFT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a great sense of humor, a heart full of hope, and twenty-three years of experience as a psychotherapist. Akiah is the owner of Sunrise Therapy Center (STC) a private practice corporation that services all of California via a telehealth platform. Akiah approaches her work with cultural humility and humor that promotes acceptance, empowerment, spirituality, and creativity. Akiah will complete Somatic Experiencing training in 2025 with Somatic Experiencing International, is a certified SoulCollage® Facilitator (2024), and a currently in a two-year Spiritual Direction program with Stillpoint. When Akiah is not working as a therapist, she is a mixed media artist, having fun with my next crochet project, singing, or exploring nature.