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

Warriors

It is such an honor to introduce LA-CAMFT Diversity Committee Chair, Akiah “Kiah” T. Robinson Selwa,  LMFT and Diversity Committee Co-Chair, Rachell Alger, AMFT! Together they are the leading warriors of the Therapists of Color Support Group, Black Therapists Support Group, Asian American Pacific Islander + Therapists Circle, Middle Eastern and North African Therapists Community Group, White Therapists Fighting Racism, Therapists of Color Grant Program for Pre-Licensed Members, Therapists of Color Mentorship Program, workshops that highlight issues that impact underrepresented communities and individuals and so much more.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Akiah “Kiah” T. Robinson Selwa LMFT since we were right out of graduate school and working alongside each other in community mental health. Every fiber of Kiah is intertwined with honesty, compassion, commitment, creativity, artistry, and service. LA-CAMFT has been fortunate to have Kiah as the Diversity Committee Chair for almost two years and as a prominent mentor for the upcoming generation of therapists like Diversity Committee Co-Chair, Rachell Alger AMFT.

Rachell was encouraged to join LA-CAMFT by one of her graduate school professors and attended the first Anti-Racism Roundtable in 2020. It was there where she began forming relationships, getting involved and honing her leadership skills. Rachell shares that through her leadership process she has “learned so much, gained a trust in others and a hope for the future”.

Get to know Kiah and Rachell as they share their “why,” “highlights” and “hopes and dreams” for LA-CAMFT.

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

●     “I’m a healer and it’s my job to be part of things, people, organizations and opportunities to help bring forth healing to people and this is just one way of doing that by offering support groups, programs and building relationships”

●     Representation—When we can, we should be part of things like this and offer opportunities to experience leadership from somebody different from us”

●     Being part of a group of people who are creating more equity for ALL mental health practitioners by promoting, educating and creating awareness

Kiah’s “highlights” to being a LA-CAMFT Leader:

●     Last year’s Decolonizing Therapy Workshop by Dr. Torres Rivera that sparked our imagination in new ways and is a contributing factor to our next diversity workshop

●     Honor and excitement from leading monthly Diversity Committee meetings

●     Every time I lead a support group and have an opportunity to offer something

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

●     Real connection and shared values

●     Working together and building relationships amongst leadership

●     More membership and diversity amongst members

●     Creation of safety for the trans and undocumented community with representation, discussion, articles, networking and more.

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

●     To help create a safe space for others to feel heard, seen and empowered with their experiences of inequities and discrimination

●     To help clinicians feel grounded in their values of equity and equality, embody that and bring that with them into the sessions with their clients

●     Being mentored by senior TOC leadership

Rachell’s “highlights” to being a LA-CAMFT Leader:

●     Picnics where you could be with people in person and in nature

●     Every time I meet with Kiah and working under her wing

●     Witnessing Kiah lead from her authentic self

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

●     More in-person events

●     For LA-CAMFT to have its own office

●     Creation of a “union” which would allow for more protection for associates

●     White therapists to be more included in diversity conversations

●     More leadership

●     More intersectionality

●     More engagement with the Latinx therapist community

Special thank you to Kiah and Rachell for sharing your warriorness 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/Diversity-Committee. 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.