LA-CAMFT Diversity Committee

presents

White Therapists Fighting Racism (WTFR)

Third Sunday of Every Month

Next Meeting:
Sunday, December 21, 2025
3:00pm-5:00pm (PT)

Online Via Zoom

The goal of White Therapists Fighting Racism (WTFR) is for white-identified therapists to become effective allies in support of decolonization and racial justice in our clinical practice, therapy association, and community. Recognizing that racism is maintained when whiteness is invisible to white people, WTFR provides a forum for white-identified therapists to explore what it means to be white. While this process includes learning about structural racism and deconstructing the false narrative about race, a primary focus in the group is on doing inner work.

How Do I Join? To join this group, please click here to complete our online submission form. Once submitted, a group facilitator will reach out to you for next steps.

Open to LA-CAMFT Members and Non-Members.

For more information or if you have additional questions, please send all inquiries to the facilitators WTFR@lacamft.org.

Event Details:

For: Licensed Therapists, Associates, and Students

When: Sunday, December 21, 2025 from 3:00pm-5:00pm (PT)

Where: Online Via Zoom (Once you complete the online submission process, you will be emailed a monthly Zoom link.)

Cost: No charge

Facilitator(s): Estelle, Randi, and Hazel

https://lacamft.org/event-6041758

Member Article

Divorce: How to Create Emotional Safety for Your Kids

Steven Unruh, MDiv, LMFT

Picture this: a once joyful and united household transformed into a battlefield of unspoken pain and hidden tears, where innocent hearts are the unwitting victims. This is the reality for countless children caught in the crossfire of their parents’ divorces. It’s a disheartening scene that exposes children to emotional turmoil and feelings of insecurity, a poignant reminder of the gaps we need to bridge to safeguard their emotional wellbeing. But what if there was a path, less traversed, where the collateral damage to these young souls could be minimized? What if there was a way to transform this chaotic journey into a peaceful transition?

The Problem
Divorce unleashes a whirlwind of challenges. It dismantles the family structure, throwing parents and children into new, often stressful living dynamics. It burdens divorcees with guilt, anger, and a myriad of other emotions, affecting their ability to parent effectively. It is simply unfair, especially to the children, who are thrust into situations they neither chose nor understand, as the foundational pillars of their lives seemingly crumble. But, it doesn’t have to be a journey marred by pain and resentment; there is an alternative path paved with understanding and healing. 

5 Ways to Create Emotional Safety for Your Children
As a seasoned divorce mediator with over 30 years of experience, my mission is to extend a helping hand to families navigating the turbulent waters of separation, guiding them to calmer shores. I care deeply about the emotional well-being of each family member, especially the children, and I’m here to offer insights on creating a secure emotional environment for them during such trying times. 

1. Fostering Open Communication
   Embrace Honest Conversations: Open dialogue is indispensable for allowing children to voice their feelings, fears, and thoughts. It fosters an environment of trust and understanding, promoting emotional safety. Active listening and validation of their feelings reinforce their sense of worth and alleviate anxiety, crucial for their emotional well-being during times of familial upheaval.
   
   
2. Strengthening Parent-Child Bonds
   Nurture Connection: Spending quality time is paramount. Engaging regularly in activities your children relish fosters bonds and crafts positive memories. This not only solidifies your relationship but also establishes a stable, loving environment, aiding them in adapting to new family dynamics. It’s a cornerstone in maintaining relational equilibrium amidst the changes.
   
   
3. Advocating for Emotional Literacy
   Teach Emotional Intelligence: Empowering children to identify, understand, and manage their emotions is essential for navigating the emotional upheavals of divorce. Providing tools for emotional intelligence enables them to better cope with psychological stresses and uncertainties inherent in family separations. By exemplifying healthy emotional expression and efficient conflict resolution, we pave the way for their emotional resilience and balance. This proactive approach helps in fostering a stable environment where children can thrive despite familial changes. It’s about molding resilient and emotionally balanced individuals who can face life’s challenges head-on.
   
   
4. Encouraging Professional Guidance
   Seek Counseling and Mediation: Divorce mediation provides a harmonious approach, centering on children’s emotional needs. It serves as a conduit for friendly decision-making, reducing conflict and fostering family well-being. This method aligns family members on a common ground, promoting unity and mutual respect amidst discord. It’s a transformative approach ensuring the holistic health of the family during transitional times.
   
   
5. Maintaining Consistency and Routine
   Establish Stability: Implementing a structured routine is crucial, offering children a semblance of normalcy and security amidst the chaos of divorce. Regular schedules for meals, bedtime, and other activities instill a comforting rhythm in their disrupted lives. This consistent routine acts as a stabilizing force, smoothing their transition through the upheavals of familial change. It’s a foundational step in reinforcing their sense of security and predictability. In this structured environment, children find the resilience to face new family dynamics with ease and confidence.

Your Path to Harmonious Transition
Skepticism is natural, and the road less traveled is often met with resistance. Some may doubt the effectiveness of maintaining emotional safety and the benefits of mediation, viewing them as unnecessary or cumbersome. However, understanding that this path fosters a healthier, more harmonious transition for everyone, especially the children, is the first step to embracing it. 

Take the Leap: Picture a future where divorce doesn’t equate to broken children, but to resilient ones. By adopting these practices and embracing the harmonious approach of divorce mediation, you can shield your children from the brunt of the impact, fostering their emotional security and paving the way for their flourishing futures. 

Embrace the transformation; let the shift begin with you. Reach out for guidance, and together, let’s rebuild the emotional foundations for your children, ensuring their happiness and stability amidst life’s storms. 

Remember, it’s not about the broken pieces but about how we rebuild them. Make the decision to secure your children’s emotional safety today.

Steven Unruh, MA, MDiv, is a Divorce Mediator and LMFT. He and his team at Unruh Mediation complete the entire divorce process, including all assets, pensions, properties, alimony and child support—along with all required documentation. Unruh Mediation files in 13 different courthouses throughout Southern California. Website: stevenunruh.com

LA-CAMFT’s Declaration
of Inclusion, Diversity, and Anti-Racism

Psychotherapy can be transformative in a democratic society, and can open intellectual inquiry that, at its best, influences and results in lasting positive change. In recognition of our shared humanity and concern for our community and world, LA-CAMFT loudly and overtly disavows all racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, classism, ableism, ageism, and hate speech or actions that attempt to silence, threaten, and degrade others. We in LA-CAMFT leadership hereby affirm our solidarity with those individuals and groups most at risk and further declare that embracing diversity and fostering inclusivity are central to the mission of our organization.

As mental health professionals, we value critical reasoning, evidence-based arguments, self-reflection, and the imagination. We hope to inspire empathy, advocate for social and environmental justice, and provide an ethical framework for our clients, our community, and ourselves.

We in LA-CAMFT leadership are committed to:

(1) the recognition, respect, and affirmation of differences among peoples

(2) challenging oppression and structural and procedural inequities that exist in society, generally, and in local therapeutic, agency, and academic settings

(3) offering diverse programming content and presenters throughout our networking event calendar, as well as in our workshops, trainings, and special events

While we traverse the turbulent seas of the important and necessary changes taking place in our country, in order to form a “more perfect union.” we wish to convey our belief that within our community exists an immense capacity for hope. We believe in and have seen how psychotherapy, therapeutic relationships, and mental health professions can be agents of positive change, without ignoring or denying that the practice and business of psychiatry, psychology, and psychotherapy have historically been the cause of great harm, trauma, and emotional toll, particularly for people of color and other marginalized groups. We are committed to doing our part to help remedy that which we have the position, privilege, and/or resources to do so.

At LA-CAMFT events, all members are welcome regardless of race/ethnicity, gender identities, gender expressions, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, disabilities, religion, regional background, Veteran status, citizenship, status, nationality and other diverse identities that we each bring to our professions. We expect that leadership and members will promote an atmosphere of respect for all members of our community.

In a diverse community, the goal of inclusiveness encourages and appreciates expressions of different ideas, opinions, and beliefs, so that potentially divisive conversations and interactions become opportunities for intellectual and personal growth. LA-CAMFT leadership wants to embrace this opportunity to create and maintain inclusive and safe spaces for all of our members, free of bias, discrimination, and harassment, where people will be treated with respect and dignity and where all individuals are provided equitable opportunity to participate, contribute, and succeed.

We value your voice in this process. If you feel that our leadership or programming falls short of this commitment, we encourage you to get involved, and to begin a dialogue with those in leadership. It is undeniable that the success of LA-CAMFT relies on the participation, support, and understanding of all its members.

Wishing good health to you and yours, may you find yourself centered in feelings of abundance, safety, belonging, and peace.

Standing together,
The LA-CAMFT Board of Directors and Diversity Committee