President's Message

Jenni Wilson, LMFT, President

Micro-Volunteering

In September 2025 I hosted the second Self-Care Saturday Night: Autumnal Social Networking Salon and Meet-Up at my home. As usual, I was running around like a madwoman right up to the moment the doorbell first rang and a wave of volunteers arrived to help set-up. It was amazing how many people had signed up, and amazing how unprepared I was to organize and direct them all. 

Only minutes in, I was pulled away from the inside team to direct the food and beverage set-up outside. I threw up my hands and said, “you’ll figure it out!” to two volunteers waiting for me to tell them how they should set up the registration table and name tags. For sure frazzled, I soon returned to the registration table where folx were still trying to figure out a system from the pile of materials I had left them, and I overheard one volunteer saying to another, “…yeah, she just sort of threw this stuff at us and said ‘you figure it out’!”. With my head down in a pile of name tags, I looked up, and added something like, “What a totally unorganized messy bitch!”. They were horrified realizing it was me, and I laughed, admitting, “I’m so sorry for abandoning you… I’m really messy right now, thank you for understanding… it looks like you DID figure this stuff out!”. And they had.

One of our Chapter Aims this year is to rebuild the Volunteering Infrastructure that was damaged by or lost to the pandemic. The strength of LA-CAMFT’s in-person volunteer network began to atrophy when we were no longer meeting in person, when friendly faces leading Registration Teams, serving on committees, or serving as Table Hosts became a less immediate need.  With everyone in existential crisis and survival mode at that time, Special Interest Group leadership and offerings also reduced to a trickle and then a slow drip, with the groups themselves fading into chapter history.

The glory days of the Olympic Collection, the abundant Expressive Arts Workshops or Somatic SIG Trainings, and the vibrant Constructive Uncoupling groups became a thing of the past. Over the past few years I’ve found myself explaining to new leadership how things looked pre-Covid. And since I’m not one to get caught up in the way things “were”, being generally more interested in finding ways that things can be, I want to know how we can reimagine and reinvigorate our chapter’s volunteer faction beyond the Board of Directors? 

We’re looking for folx with a few hours to offer the community each month, the more the merrier – the more people chip in, the less any one of us must do on their own, and the less likely any one of us will burn out. The less exhausted we are, the more fun we can have together. And darn-it, who doesn’t need some camaraderie and unfettered joy right now? How will we help others stay sane if we’re not?

We’re looking for a Registration Team Captain and a Volunteer Coordinator to help us organize and direct volunteers for in-person events, and keep track of all the folx who graciously volunteer to assist throughout the year. Who among us is ready to step up to organize and rally the generous volunteers when we’re planning a special event? Who can help me look less like a messy bitch this fall? (For the record, no one EVER called me a bitch except me).

Who can help build an Online Merch Store to raise some chapter revenue for more events and programs? 

Who can assist the Communications Chair as part of a Social Media Team?

Who is willing to spend a few hours each month helping the Membership Chair with Outreach Coordination?

Who has a few hours to help as a Materials Coordinator, alphabetizing event contact sheets for the Networking Chair, or creating nametags for a Meet-up Event? 

Who might Host an in-person Meet-Up gathering, small training/workshop, or panel, at their home or office?

Who has a brilliant idea and energy to start a new Special Interest Group, Support Group, or Mentoring program?

We’re looking for new folx to be part of the Meet-Up Committee, to help plan smaller in-person events throughout the year.

We would love to see a Special Events Committee emerge to help the Special Events Chair start planning events like the Spring Fling in May.

We’re looking for a Donations Coordinator skilled at charming donations for special drawings at our bigger events.

Do any of these sound like you?

There are so many things we would love to do. There are so many things I hear people say they would love LA-CAMFT to offer. And guess what? We are all LA-CAMFT. You want it? Let’s figure out how to make it happen!

What’s in it for you? 

Besides the feeling of having done your community a solid and raising your profile within it?  Besides creating a resource/group/program to benefit the greater good? If nothing else, do it for Community! With all the division in the world, we need community now more than ever. Help us bring people together.

You’ve heard me say it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again – this year is about Micro-Volunteering: Building back our Volunteer Strength one person at a time. If you have time, skills, or resources that might be of service to the chapter, please reach out to any of the Board Members or Chapter Leaders – or me at President@lacamft.org.

We’re looking for folx with a wide range of skills, basic and advanced, we need you all! 

And if all you can do right now is participate, that’s cool, too. Quick Reminder:  This February 20^th, for our Friday 2-CE-online Event Series, Dr. Brian Le Clair will be presenting on the neuroscience, the impact on relationships, and healing from Pornography Addiction, which should prove to be interesting and informative. Be sure to register at LACAMFT.org. See you there!

Paz y Amor, 

JJVW – Jenni June Villegas Wilson

Jenni J.V. Wilson, LMFT (she/her): As a collaborative conversationalist passionate about empowering and advocating for marginalized groups and underrepresented voices, Jenni uses an integrative approach based on post-modern principles to provide culturally-mindful and trauma-informed therapeutic services and clinical supervision. She works with creative, anxious, mixed race/culture, and co-dependent clients on improving and eliminating toxic relationships, while increasing authentic expression. She has a BA in theatre from Occidental College, an MA in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University LA, and is trained in EMDR, Brainspotting, and certified in Narrative Therapy. She is an accomplished writer, has produced/co-hosted multiple podcasts, worked in addiction treatment for nearly a decade, and sees the “worried well” in her private practice in Sherman Oaks. Website: www.JenniJVWilson.com