Los Angeles Chapter — California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
Voices — May 2024
Jennifer Stonefield, LMFTPresident, LA-CAMFT
Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health Awareness Month collectively emphasizes the importance of holistic well-being, recognizing that true strength encompasses both physical and mental resilience. Mental Health Awareness Month sheds light on the significance of addressing mental health challenges openly, reducing stigma, and promoting access to resources and support. Meanwhile, one’s own strength encourages us to celebrate physical prowess, but also underscores the inner fortitude required to confront life's obstacles, including mental health struggles.
The convergence of these observances encourages individuals to adopt a balanced approach to health, acknowledging that mental wellness is as crucial as drinking water or physical fitness. Mental wellness fosters a culture of empowerment, where seeking help for mental health concerns is viewed as a sign of strength rather than weakness. Through education, advocacy, and community engagement, Mental Health Awareness Month and one’s own strength promote a more inclusive understanding of strength-one that encompasses resilience in both body and mind.
Warmly,
Jennifer Stonefield, LMFT
Jennifer Stonefield, LMFT, is Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. She’s always had a passion for psychology and going on the therapeutic journey with her clients reminds her of this every day. She has a wide array of clinical experience ranging from working with children in an educational setting to those suffering from dementia to individual work in several group, private practices where age holds no boundaries. She has an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. Jennifer applies a person-centered approach when working with clients, as she believes that a “one size fits all” approach simply won’t cut it.
Spring Fling 2024
Sunday, May 18, 2024
1:00 pm-4:00 pm
Cheviot Hills Recreation Center
LA-CAMFT's Spring Fling 2024
Come join us at LA-CAMFT's 2024 Spring Fling for a fun- and food-filled great time to welcome the summer, make new friends, and get to know your fellow Los Angeles Therapists.
For more information, contact Suzy Herbert, LMFT.
For: LA-CAMFT Members, Prelicensed Associates and Students, Trainees, Associates, Interns and Non-Members.
Event Details: Sunday, May 18, 2024, 1:00-4:00 pm
Where: Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, Picnic Area #1 2551 Motor Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064
Cost: LA-CAMFT Member: $10 LA-CAMFT Prelicensed Member: $5Non-Member: $15
(To be sure you receive any information we send prior to the event, please add specialeventschair@lacamft.org to your known contacts or safe list and check your bulk, junk or promotions mailboxes for any emails from us about this event.)
Registration closes on May 17, 2024, at 12:00 Noon
Lynne Azpeitia, LMFTVoices Editor
Getting Paid: Using Your Website to Get New Clients to Contact You
Your website represents your therapy practice. The best client friendly websites make it as easy as possible to find out about you and your therapy services and to contact you to schedule their first session. Here are some things to remember and questions to consider to make sure your website does that!
1. Your website is one of the first places new clients look to decide whether or not you’re the therapist for them—even when they’re referred to you by a friend or one of your colleagues.
2. Potential clients visiting your website want to know if you can help them—and they want to know it quickly.
3. Do your best to make sure you have the type of content and answers on your website that your ideal clients are looking for.
4. Get your potential client to the information they’re looking for as easily and quickly as possible.
5. Remember, the main goal of your website is to get new clients to contact you.
Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, is in private practice in Santa Monica where she works with Couples and Gifted, Talented, and Creative Adults across the lifespan. Lynne’s been doing business and clinical coaching with mental health professionals for more than 15 years, helping professionals develop even more successful careers and practices. To learn more about her in-person and online services, workshops or monthly no-cost Online Networking & Practice Development Lunch visit www.Gifted-Adults.com or www.LAPracticeDevelopment.com.
Stara Shakti, LMFTLA-CAMFT Diversity Committee Chair
Creating More Sustainable Community for Us All!
Hey LA-CAMFT family!
As the new Diversity Committee Chairwoman for 2024-2025, I wanted you to be aware of some of the many changes in the air . . .
Therapist of Color Support Group (TOC-SG): In January, we decided to switch the 6+ years and running FREE support group from monthly to quarterly—starting in 2024! We have already had two meetings (in Jan and Apr); the remaining two TOC Support Group dates for the year are July 14th and October 13th (still on the 2nd Sundays of the month from 11am-1pm). So, please mark your calendars (and register on the LA-CAMFT website) if you’d like to attend again . . . OR check it out if you’ve never been!
Other TOC Support Groups with changes: • Black Therapists Support Group (BTSG) now meets on the 2nd Monday of the month, 6-7:30pm • Asian-American Pacific Islanders (AAPI+) Circle is (sadly) *canceled*—for now (due to a lack of facilitators), • Middle Easterners and North Africans (MENA) is on break / hopes to return soon, maybe with a new name (in an effort to decolonize it): Southwest Asians and North Africans (SWANA).
Latinxers: We’d still love to launch a support group for you—but, we need passionate, committed facilitators to do this! [Hint; Could this be YOU???] Actually, we are . . .
***LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS*** who understand the urgent need to create and maintain these safe spaces for therapists of color (in today’s political climate, etc. AND)—especially those with intersectional (multiple, marginalized) identities and backgrounds—i.e. POC / BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Neurodivergent, and other underserved populations. [NOTE: Our D.C. support groups will continue to increase inclusivity by highlighting the “diversity within diversity” or what we in the D.C fondly call “Race AND . . .”]
Part of the reason we had to cut back on some of the D.C. support groups this year was: we didn’t have enough therapists of color to keep them happening on a regular basis! So, if these groups are important to you, please consider lending a hand!
And, as I mentioned in my January article, I’m still very focused on nurturing our TOC leaders more—to create more sustainable community for all of us! (which leads me to our most exciting announcement . . .)
This year, we’re working on hosting an amazing NEW event called a “Rest Retreat”—an attempt to nurture therapists of color facilitators of our various Diversity Committee TOC Support Groups who’ve volunteered their time and energy to maintain safe places for therapists of color to attend, share our struggles and successes, and feel supported on the often arduous path of becoming licensed and the difficulties often faced by therapists of color in this field. We have to work harder than our white counterparts…so, it’s time to rest, y’all! Please, come join us!
Stara Shakti, LMFT is a psychotherapist and lightworker with a private practice in Los Angeles. Stara helps young adults—(in their 20s / 30s) who are LGBTQ+, POC/BIPOC, 1st-gen Americans, neurodivergents, and adult children of narcissistic / emotionally immature parents—heal from past trauma so they can love themselves, fully express who they are, and attract healthier adult relationships. Stara also has a new YouTube channel on “all things healing from trauma.” www.StaraShaktiLMFT.com.
Joanna Poppink, LMFT
Threshold Crossings: Vital in Personal Growth
Threshold issues are a huge force in your life, whether you are aware of them or not. The issue of threshold is around us every day, perhaps even every moment.
What exactly is a threshold? This seemingly simple word encompasses various meanings and implications, each shedding light on different aspects of our lives
and experiences.
As we navigate our lives, we encounter thresholds regularly. Consider the simple act of walking to the curb of a sidewalk. You are about to cross a threshold into the street, where moving cars pose new challenges.
To do so safely, you must possess awareness, physical balance, and an understanding of traffic dynamics. Meeting these criteria enables you to cross this threshold successfully.
In our society, entrance requirements and criteria for crossing thresholds are evident in various aspects, such as job applications, school admissions, military positions, and competitive sports. Striving to bypass these criteria can lead to entering unprepared for the challenges that lie ahead.
Confronting barriers before being able to cross a threshold should not be viewed as a personal and forced limitation. It is a safeguard to ensure your ability to adapt and thrive in the new environment on the other side.
However, not all thresholds come with explicit criteria. Events like marriage, parenthood, or leaving home offer less structured transitions. When you experience fear or anxiety in the face of a decision, it may signify that you are approaching a threshold.
These emotions act as signals, urging you to assess your readiness for the changes that await. Are you adequately prepared to survive, adapt, and flourish on the other side of the threshold? Probably not entirely, as crossing a threshold often involves learning as you go.
The minimum requirements for crossing may be all you need initially. The key is to recognize when you're stuck in life, as this might indicate an inability to move through an important threshold. In such cases, you need to find a way to fulfill the necessary criteria.
Recovery work, too, can be seen as a threshold—a point where healing and growth await. When something feels just beyond your grasp, it might be an indication that a threshold is approaching. Knowing its existence and appreciating the criteria for crossing can help you determine if this is the path you want to follow.
Consider whether the criteria for crossing weaken or strengthen you. Do they demand conformity to standards you don't uphold, or do they require you to become more self-assured as you uphold your values?
Joanna Poppink, LMFT, psychotherapist, speaker, and author of Healing Your Hungry Heart: Recovering from Your Eating Disorder, is in private practice and specializes in Eating Disorder Recovery for adult women and with an emphasis on building a fulfilling life beyond recovery. She is licensed in California, Florida, Oregon, and Utah. All appointments are virtual. Website: EatingDisorderRecovery.net
Black Therapist Support Group
Second Monday of the Month
Next Meeting: Monday, May 13, 2024 6:00 pm-7:30 pm (PT)
Online Via Zoom
A safe place for healing, connection, support and building community. In this group, licensed clinicians, associates and students can come together and process experiences of racism (systemic, social, and internalized), discrimination, implicit bias, and micro-aggressions, along with additional experiences that therapists of African descent encounter in the field of mental health. As the late great Maya Angelou once said, “As soon as healing takes place, go out and heal someone else.” May this space be the support needed to facilitate that journey.
Open to LA-CAMFT Members and Non-Members
First Saturday of Each Month
Location: Zoom Meeting
For more information contact Stara Shakti, LMFT at DiversityCommittee@lacamft.org.
Event Details:
For:Licensed Therapists, Associates, and Students
Event Details: Monday, May 13, 2024 6:00 pm-7:30 pm (PT)Time of Check-In: 5:50 am
Where: Online Via Zoom
Once you have registered for the presentation, we will email you a link to Zoom a few days before the presentation.
Cost:
No Charge
Online Registration CLOSES on the date of the event.
(Registration is open and available until the group ends.)
Questions about Registration? Contact Diversity Committee, diversitycommittee@lacamft.org.
Register Here
Van Ethan Levy, LMFT, LPCC
Pronoun(s) Series
When sharing pronouns or listing your pronouns, please only list one in a series.
It is helpful to only put one pronoun in a series to prevent the erasure of folx who use different pronouns.
Often when we are reading someone’s pronouns and we see the first pronoun, we may stop there and assume the rest of the series, which prevents us from noticing if someone uses more than one pronoun.
Example of when to list one pronoun: If your pronoun is she series, we know that it will be she/her/hers/herself. When listing this pronoun, use she only.
Example of when to list more than one pronoun: If your pronouns are she series, he series and zi series, then you would list your pronouns like this: she | he | zi or she/he/zi.
This way, when people read our pronoun(s), the person/people will read all that are listed to know to alternate versus only the first one and assume the rest.
Oftentimes, people will list a person’s pronouns in the order of usage. An example is if someone’s pronouns are she series and they series, and the person wants people to use they series mostly, and is okay with she series, the person may list the pronouns like this: they | she or they/she.
Van Ethan Levy, MA, LMFT, LPCC, (they) (elle), a trans and non binary therapist, is a queer, non binary, trans, socialized as female, nBPOC (not Black Person of Color), who is autistic, and has dynamic disabilities amongst many more historically excluded identities. Van provides consultations and trainings on trans and non binary identities, is the organizer of the 2022 Virtual International Do Something: Identity(ies) Conference, authored the interactive book, Exploring My Identity(ies), and produced the Documentary, Do Something: Trans & Non Binary Identities, Website: VanEthanLevy.com.
LA-CAMFT Diversity Committee Presents:
White Therapist Fighting Racism
Third Sunday of Every Month
Via Zoom
White Therapists Fighting Racism
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, White Therapists Fighting Racism 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. To learn more, click on the Diversity Committee page.
For: Licensed Therapists, Associates, and Students
Event Details: Sunday, May 19, 2024, 3:00 pm-5:00 pm (PT)
To join this group, go to https://lacamft.formstack.com/forms/wtfr_member_questionnaire.
For more information contact Randi Gottlieb at rgottliebmft@gmail.com.
LA-CAMFT Therapists of Color Grant Award: Grant Award Registration Opens May 1
On February 25, 2024, the most recent awardees of the LA-CAMFT TOC GRANT AWARD were randomly selected. They are Michelle Williams and Mia Lamar. Each will receive a check for $530, and free admission to 3 LA-CAMFT workshops or networking events. The next cycle for the grant will begin on May 1, 2024. It is limited to members of LA-CAMFT, and the award is limited to once per calendar year.
Description of Grant Stipend
Every 4 months (3x per year), a grant award will be offered to two applicants who meet the following criteria: (1) must be a current LA-CAMFT member, (2) identify as a Therapist of Color, and (3) must be either an Associate, Trainee, or Student still in graduate school.
Grant winners will receive
The $530 award can be used at the recipient’s discretion based on their own individual needs (whether it be for BBS fees, testing materials, memberships, rent, groceries, etc.). Confirmation for the purpose that the money is used will not be required.
Application and Selection Process
Best regards,
The LA-CAMFT TOC Grant Committee
Chellie Campbell,Financial StressReduction Expert
The City at the Summit — from “The Wealthy Spirit"
"You cannot put the same shoe on every foot.”
— Publilius Syrus
Chellie Campbell, Financial Stress Reduction Expert, is the author of bestselling books The Wealthy Spirit, Zero to Zillionaire, and From Worry to Wealthy: A Woman’s Guide to Financial Success Without the Stress. She has been treating Money Disorders like Spending Bulimia and Income Anorexia in her Financial Stress Reduction® Workshops for over 25 years and is still speaking, writing, and teaching workshops—now as Zoom classes and The Wealthy Spirit Group on Facebook—with participants from all over the world. Website: www.chellie.com.
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