Dear Members,

This month marks CAMFT’s 60th anniversary! Since our inception in 1964, CAMFT has grown steadily as a powerful force in the advancement of the MFT profession. An organization that started with only a few thousand members is now entrusted to steward over 36,000 members in the field! As a membership organization, our volunteers help us actualize our mission. Whether you are a dues-paying member or you have taken the additional responsibility of volunteering for CAMFT, your contributions have been invaluable to our growth. Thank you, dear member, for the many ways you make CAMFT strong. We have come a long way, and our future remains bright! As I reflect on our organization’s long history, I can’t help but feel proud to carry on the legacy of our success.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with many chapter leaders at the Chapter Leadership Conference. Volunteer leaders convened for our first in-person leadership event in four years, and the energy was magnetic! Members came from far and wide, with one attendee coming as far as Puerto Rico to make the conference. The sessions were fast-paced and experiential, allowing leaders to truly share pain points and points of pride as they work to deliver supportive and enriching services to members. Kudos to all of our volunteers! We greatly appreciate you taking the time out of your lives to commune and identify ways for growth. If members are the heart of our organization, then our volunteer leaders help us keep the pulse! Within the coming weeks, we will be holding the election to welcome several new Board Candidates to the table. All positions are contested, so your vote matters. Our Nominating Committee has selected three candidates for President-Elect, two candidates for Chief Financial Officer, and four candidates for the Director-at-Large positions. The rest is up to you! We will send out election ballots on February 19, and voting will close on March 14. Please take the time to read each of the candidate statements so you can make an informed decision when it’s time to cast your vote. 

Did you know that CAMFT has been advocating for MFTs as Medicare providers since the 1980s? Thanks to our CAMFT-sponsored bill passing in December 2022, LMFTs can now extend services to a needed client base. Of course, with this new change comes lots of new decisions you’ll need to make. First of all, if you’re a licensed MFT, take action! Either officially opt in or opt out of Medicare – to avoid the potential for billing fraud. To guide your decision, our legal team created this one-page MFTs and Medicare flyer that explains the two ways you can enroll, and how to find and mail the opt-out affidavits. 

Still have questions? Our Medicare Corner is constantly being updated with new information, resources, forms, and a host of webinars. Our next Lunch & Learn: Medicare Series will take place on February 21 and will cover grievances, appeals, and audit guidance for new Medicare providers. If you’re enrolling in Medicare, you won’t want to miss it. Mark your calendars and register here! 

If you haven’t already, please tell us how you plan to proceed with Medicare in this short survey. We want to continue providing our members with the best possible information as we forge ahead with this long-awaited opportunity. 

With care,

Joy Alafia, MBA, CAE
Executive Director