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Hi! I am Jonathan W. Thompson II, and I again humbly ask for your vote. I originally ran to be on CAMFT’s Board of Directors to uphold the core tenets of our organization and I remain focused on the work to continue to advance the MFT profession. I am seeking election to Secretary to be part of the leadership that will advance the values of Diversity, Equity, Equality, Inclusion, Justice, Accessibility, and Belonging. As members, you truly do phenomenal work each day; I am honored to come along side each of you and am proud to have 38000+ extraordinary colleagues.
Advancing our field will continue to take the collective efforts to educate our membership on the previous gains that have been made by CAMFT. First, we must continue to increase the pipeline for MFTs. There remain opportunities to reach out at the high school level, in associate programs, at four-year institutions and even in graduate programs to share the benefits of becoming an MFT in the state of California. Related to this will be how can CAMFT continue to expand opportunities for MFTs. There have been legislative accomplishments such as Medicare, however some clinicians either are not utilizing this or have not taken the necessary action that is required. I believe continuing to educate membership on the gains will only make our organization stronger. CAMFT also has other opportunities to support membership through creating “listening tours” with our members. I know many members would appreciate additional benefits such as health care insurance options for therapists or ways to protect themselves financially such as LLCs when thinking more business mindedly. Through persistent advocacy, marketing, and education, I am optimistic that MFTs will become the leader in the mental health community. Let us open all forms of dialogue and work to create the deliverables that will make YOUR membership meaningful.
Technology is changing as I write this statement. Only a few years ago, artificial intelligence (AI) was limited in what it could do, and now it can pass the bar exam to become an attorney. This is an inflection point. Will therapists embrace AI to use it in a way that is HIPPA compliant? Will clinicians allow some tasks to be offloaded from them, such as notetaking, bookkeeping, and automation of tasks, including social media? There is a generation of new to the field clinicians who are willing to use these tools, however we have an ethical, legal, and moral responsibility when given access. Technology must also have the clients at the forefront. Will clients be able to access and utilize the technology that is coming and how do we do our best to not encourage disparities? If we keep the lens of true equity, then we will have a guiding principle from which to work from.
Thank you for the trust that you have placed in me. We are all part of the 38000+ members. I am full of hope, and thank you again for considering my candidacy.
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