Pre-Licensed Member Spotlight

By: Magdalena Werne, AMFT

This issue of the pre-licensed CAMFT newsletter is pleased to spotlight Thomas Roide, who received his AMFT registration number on November 18, 2022, exclaiming, “I’m going to remember that date!” Prior to beginning his path toward becoming an LMFT, Thomas was a Roman Catholic Priest. Observing that “service towards others has always been a part of my life,” he describes being “drawn towards fixing the heart” since childhood.  

During adolescence, Thomas interned at hospitals, as he initially wanted to become a cardiologist, while at the same time spending an ample amount of time volunteering in the church; eventually, the roles of interning at hospitals and volunteering for his spiritual community converged. Thomas notes this being a “time of discernment towards priesthood,” in that “the physical heart is the epicenter of the physical body, while the spiritual heart is within relationships.” He says becoming a priest would provide a “fuller experience of being with people.” Initially a bioscience major, Thomas graduated with a B.A. degree in philosophy with a minor in history before receiving a master's of divinity. “During seminary,” he states, “my heart of compassion and education solidified,” as he experienced working in youth corrections, teaching social justice classes to high school seniors, and being a hospital chaplain. 

Thomas highlights an experience while working in Cité Soleil, Haiti, that led him to witness how “trauma gets translated into the individual, the community, the nation, and what it means for people to become empowered in their community.” Thomas says, “eventually, I wanted to offer counsel and connection, other than prayer.” He realized that he enjoyed spiritual office hours counseling individuals and couples more than public preaching. Providing psychotherapy referrals for parishioners who had experienced trauma, Thomas had the calling to learn how to become a therapist. He graduated from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California, with an M.A. in marriage and family therapy, specializing in trauma studies.  

Recently, Thomas has begun AMFT work in a private practice setting, explaining, “there’s so much interest that it’s hard to choose a particular population to serve. Having a core in trauma studies and helping with trauma is the route I plan to take moving forward in my career.” Family systems theories are his favorite modalities thus far, stating, “truth for me has been the foundation of relationality. Relationships are so important, both internal and external. Family systems are relatable because of the interconnectedness of all beings. Systems theory is huge in the undercurrent of everything.”  

Thomas is an avid hiker and backpacker, saying, “nature does a lot to shift perspective and where one can see the big picture. I went on a backpacking trip last week where the trail helped reveal who I am as a person, a therapist, and how I think about things.” As a pre-licensed member of CAMFT, Thomas appreciates the access to legal information and assistance. Remarking, “I made a call just last Friday that was good and helpful.” He mentions that the platforms accessing continuing education and updated information on law and ethics are “much appreciated.” Thomas expresses, “I’m working on networking, and the CAMFT groups and chapters are welcoming.”  

Entering a second career as an AMFT, he observes, “there is nothing I regret about priesthood because of the experience and of learning in real time what I didn’t want to do and did want to do.” Thomas details the importance of living according to his values moving forward in his second career as a marriage and family therapist.  

If you would like to propose a pre-licensed AMFT or MFT-Trainee to be spotlighted in an upcoming Pre-Licensed CAMFT Newsletter, or if you would like us to spotlight you,  please email hpd@camft.org.

 Thomas Roide, MA, AMFT # 135940 is supervised by Christina Dixon, MA, LCSW # 87870 

Magdalena Werne, AMFT, graduated from Pepperdine University in 2022 and completed her traineeship at a nonprofit in Pasadena specializing in grief and loss. Soon, she hopes to serve trauma populations, specifically childhood trauma survivors, transgenerational trauma, and medical trauma. Magdalena is also very busy these days participating in various clinical trainings. She has completed phase one of Brainspotting and is currently studying levels one and two of the Gottman approach as well as Internal Family Systems (IFS). It is a wonder that she has time for anything else! But she considers volunteering for the pre-licensed committee to be an honor and is thankful for the resources provided by our organization. 

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