Chapters and DEI

Please forward any updates to mchampion@camft.org).

2023

• Rolled out first Pre-Licensed Scholarship (3 winners; $1500, $1000, $500)
• Hosted Why We Must Eradicate Diet Culture training 5/19/23 (this talked about how diet culture is rooted in racism, as well as anti-fat bias)
• Hosted Decolonizing the Therapy Room 8/25/23 in collaboration with local agency
• Hosted Neurodiversity Affirming Tx for ADHD Training 12/1/23 and invited 4 other chapters to join
• Hosted Sound Healing self-care event inclusive to al bodies/abilities and offered sliding scale options to increase affordability
• Continue to have our stance on racial justice posted on our website 
• Organized 2 self-defense workshops for therapists and 3 casual lunch/networking gatherings (we are experimenting with various offering on different days/times to try to include those from private practice and agency settings)

2022

• DEI is listed as an agenda item so that we can touch on it at every board meeting. We added the following statement on our website, which is included in our objectives: “To promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our professional and community at large.” We continue to have our statement on our stance on racial justice on our website.
• We experimented with providing events/networking opportunities on the weekend with the intention of including folks from agencies and those not able to take off work to attend weekday events. This included lunch meets ups at various locations in the county, an art gathering, a virtual training, and our first self-care retreat. Our retreat included yoga with options for all bodies, a sound bath, as well as a break to enjoy hearty snacks/refreshments and connection with colleagues. We offered it at a sliding scale price and our board voted to use chapter funds to help subsidize costs to make the retreat more accessible.
• In addition, our scholarship subcommittee team worked hard to develop our first Pre-Licensed scholarship program. This program was just rolled out in March ’23 and we have done outreach via e-tree, our Pre-Licensed meeting reps, and to local graduate programs to help spread the word.
• A significant transition that happened early in the year was hiring our IT person who now helps us handle many of the details that board members previously had to tackle. This will allow us to focus our time/energy more on DEI efforts moving forward.

 

2023

• Formed a new DEI Committee which included community outreach for a Therapists of Color Support Group
• Continued to look for/advertise for a Director of DEI Board Member
• Two of our CE Programs had a specific DEI focus
• Outreach to LGBTQIA and BIPOC communities through tabling events
• Focus on encouraging diversity on our EBCAMFT Board

2022

• Solidarity Statement sent out via e-tree and also posted on our website: EB CAMFT Solidarity Statement
• Provided Link to Resources to Combat Racial Injustice
• Created DEI Director Position
• Collaborated in a three-chapter collaboration RaceTalk workshop presented by Dr. Shawan Worsley
• Diverse Board of Directors
• Social Media Campaign to highlight the chapter’s diverse members whose practice focuses on serving communities of color
• Sponsored a booth at the Oakland Pride parade. Provided mental health resources to attendees.
• Diverse Board of Directors (50% identify as a person of color)

 

2023

• LB-SB CAMFT recognizes that as an organization we have not been aware of or done enough to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We acknowledge that we have a lot to learn, and we have work to do. We commit to working in practical and substantive ways to act in both our organization and our community to learn about and remain aware of longstanding patterns of historical and systemic discrimination and biases, and to act towards breaking these patterns.
• We recognize that discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, Indigenous heritage, immigration status, religion, socioeconomic status, marital/relationship status contributes to disparities in power, privilege, influence, control, and opportunities in our organization and in our community.

The Board of LB-SB CAMFT commits to the following action items: Plan of Action for 2021/2022

• We commit to active recruitment for membership of underrepresented portions of our community, based on data analysis.
• We commit to improving our demographic data collection and data analysis that will inform recruitment, programming, and retention.
• We commit to fostering spaces that are responsive to the needs of underrepresented affinity groups of therapists, for example: consultation groups, networking events, and other opportunities for connection.
• We commit to amplifying and highlighting community members and organizations offering low-fee and sliding scale resources, and specialized services to underrepresented populations.
• We commit to programming that increases awareness around diversity, inclusion, and social justice.
• We commit to active recruitment of Board members, committee members, and volunteers that reflect the diversity of our membership.
• We commit to continuing to work on our Grievance and Resolution Process.
• We commit to providing training with diverse presenters that intentionally address issues around diversity, inclusion, and social justice.
• We commit to a designated budget for our Diversity Initiatives, including events, training, and resources for the Diversity Committee.
• We commit to intentionally including diversity, equity, and inclusion in every single role on the board of directors while continuing to adjust each role as we commit to learning and growing on these topics.

 

2022

Programs and Events

• Monthly Diversity Committee Meetings (4th Sunday of every month)
• Diversity Committee members and volunteers facilitate monthly support group meetings. 
  • Therapist of Color Support Group (3rd Sunday of every month) 
  • Black Therapists Support Group (1st Saturday of every month)
  • White Therapists Anti-Racist Support Group (3rd Thursday of every month)
• Planning meetings for new groups that will start meeting this year.
  • Therapists of Asian Descent (AAPI+) 
  • Therapist of Middle Eastern Descent 
  • Therapist of Latin Descent (Latinx) ​
• May 20 Monthly LACAMFT Networking Event with Dr. Edil Torres Rivera, "Liberation Psychology" 
• August 7 Monthly LACAMFT Workshop (4 hours) with Dr. Edil Torres Rivera "The Decolonization of Therapy".
• Annual Anti-Racism Roundtable Summer 2022. This year's gathering is our 3rd gathering. More details to come.
• Therapist of Color Mentorship Program. We matched 49 mentees with 24 mentors for your first cohort of mentors and mentees. We have begun advertising for the second cohort. 
• Pre-Licensed Therapist of Color Grant program. Two winners receive $500.00 each, one-year free membership to LACAMFT, and free admission to three LACAMFT monthly workshops. 
• Publishing articles in the LACAMFT Voices Newsletter 
• We reflect on our DEI statement at every Diversity Committee meeting. 

• Founded in 1990
• Current membership: 884
  • About 200 of our members have been part of this chapter for 15+ years
  • Anecdotally, probably 95% of MCAMFT members are white, and around 75% are women
• The majority of members are in private practice
  • The MCAMFT member profile allows members to identify if they accept low-fee clients of $50 or less.
  • The current Board of Directors is all white. Marin CAMFT has never had a Black or Asian member on the Board. There has been at least one Latina Board member in the past.  There are and have been LGB Board members (no openly trans).
• The general population of Marin County is older (23% over 65), white (85%) and wealthy (median income $121k) (census.gov).
  • Marin County has extreme racial disparities (Race Counts). Neighborhoods tend to be quite segregated. Marin City is the main neighborhood where Black and African Americans live. San Rafael and Novato are the main areas with LatinX populations.
  • BIPOC of Marin Instagram - anonymous posts from high schoolers experiencing racism

History of MCAMFT Diversity Initiatives

In aftermath of George Floyd’s murder - Fall 2020

• Diversity Resource page published on marincamft.org
• Diversity Committee launched
• Focused effort on diversity in CE presentations and presenters began:

Notable 2021 Chapter Trainings to increase DEI and/or increase diversity of identities of presenters:

• March: Black Minds Matter with J. Luke Wood
• April: Working with the Cultural Outsider in Psychotherapy with Dennis Portnoy, LMFT
• June: Fatphobia as a Sexological Issue w/ Sonalee Rashatwar, LCSW
• September: Neurodiversity 101 w/ Finn Graton, LMFT and Celina Cardenas, AMFT
• October: Becoming a Cross-Racial Ally with Ken Hardy
• October: Let’s Dismantle Ageism w/ Ashton Applewhite and Kyrie Carpenter

Notable 2021 DEI Initiatives:

• June: Diversity Committee published Anti-Racist Impact Statement
• August: Diversity Committee hosted Anti-Racist Study Group (Me & White Supremacy, met weekly for 6 weeks, started with 7 participants, went down to 4)
• September: Implemented requirement for speakers to include diversity in presentations, with at least one of their Learning Objectives to be DEI-focused; this has been added to the presenter application
• December: Rolled out enhancement to member profiles published in Therapist Directory for members to optionally self-identify based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion. Limited response with only the following racial self-disclosures so far:

1 member has self-disclosed as Black/AA

3 LatinX

2 AAPI

no Native Peoples

no mixed/biracial

48 white

Notable 2022 Chapter Trainings to increase DEI and/or increase diversity of identities of presenters

• February: Life Review for Aging Clients 50+
• April: Affirmative Therapy for Trans and/or Nonbinary Clients w/ Sand Chang, PhD
• June: Working with Undocumented People w/ Marirose Piciucco
• Sept: EFT w/ African American Couples w/ Paul Guillory, PhD
• December: DBT w/ Eboni Webb, PsyD

Notable 2022 DEI Initiatives

• January: Diversity Committee 2022 Kick-Off - low attendance
• March: Diversity Committee rolled into the CE Committee
• April: Revised mission statement:

The objective and purposes of this chapter shall be to advance marriage and family therapy as an art, a science and a mental health profession, to advocate for and work to achieve diversity, inclusion, and belonging in our leadership, membership, programming, and projects, and to assist CAMFT in furthering its objective on a local level. The chapter may pursue such other objectives and purposes that are in the best interests of CAMFT, its members and the members of this chapter that are not in conflict with CAMFT's Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or Ethical Standards for Marriage and Family Therapists.

Ideas and Suggestions (not yet implemented)

• Add a scholarship for BIPOC Pre-Licensed therapists (MCAMFT offers two $1,000 scholarships every year)
• Book club has been suggested again
• President Adam to give a State of the Union to members on DEI initiatives and goals, transparency on lack of diversity on board with goal of increasing member engagement
• Partner with another chapter’s Diversity Committee
• Encourage and support members to enroll as Medicaid providers so that lower income clients have more options
• Reach out to agencies in Marin that may serve more diverse populations, invite membership in MCAMFT, find out how MCAMFT might do more to support them
• Review by-laws for language and accessibility
• Add a self-disclosure to the member profile around disability

Notable 2023 DEI Initiatives

• Scholarship has been added for BIPOC Pre-Licensed therapists, with successful administering of scholarship to BIPOC Pre-Licensed therapist: Rachel Cortes: Inaugural recipient of Marin CAMFT’s scholarship for a member of an underrepresented therapist population. Rachel Cortes, who identifies as Filipino-American, works as an Associate at the Marin Wellness Center in Corte Madera and with a local dual diagnosis recovery program that serves men.
• Each presenter in our robust CE program must include at minimum one slide discussing their topic through a DEI lens. This has been placed in the paperwork/contract that is given to all presenters, and strongly upheld
• Increased tabling at local colleges and graduate schools, specifically encouraging under-represented groups to engage and participate
• Identified local events and community outreach opportunities (Folsum street festival, Juneteenth, Oakland Pride, Oakland Museum), working in conjunction with other CAMFT chapters (especially EB CAMFT) to table and encourage learning and increased diversity in our chapter

 

2023

• Pre-Licensed Chair published 6 articles in the series Roadmap to Licensure for the newsletter. 
• Hosted 3 Pre-Licensed Get-Togethers on Zoom. Three people at the first meeting, then one person came to the last two.
• Someone reached out for support and the chair offered resources. 
• Made an outreach presentation to Harmony at Home staff for Pre-Licensed member recruitment purposes.

2022

We recognized where the Monterey Chapter of CAMFT has historically and currently been lacking in DEI and identify how our community is being affected. The following was undertaken:

• Form a DEI committee and elect a committee chair
• Include DEI learning material and awareness in MCCAMFT board meetings
• Update our website to include our DEI policies and initiatives
• Improve membership applications to include more inclusive language
• Ensure that topics and presenters at our events are increasingly diverse
• Publish articles on DEI topics in our Newsletter
• Consider more diverse nominees in our next election of our chapter’s board
• Identify and recruit members from different diverse communities through our recruitment committee. Include our DEI mission and policy in our recruitment presentations.

 

2022

Overview

Orange County Chapter is pleased to present this report for their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategic Plan. The purpose of this report is to provide an outline, plan for implementation and record of completed actions during the 2021 and 2022 board years. This report covers the period of January 2021 to December 2022.

The Objective:

• Incorporate a lens of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging throughout all aspects of OC CAMFT.
• Need #2: Develop a mission statement that highlights the chapter’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Listed on OC CAMFT Home Page and DEI Page
  • Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (created April 14, 2021)
  • The Orange County Chapter of CAMFT is dedicated to supporting its membership and creating an inclusive environment that incorporates equity and diversity. Our goal is to create a sense of belonging within the OC CAMFT community that fosters respect, cultural humility, safety, and growth. We value and honor individuals across all intersectional identities including race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, familial status, marital/relationship status, class, age, national origin, ancestry, language, citizenship status, disability, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information and request for leave related to family care, health conditions, pregnancy disability, and education. We commit ourselves to the engagement of authentic conversations and uplifting marginalized communities. We are social justice advocates and agents of change.
• Need #3: Provide social engagement, training and professional development that meets the unique needs of OC CAMFT members and recognizes their intersectional identities.
• Need #4: Create opportunities for the diverse spectrum of voices within the field of marriage and family therapy to be empowered and uplifted.
• Need #5: Provide educational opportunities that highlight our universal human rights and empower and uplift marriage and family therapists and our clients.
• Need #6: Be agents of change and engage in authentic conversations around protected classes including race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, familial status, marital/relationship status, class, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information and request for leave related to family care, health conditions and pregnancy disability. (www.senate.ca.gov)
• Need #7: Honor marginalized communities including Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), Latinx communities and the Latinx diaspora, Asian American communities and the Asian diaspora, Middle Eastern communities and the Middle Eastern diaspora, LGBTQ+ communities, Deaf & Hard of Hearing communities, Individuals with Disabilities (Visible and Invisible) and Neurodiversity communities, Military and Veteran communities, Immigrant communities, Undocumented communities, Multi-lingual communities, First Generation college students, International students, Survivors of trauma and gender-based violence, and others.

The Opportunity:

• Goal #1: Create a section in the OC CAMFT newsletter entitled “Diversity Spotlight” that includes content that highlights issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Implemented on February 21, 2021, and ongoing
• Goal #2: Recruit professional development speakers that represent the diverse spectrum of voices and experiences present in Orange County.
  • Ongoing
• Goal #3: Create a tab on the OC CAMFT website entitled “Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion” that includes a statement of commitment and resources that support marginalized communities and protected classes.
  • Statement of Commitment created April 14, 2021
  • DEI Resource List – In Progress
• Goal #4: Highlight awareness campaigns in the OC CAMFT newsletter and social media accounts (e.g., Sexual Assault Awareness Month) and promote advocacy and a call to action for marriage and family therapists and our clients.
  • DEI Awareness Campaign Calendar created – Last Updated on May 8, 2022
• Goal #5: Assess the diversity, equity and inclusion needs of the OC CAMFT membership through a climate survey.
  • Draft created on April 14, 2021
• Goal #6: Establish an Empowerment Fund that is designed to provide financial support to professional development speakers that come from marginalized identities.
  • Budget line item approved in January 2022
  • In progress – Establishing eligibility criteria (Ryan & Sheetal)
• Goal #7: Submit a Chapter Spotlight article via the Chapter Advisory Council which highlights the DEI efforts of OC CAMFT
  • Submitted to Michele Champion on June 12, 2022
  • Published in the July/August 2022 Issue of The Therapist
• Goal #8: Encourage board members to utilize gender pronouns within all OC CAMFT marketing materials and social media accounts, with the goal of creating an inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ identified individuals within the community.
• Goal #9: Establish a code of conduct for board members and chapter members with the goal of creating trust and safety between members.
  • In progress

Rationale:

• Alignment with CAMFT and OC CAMFT mission, vision, and values
• Increasing professional development opportunities
• Creating an inclusive environment with a focus on marginalized communities
• Nurturing and developing the cultural competence and cultural humility of marriage and family therapists
• Remaining relevant as a resource to the OC CAMFT membership

2023

DEI Statement:

As therapists in a rural area, we strive to include everyone from all walks of life, in all stages of life and all backgrounds. We aim to be inclusive to all, while also maintaining neutrality and a non-bias demeanor.  Our goal is to make everyone feel welcome and included and through DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), we extended our arms to everyone. 

DEI plan for 2023:

• Introducing a land acknowledgement as we know in Redding there are quite a few native tribes that we share the community with (included on website?)
• Including more pictures of our events on our website showing people of color that attend our events to be more welcoming on our website as well as in person. 
• Having the board review each topic for our monthly speakers to ensure that DEI protocols are being utilized when creating events. 
• Providing zoom options for speaker events so individuals who have tighter schedules or lack of flexibility can attend events. 
• Continuing to meet at an ADA approved facility for events so members who consider themselves physically disabled have access to events. 
• Including speakers from all walks of life and licensure for our events to encourage participation from all participants in our events. 
• Member outreach: 
• We visited the local college in our community speaking to the individuals in the MFT master’s program about CAMFT and how they can get involved before and after licensure. 
• Having the 3,000 club meet monthly to create community for our unlicensed members.
• Having our meetings scheduled at various times of the month and often with a monthly notice of each event so providers and members can better plan their schedules around the events to increase attendance. 

 

2023

Position statement/DEI Action Plan

• RECAMFT’s Racial and Social Justice Committee (RSJC) (DEI) adopted the following Committee Mission Statement.
• “We stand for racial and social justice in RECAMFT and seek to discover and remedy injustices that arise within our events, programs, and practices.
• We are committed to doing this through engaging in ongoing education and self-inquiry, and integration of member feedback.
• We hold ourselves accountable to RECAMFT and our community.”
• The RSJC developed this Racial and Social Justice Pledge for our members.
• “RECAMFT is committed to equity including addressing structural racism and systemic injustice. We endeavor to be inclusive and value individuals from all ethnicities, ages, races, sexual orientations, genders, languages, abilities, religions, citizenship statuses, and socioeconomic backgrounds into our chapter and into treatment.
• We strive to advocate, educate, collaborate, and strategize for positive racial and social justice changes within our membership and our community.”

Education Programs and Speakers

• RSJC working with our Board developed the Justice Projects
• Justice Project: Antiracism (https://www.recamft.org/Justice-Project-Antiracism)
• Justice Project: LGBTQ+ Affirming Care
• Members are encouraged to participate in each program, and upon attesting when they have completed the readings, videos, and books outlined for each, they receive a beautiful certificate worthy of displaying in their office. Thus far 17 certificates have been awarded.
• Various CE events were held which can also be credited towards each of the Justice Projects. These have included CE and non-CE discussion groups led by Dr. Shawan Worsley, PhD, LMFT (2 discussion groups, 1 antiracism consultation demonstration), and a panel of RSJC members (2 groups). Six CE speakers offered a total of 23 CEs related to both Justice Projects.

Networking Events

• We decided to introduce each Justice Project with a mailing to all members. The antiracism project included a letter and bookmark with the new Racial and Social Justice Pledge, and description of the self-education program.
• For LGBTQ+ Affirming Care, we developed new adapted logos with rainbow rings to highlight RECAMFT’s newest Justice Project and mailed all members a sticker. Photos of placed stickers were featured in our newsletters. Example below.
• In February 2024 CAMFT awarded RECAMFT a Chapter Excellence Award for DEI in a large chapter (251+ members).

2022

We introduced the continuation of The Justice Project: Anti-racism, a program for our members that includes a course of self-study on anti-racism with books and videos, and discussion groups for synthesizing learning. A mailing about the program went out to our entire contacts list in late February 2022: 

• Offered 2 discussion groups with Dr. Shawan Worsley on Ava DuVernay's documentary "13th" and Ibram X. Kendi's How to Be an Antiracist. Both presentations included two CEs each for attending members.
• Hosted Dr. Shawan Worsley to present a live consultation on racial and social justice issues within the therapeutic setting. She provided live consultation to three therapists, two who were chapter members. Attendees received 2 CEs for this event.
• Our Racial and Social Justice Committee (RSJC) meets monthly on the third Friday each month from 10 am to 12 pm to review ongoing projects, discuss progress on action items, and identify future DEI objectives. RSJC  members occasionally met for additional ad-hoc meetings to formulate proposals and conceptualize smaller projects.
• Provided 2 peer-led discussion groups to participants of The Justice Project: Anti-racism to support members in deepening their understanding of required course materials.
• Reviewed and updated our Racial and Social Justice Pledge to better represent our DEI principles, changing “equality” to “equity” at Mariama Boney’s suggestion.
• We partnered with a non-binary digital artist (Sol Meade) to commission a new RECAMFT rainbow rings logo adaptation in honor of The Justice Project: LGBTQ+ Affirming Care. See it here on our website.
• Launched our second program of The Justice Project: LGBTQ+ Affirming Care in December 2022. This self-study program consists of readings, videos, training, and more. 
• We hired a non-binary graphic artist (Sol Meade) to design a sticker to mail to our members in honor of The Justice Project: LGBTQ+ Affirming Care. Mailings for the program were sent to all members and included a commemorative “All Are Welcome” RECAMFT sticker in February 2023. 
• We hosted Melle Browning, LMFT for a 2 CE presentation on Affirmative Therapy with Trans/Gender Expansive Clients in December 2022. This served as our kick-off event for The Justice Project: LGBTQ+ Affirming Care. 
• Promoted and linked our members participating in The Justice Projects to purchase course materials from bay-area based companies owned by BIPOC and/or queer business owners.
• Held a 2 CE presentation on providing therapy to South Asian American (SAA) Women with host Shipra Maurya, PhD to increase understanding of the unique experiences of SAA individuals and improve SAA client outcomes.
• We expanded our resource page on Anti-racism and created a page dedicated to LGBTQ+ resources.
• We hosted an informal discussion on Community Mental Health and Law Enforcement with guest Jerry Threet, retired from the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO), to increase awareness of local mental health policies and their intersection with the criminal justice system.
• Awarded two $1,000 scholarships and free 1-year chapter memberships to two Pre-Licensed members. We offered a $1000 scholarship to one Newly Licensed RECAMFT member in need of financial support but had no applicants. We prioritized underrepresented communities within the mental health field when choosing the winners.(BIPOC, disabilities, LGBTQ+, elders, etc.). 
• We sent out a survey in November 2022 to participants from The Justice Project: Anti-racism and analyzed feedback to increase engagement and improve future projects.
• The Racial and Social Justice Committee (RSJC) authored articles for our monthly newsletter on anti-racism and social justice issues.
• Initiated the formulation of a Land Acknowledgement Statement which is still under construction.
• Updated our Racial and Social Justice Committee (RSJC) website page several times throughout the year. 

 

2023

• While our efforts in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) may not have been as extensive as we had hoped for in 2023, we still made meaningful contributions. We facilitated regular meetups for Professionals of Color, providing a supportive space for networking, sharing experiences, and fostering a sense of community within our organization.
• Additionally, we participated in a NAMI walk, demonstrating our commitment to mental health advocacy and supporting an organization dedicated to raising awareness and providing resources for individuals and families affected by mental illness. While these initiatives represent a portion of our DEI efforts for the year, we recognize the importance of continuous improvement and remain committed to expanding and enhancing our initiatives in the future.

Action Items for 2024/2025:

In our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in 2024/2025, we pledge to recognize and uplift marginalized communities. This includes but is not limited to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), Latinx communities and their diaspora, Asian American communities and the Asian diaspora, Middle Eastern communities and their diaspora, LGBTQ+ communities, individuals in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities, those with visible and invisible disabilities, neurodiverse communities, military and veteran communities, immigrant and undocumented communities, multilingual communities, first-generation college students, international students, survivors of trauma and gender-based violence, and all others whose voices deserve acknowledgment and support.

• Cultural Competency Training: Offer resources and training for therapists to enhance their cultural competence and provide culturally appropriate care.
• Diverse Representation: Ensure that leadership positions within SVC-CAMFT reflect diversity across various dimensions, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, and socioeconomic background. Actively recruit individuals from underrepresented communities for leadership roles.
• Community Partnerships: Forge partnerships with organizations serving diverse communities, such as LGBTQ+ centers, ethnic community centers, disability advocacy groups, and immigrant support organizations.
• Collaborate on projects, events, and outreach efforts to better serve these communities.
• Culturally Responsive Services: Ensure that services provided by the SVC-CAMFT are culturally responsive and sensitive to the needs of diverse clinicians.
• Celebrating Diversity: Host events and activities that celebrate diversity within the organization, such as cultural heritage months, pride celebrations, and awareness campaigns for specific marginalized communities.
• Create safe spaces for members to share their experiences and perspectives.
• Language Access: Ensure language access for clients and families who speak languages other than English. Provide interpreter services or multilingual therapists to facilitate communication and access to services we provide to our members.
• Accessible Spaces: Ensure that physical spaces used for training or social activities are accessible to individuals with disabilities. This includes wheelchair ramps, accessible restrooms, and accommodations for sensory sensitivities.
• Ongoing Evaluation: Continuously evaluate our efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Collect feedback from members to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments.

2022

• Assembled a Diversity Committee
• Published a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion chapter statement
• Facilitated a three-chapter collaboration to host RaceTalk workshop
•  Are partnering with The Gender Health Center to host the Gender 101 Workshop in June 2022
• Working to build partnerships with several local mental health agencies of color
• Working to ensure that our online and print collateral is ADA compliant
• Last but not least, are proud to report a Diverse Board of Directors

2023

• The board has opened a new position for Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and is seeking candidates to support this fantastic new role. We have job description listed on our website page. 
• In our quarterly newsletter we are including CAMFT's DEI Statement as well as a Land Acknowledgement Statement and call to action to join the board as we need more support! (see attached copy for newsletter)
• We would also like to include 1-2 DEI events for 2024 with support of the board

2023

2023 Events:

• Neurodiversity-Affirming Assessment & Counseling for Kids, Teens, and Adults with ADHD

ADHD

• An Introduction to Trans and Non-Binary Identities-LIVE EVENT
• DEI and Accessibility Considerations for Therapeutic Wellness Retreats

Leadership:

• Our current board of directors consists of members of non-minority identities.

Membership:

• We sent out a Membership survey in March 2024 to capture data of our current membership that includes information about their identities so that we can better understand who our members are. Furthermore, we hope to capture preferences for topics, speakers, and locations so that our events are more accessible, more relevant to a variety of individuals, and that we are engaging with prospective speakers with varying identities.

2024 Goals:

• Include a DEI statement from the BOD on our website with policies and initiatives (in progress)
• Budget for 1-2 scholarships for individuals from minority identities
• Establish a DEI committee with a committee chair (in progress)
• Create a monthly support group for minority members
• Publish articles on DEI topics in our quarterly newsletter
• Provide training with diverse presenters that intentionally address issues around diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice. (in progress and ongoing)
• Foster spaces that are responsive to the needs of minority therapists (in progress and ongoing)
• Amplify community members and organizations that offer low fee and sliding scale resources and specialized services to underrepresented populations.
• Encourage board members and speakers to use gender pronouns within all SDNC CAMFT marketing materials and social media accounts to create an inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ identified individuals (ongoing)

2022

We consistently aim to identify and recruit members from various and diverse settings, with an increased emphasis towards impartial and fair practices that make members feel comfortable and supported by our organization

Our events include presenters chosen from varied tenets who discuss and provide education around the needs of our therapists, and their clients, who may derive from diverse identities, such as race ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic class, and other diversity components, like veteran status, and physical or mental capacity

Leadership:

• Our current board of directors includes members of Asian American, Black, LGBTQIA+, and disability communities. (This constitutes 50% of our active board)
• As a board, we continue to brainstorm to strengthen our dedication to DEI discipline within our Chapter

Programs and Events Reflecting Diversity:

2021:

• “CAMFT State of the Profession”- El-Ghoroury, PhD (9/24/21) Arab American

2022:

• “Women’s Reproductive Health”- Sarita Shah, MD & Monica Federoff, MD, PhD (4/22/22)

“What every Therapist needs to know about Black Folks and other People of Color (BIPOC)”- Shawn LaRe' Brinkley, MS, LMFT (5/20/22)

Website:

• We are in the process of defining and adding a statement to our website outlining our Chapter’s policy regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

2022

Mission Statement: To increase the membership to include diverse populations and expand the knowledge and understanding of non-people of color relative to the mental health presentation of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Differently Abled, and other diverse individuals and groups with whom they may encounter in practice.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives in 2022:

• Participating in college fairs on high school campuses
• Monthly diversity minutes at the beginning of chapter meetings to familiarize the membership with cultural norms, practices, and historical disparities associated with diverse populations in America i.e.,…
• Cultural generational trauma as it relates to the Japanese experience from concentration camps
• Mental health therapy stigma relative to the following populations:
• African American; Latino/Latinx; Japanese
• History of and significant meanings behind African American Women’s hairstyles and trauma related to stereotyping and stigma related to styles in White-American settings
• African American contributions in history in the field of psychology: the first Black psychologists, male and female
• Black History Month celebration of Black Women using video entitled “Hello Queen” acknowledging strength and resilience of African American women in Amica
• Discussion on the different types of diversity
• Reaching out to therapists who identify as part of the culturally diverse population to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within the membership.
• Addition of more diverse individuals on the diversity committee other than its African American founder and Co-Chair; Latinx, Japanese, Persian

 

2023

Monthly Therapist of Color Support Group

2022

• Training: Cultural Reverence for Asian Diaspora Communities with Dr. Jenny Wang
• Culturally Responsive Counseling Workshop with Shawan M. Worsley, Ph.D.
  • Workshop #1: Culturally Responsive Self-Awareness: Mapping Cultural and Social Identities
  • Workshop #2: Addressing Cultural Biases that Influence Clinical Practice
  • Workshop #3: Race Talk- Strategies for Effective Discussions around Race and Racism
• Monthly Therapists of Color virtual support group

 

2023

Overview

The SGV CAMFT Chapter continues to focus on building depth and breadth for our board leadership and in our membership. We are dedicated to providing a safe environment of inclusion, diversity, and equity for our membership in all activities, outreach, and education.

Leadership

Our current and recent board includes members of Asian American, LatinX, LGBTQIA+, and Jewish communities. Our goal is to schedule speakers from multiple diverse communities for our programs to create a safe and compelling environment for attracting new members to our Chapter who eventually will feed into future leadership roles. 

Website

Our website has recently been resigned. The new design is more suited to displaying a banner to describe our DEI policies and initiatives. The language of this banner is in development, but we intend to work from examples on the CAMFT website and from other Chapters’ websites.

Board Trainings

SGV CAMFT is dedicated to providing leadership education for our board in DEI topics. Events include two consultations with Mariama Boney and one consult with LA CAMFT Chapter DEI Chair Tina Cacho Sakai: “Creating a safe environment for POC.”

Programs Reflecting Diversity

SGV CAMFT is committed to offering programs and activities for our entire membership that are led by experts of diverse ethnic, cultural, and philosophical backgrounds on topics that engage curiosity, increase awareness, build therapeutic skills, and expand tolerance. We are sensitive to selecting locations for our in-person presentations that are perceived as welcoming and safe to a diverse audience.  Below follows examples of recent and upcoming programs that reflect our diversity goals:

2021:

“Dismantling Implicit Bias” - Dr. Saida Peprah, PhD

“Diá de Los Muertos” – Cacho-Sakai, MFT

2022:

“Exploring Material from Altered States as a Therapeutic Tool for Healing including Indigenous People’s practices around plant medicine and healing” – Amy Rae Jordan, MFT

“Social Anxiety: Covid, Quarantine, LGBTQIA+, DEI/BIPOC/POC” – Dr. Agnes Simone

“Therapy Tips for working with Transgender families” Casey Weitzman and Grace O’Connor

2023:

Anti-Diet Therapists Special Interest Group
 

2022

Board Trainings

DEI Board Leadership Consults with Mariama Boney (4/29/21; 5/22/21) Board

Consult with LACAMFT Chapter DEI Chair Tina Cacho Sakai (9/10/21) “Creating a safe environment for POC”

Programs Reflecting Diversity

2021:

• “Road to Private Practice Panel” (6/26/21) Panel members included Latina, Asian American, Black speakers
• “Dismantling Implicit Bias” - Dr. Saida Peprah, PhD (7/9/2021) Black
• “CAMFT: State of the Profession” - El-Ghoroury, PhD (9/24/2021) Arab American
• “Diá de Los Muertos” – Cacho-Sakai, MFT (10/22/2021) LatinX
• “Law and Ethics” – Dr. Ofer Zur, PhD (11/19/21) Israeli American

2022:

• “Exploring Material from Altered States as a Therapeutic Tool for Healing” – Amy Rae Jordan, MFT (2/18/22) Inclusion of Indigenous People’s practices around plant medicine and healing
• “Social Anxiety: Covid, Quarantine, LGBTQIA+, DEI/BIPOC/POC” – Dr. Agnes Simone (4/22/22) Asian American
• “Therapy Tips for working with Transgender families” Casey Weitzman and Grace O’Connor (May or June 2022) Transgender
• Pre-Licensed Panel (July 2022) Panel to include Jessica Ruiz, MFT - LatinX
• “Law and Ethics” – Dr. Ofer Zur, PhD (October 2022) Israeli American

Leadership

Our current board includes members of Asian American, LatinX, LGBTQIA+, and Jewish communities. (This constitutes 50% of our active board) Unfortunately, we lost a valued Black member of our board when she moved to another area of So Cal last summer. Susan Lowe was a driving force in our DEI initiative efforts. I think, had she not moved, we might have benefitted greatly from her as President and/or as a key organizer of a SIG for Black Therapists in SGVCAMFT.

We hope that by presenting speakers of multiple Diverse communities in our programs will attract new members to our Chapter and eventually a more diverse leadership as well.

Website

We are in the process of re-designing our website. The new website will have language at the forefront describing our DEI policies and initiatives. We spoke at some length about what this might look, and sound like in our consultation with Tina Cacho-Sakai last September. We will work from examples on the CAMFT website and from LA CAMFT’s website.

 

• 3/24/2023: Coffee with CAMFT - we specifically folded topics related to diversity into the conversation
  • 16 Attended
• 4/21/2023: Tea with JT
  • 4 Attended
• 8/11/2023: Tea with JT
  • 6 Attended
• 8/24/2023: We helped coordinate members of SBCAMFT to attend the annual Pacific Pride Festival together, which highlights the LGBTQ+ community
• 9/20/2023  CE Event: Anti-Racism in Clinical Practice and Supervision                    
  • 30 Attended

Additional offerings:

• Book Club reading “Why do all the Black kids sit together in the cafeteria.”
• Revision and posting of new DEIJ statement on website
• Continued to have resource links to DEIJ articles/resources on our diversity webpage
• Newsletter messages to members from Diversity Director
• Discussions for how to get board members to incorporate DEIJ efforts into their programs including how to bring more DEIJ into events, CEU presentations, community engagement activities, including more north county members via virtual and north county offerings
• BIPOC Scholarship
• E-tree messages highlighting history facts, holidays (e.g., Juneteenth), special months (e.g., Black History Month) and what offerings are available in Santa Barbara

We also held periodic meetings with the Diversity Subcommittee

2022

Programs Reflecting Diversity

4/22/22 Tea with JT. Location: Zoom
5/20/22 Tea with JT. Location: Santa Barbara
6/25/22 Tea with JT. Location: Santa Ynez
9/17/22 Tea with JT. Location: Carpinteria
10/15/22 Tea with JT. Location: Santa Maria
11/12/22 Tea with JT. Location: Lompoc

We also held monthly meetings with the Diversity Subcommittee to stay on task with goals and objectives for the year.

 

2023

Position statement/DEI Action plan

• The chapter posted on social media with the guidance of our Director of DEI, Moitreyee Chowdhury, our statement, and position in terms of DEI,
• The action plan for 2023 was to increase diversity-oriented programs and think about how to refine such programs (as events and articles for our newsletter) for 2024.
• Throughout 2021 through 2023, the goal was to increase diversity within the board of directors, which resulted in bringing on members from various backgrounds, personally and professionally.

 

Education Programs and Speakers

• Diverse topics were addressed throughout 2023 in our events programs:
  • Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy for Clinicians was presented by a BIPOC Female clinician,
  • In an effort to address issues pertaining to the transgender community, we offered an online program led by Isabella Garcia and Ben Geilhuf that was an Introduction to Gender Identity and Attraction for
  • Partnered with Sacramento Chapter to offer an online presentation by Shawan Worsley, LMFT, about culturally responsive counseling; addressing biases in clinical therapy
  • The chapter had Dr. Amara Brook present on having a neurodiversity affirming practice for autistic and ADHDer clients.
  • We had an Asian American PhD and professor, Ling Lam, present on polyvagal therapy when dealing with trauma

• We created a DEI column in our newsletter and reached out to individuals from the BIPOC community to speak about their involvement in various areas:
  • Adelina Hills, LMFT, a Taiwanese immigrant, who spoke about working with Asian American clients in the therapy room; using somatic experiencing. She shared experience as an immigrant and shared her successes and struggles as she worked towards becoming a licensed therapist; telling the immigrant story that we might see in the therapy room.
  • Jim Arjani, LMFT was interviewed to speak about how EMDR works with trauma with veterans and military members.
  • One of our DEI column interviews was with Leila Wooley who worked with older adults, a community that needs assistance as our population grows older.
  • An interview with Sage DeRosier informed the membership of gender expansive client’s journey. This is an area where more and more children, teens, and adults are exploring.
  • Ashwini Addala, LMFT, a South Asian therapist who shared her spiritual journey; as well as how she helps her clients experience

Networking events

• Coffee talks in the summertime that reached out to our diverse membership community and the prior registrants to our various programs who are non-members,
• In an effort to connect various groups through the understanding of and exposure to diverse celebrations, Moitreyee Chowdhury, our Director of DEI, worked with the incoming Director of DEI to  monthly basis recognizing the contributions and celebrations of the various communities our chapter is made of. Some examples are religious and spiritual holidays, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous,
• We are proud to offer a Black Therapist support group, led by Erica Jenkins, LMFT; the participants are members and non-members, some finding support from far regions such as Washington, DC, and Mexico (providing therapy in the Bay Area),
• Director of Support Groups began coordinating an Asian Pacific Islander Group, which would begin in 2024.

Membership and volunteer outreach

• The outreach was done through our Facebook and Instagram presence as well as by using the CAMFT list and posting in various therapy listings with the intent to bring on students, trainees, and associates as a priority.

Donations/Scholarships/Grant programs

• Our chapter is in the process of devising a scholarship program to encourage the new generation of therapists to join the chapter: it would aim at mental health students, trainees, associates in various universities/graduate schools around the Bay Area.

2022

Position statement/DEI Action plan

• Early in January, the chapter posted for the first time, and with the guidance of our Director of DEI, Moitreyee Chowdhury, our statement, and position in terms of DEI,
• The action plan for 2022 was to increase diversity-oriented programs and start to think about how to refine such programs (as events and articles for our newsletter) for 2023,
• Throughout 2021 and early 2022, the goal was to increase diversity within the board of directors, which resulted in bringing on members from various backgrounds, personally and professionally.

Education Programs and Speakers

• Diverse topics were addressed throughout 2022 in our events programs:
  • The athlete population, its associated mental health issues, and ways to address them therapeutically, a luncheon offered by Megan Hankins-Maldonado, LMFT, an athlete herself,
  • A luncheon program about how to heal the Latino population of intergenerational trauma through community involvement, a presentation given by Ana Morante, LMFT,
  • Partnered with Sacramento Chapter to offer a luncheon online presentation by Shawan Worsley, LMFT, about strategies for effective discussions around race and racism,
  • In an effort to address issues pertaining to the transgender community, we offered a hybrid program led by Maureen Johnston, LMFT, that covered how to understand and assist families of gender expansive children,
  • Linda Johnson, LMFT, LAADC, presented a very well received workshop on the mental health trends and needs in juvenile justice, emphasizing the need for unwavering governmental and community support for mental health programming in this population,
  • We have addressed an important issue within the Indian community by providing a luncheon on the topic of the immigrant child within a South Asian perspective. Kalpana Asok, an Indian LMFT and writer was our choice to address this topic.

• We created a Social Justice column in our newsletter and reached out to individuals from the BIPOC community to speak about their involvement in various areas:
  • Ellie Vargas, LCSW, founder of BACIE (Bay Area Center for Immigration Evaluations) was interviewed by Liliana Ramos, LMFT, our Director-at-Large, to speak about the relevance of therapeutic skills in doing immigration evaluations, her own work doing these evaluations and her continued quest for therapists to get involved,
  • Dr. Sherry Wang, professor at Santa Clara University, was also interviewed by Liliana Ramos, about cultural humility and social justice in the therapeutic encounter,
  • One of our community focuses was Perry Clark, LMFT, interviewed by Dominique Yarritu, PhD, LMFT, our president and discussed his role and experiences as a self-identified neurodiverse, LGBTQ, Black male therapist.

Networking events

• Coffee talks in the summertime that reached out to our diverse membership community and the prior registrants to our various programs who are non-members,
• In an effort to connect various groups through the understanding of and exposure to diverse celebrations, Moitreyee Chowdhury, our Director of DEI, has been offering multiple email blasts on a monthly basis recognizing the contributions and celebrations of the various communities our chapter is made of. Some examples are religious and spiritual holidays, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, Elders months, with supporting educational offerings such as linked articles and videos.
• Special interest groups/committees
• We are proud to offer a Black Therapist support group, led by Erica Jenkins, LMFT; the participants are members and non-members, some finding support from far regions such as Washington, DC, and Mexico (providing therapy in the Bay Area),
• We continue to brainstorm to integrate other special interest groups and to look for volunteers interested in leading special interest committees.

Membership and volunteer outreach

• The outreach was done through our Facebook and Instagram presence as well as by using the CAMFT list and posting in various therapy listings with the intent to bring on students, trainees, and associates as a priority.

Donations/Scholarships/Grant programs

• Our chapter is in the process of devising a scholarship program to encourage the new generation of therapists to join the chapter: it would aim at mental health students, trainees, associates in various universities/graduate schools around the Bay Area.

2023

• All members were invited to participate in the annual meeting to discuss DEI subject and offer programming ideas.
• March 11, 2023, we offered a training on Polyamory
• December 1, 2023, we offered a training on Neurodivergent assessment and counseling
• At each board meeting we discussed DEI and how to best serve our members

2023

The following were undertaken to promote DEI in our chapter:

• Our current board of directors includes members of Asian American, LGBTQIA, and Latinx communities.

Programs and Events Reflecting Diversity:

2022:

• “Integrative Mental Health: Holistic Approaches and Interventions” – Cynthia Torres, LMFT (3/11/2022) Columbian American.

2023:

• “RISE Cultural Competency – Part 1” – Edgar Euan, Rise Certified Coordinator, (1/13/2023) Mexican American and LGBTQ.
• The “Ins and Outs” of Eating Disorders: Assessment Through the Biopsychosocial Lens” – Rachel McMurray, LMFT, (3/10/2023) - LGBTQ

2024:

• RISE Cultural Competency – Part 2 - Edgar Euan, Rise Certified Coordinator, (to be determined) Mexican American.

As a chapter, we will strengthen our dedication to diversity, equality, and inclusion by undertaking the following actionable items:

• Our new website will develop a mission statement defining our chapter’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Provide training to our members with presenters from diverse backgrounds that intentionally address issues around diversity, inclusion, and social justice.
• Publish articles on DEI – related topics in our Newsletter.
• Identify and recruit members from different diverse communities.
• Continue to brainstorm and look for volunteers interested in leading DEI-related interest groups committees.