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Thank you for your interest in the CAMFT Honors and Awards Program. Applications are now CLOSED. Please check back in March 2025 for applications for 2026 Honors and Awards to open.
A Distinguished Clinical Member is a clinical member or Life clinical member who has given outstanding service in the field of marriage and family therapy and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. The recipient muse be engaged at the time of nomination in the advancement of marriage and family therapy. Nominees are required to have been clinical members of CAMFT for two years. In addition, nominees are required to have five years of experience following licensure as an LMFT. NOTE: the Honors Committee prefers that candidates have a minimum of 10 years as a clinical member of CAMFT. The longevity, complexity, depth and number of years providing service will be strongly considered. It is also strongly encouraged by the Honors Committee that Distinguished Clinical Members be nominated by any CAMFT member. If a candidate self-nominates, they will need to have a letter of recommendation from an active CAMFT member that addresses the criteria of the application.
CAMFT makes this award available to honor a literary or research contribution to the profession. Nominations must be made by eight clinical members.
This award recognizes an outstanding school or agency. Any CAMFT member may nominate or recommend a school or agency for their contribution to their community and the practice of marriage and family therapy.
Only a non-member (not a member of CAMFT) may receive this award for making an outstanding contribution to, or providing an outstanding service for, the field of marriage and family therapists.
For questions, please contact honors@camft.org.
The Center for Professional Counseling has helped thousands of students, trainees, associates, and clients since 1976. Approximately 215,000 hours of counseling have been performed in service of more than 28,000 clients, and more than 22,000 supervised hours have been provided to trainees and associates seeking licensure. The Center is a fee-for-service agency that offers a sliding scale to clients and provides quality services to marginalized low-to-middle-income community members. Most of the Center’s clients are unable to afford traditional medical insurance yet maintain an income level that disqualifies them from participation in free government programs. The Center helps people bridge that financial gap. It is committed to providing culturally competent psychotherapeutic offerings in the prevention and the treatment of clinical disorders. For instance, the Center’s school-based mental health services provide counseling support to 75 youth at five ethnically diverse Title I (low-income) elementary and middle schools.
Jose Andalon, LMFT, has been working in mental health since 2011. He started as a case manager for the Southern County Mobile Unit in Tulare County providing services to Hispanic men, children, and families. Jose went on to work for an agency that provided services to children in the foster care system. It was while serving in this position that he decided to go back to school and obtain his MFT degree. He then became licensed to join his wife in providing services to underserved populations. Jose coauthored a workbook, Who Am I? A Child’s Introduction to Foster Care, to be used by therapists, foster parents, social workers, or other adults working with foster children. It helps with the transition process by allowing the child to feel they are in control of the information that is shared with their foster family. Jose and his wife have adopted five children out of the foster care system. They run their counseling business, which focuses on the Hispanic population and the uninsured, in the small town of Riverbank, CA, helping those that need mental health services.
Dr. Patricia Bay has done a tremendous job of promoting the field of marriage and family therapy and representing the work we do as MFTs with integrity. She helped form the Redding Regional Chapter of CAMFT, where she served as president four times and has held numerous positions on the board. Dr. Bay is a CAMFT-certified supervisor and a CAMFT-approved continuing education (CE) provider. She has written Therapy in a Nutshell: 10 Simple Lessons That Will Change Your Life and several therapy articles, and she hosts a therapy podcast that is known worldwide. She has hosted TV and radio call-in shows, taught seminars, and conducted trainings, and she was a professor of psychology at National University. She also appears in court as an expert witness in many areas. Dr. Bay goes above and beyond to help others, providing support and supervision, and generally being an amazing resource to her community.
Dr. Allison Brownlee is a dedicated mental health advocate and the founder of Stronger Together Community Services (STCS), a nonprofit mental health organization committed to making a profound impact in the San Diego community by offering low- or no-cost, trauma-informed, inclusive therapy services. She is an AAMFT-approved supervisor and a CAMFT-approved continuing education (CE) provider certified in accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy (AEDP) who has taken a keen interest in empowering and mentoring the next generation of women+ leaders. STCS is a training and education facility for clinicians in master’s and doctoral programs across California that is well known for its commitment to quality education in a supportive environment. What sets Dr. Brownlee apart are her professional achievements, the thriving organization she built during the pandemic, and her unwavering commitment to social responsibility and DEIB-related projects. She has developed and facilitates women’s empowerment retreats where those who identify as women+ come together to heal, build community, and explore self-confidence through therapy mind/body activities such as paddleboarding. Dr. Brownlee and STCS have partnerships with Planned Parenthood, Live Well San Diego, and many other community organizations, and through these relationships she is able to continue her mission to make exceptional psychotherapy accessible to individuals, couples, and families in need.