Happy Summer!

I hope people are finding some time to relax and enjoy themselves despite the confusion of opening up from the pandemic only to partly shut down again. It’s a challenging time. I hope you know how essential all of you are to the overall mental health needs of our SGV community! Your hard work and dedication is much appreciated.

Although SGV-CAMFT is slightly less active during the summer there are still a few exciting things to bring to your attention!

First, and most importantly, I would like to say a huge THANK YOU! to Susan Lowe, LMFT, who has been a member of SGV-CAMFT since 2014 and an enormously vital and active Board member for all or most of that time! Susan is moving out of the San Gabriel Valley and so will be bringing her vibrant energy and enthusiasm to the San Bernadino Chapter. We will miss her terribly and wish her well! During her time on the SGV-CAMFT Board Susan has been active on the Membership Committee, promoted Hospitality at in-person events, she was active on the Programs Committee, and most recently, as the Chair of the 3000 Club, she has generously guided and nurtured our pre-licensed members on their journey towards licensure. Susan has helped to spearhead SGV-CAMFT’s new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative, which is making slow but steady progress this year. In addition, she was instrumental in bringing us Dr. Sayida Peprah’s July 9th program “Cultivating Humility: Dismantling Implicit Bias and Building Allies in Therapy.” For those of you who attended, I’m sure you can attest to what an important and eye-opening program that was! So again, THANK YOU, SUSAN! We are so grateful for all of your hard work and generosity of spirit on the SGV-CAMFT Board all of these years! Please join me in thanking Susan Lowe! She will be missed but we wish her well and hope that our paths will cross often in the years to come!

Of course, the departure of Susan Lowe leaves a glaring hole in the SGV-CAMFT Board roster! Fortunately, we are excited to welcome Deanna Hudgins into our fold! Beginning in August, Deanna will be joining Michael Bauer to assist with membership outreach! Deanna is just over halfway through her 3-year track at Azusa Pacific University and is proud to be pursuing her traineeship at Living Success Center under the supervision of Patty Gieselman. Deanna, we’re excited to meet you and have you join us! Thank you for coming on Board! And just a plug—we are always looking for enthusiastic folks to join us on the Board for specific projects or a Board position! We are currently needing additional support with our Programs Committee, Membership, Social Media and Communications, and 3000 Club. You must be both a member of SGV-CAMFT and CAMFT to be on the Board. Please contact me if you are interested: president@sgvcamft.org

Mark your calendars! We have some exciting activities on the horizon!

Sunday, August 1st, 7 – 8:30 pm join our monthly Book Club meeting! Attendance is free but you need to make a reservation in order to attend this online Zoom event. See the Home page of our website at sgvcamft.org to Register. Email Natasha at pastpresident@sgvcamft.org for more information.

Thursday, September 16th 6 - 7:30 pm. Register to attend the Connect ‘n Learn Online Program “Using the Body to Regulate Emotion: Perspectives from DBT” with Suzette Bray, founder and Executive Director of Village Counseling and Wellness. Register on our website at sgvcamft.org for this Online Zoom event. $20 – Licensed SGV-CAMFT members and licensed members of other CAMFT Chapters, $5 – Pre-licensed SGV-CAMFT members, $10 – Pre-licensed non-members. Deadline to Register: Tuesday, September 14th 8 pm. This program does not offer CE credit.

Friday, September 24th, Noon – 1:30 pm: “CAMFT State of the Profession” Online workshop. Join CAMFT Executive director, Nabil El-Ghoroury, PhD, CAE, for an understanding of events, legislation, and internal association processes that are currently impacting CAMFT members. This 90-minute presentation will discuss issues and the importance of a Professional Will. It will include updates from BBS and both the California and Federal legislatures as well as discussion on why it is important to avail yourself of the Legal Consultation service provided by CAMFT. Register on our website at sgvcamft.org. $20 – Licensed SGV-CAMFT members and licensed members of other CAMFT Chapters, $5 – Pre-licensed SGV-CAMFT members, $10 – Pre-licensed non-members. 1.5 CEs available. Deadline to Register: Wednesday, September 22, 8 pm.

Kathryn Bikle, MA, LMFT
President, SGV-CAMFT