Keonna Robinson,
LMFT 

LA-CAMFT Therapists of Color Mentorship Program: Call for Therapist of Color (TOC) Mentors

During our “Anti-Racism as a Movement, Not a Moment” Roundtable in August 2020, we came together as a therapeutic community to discuss and address racism and discrimination. We collaborated on what LA-CAMFT can do to be an actively and overtly anti-racist community. We specifically identified needed supports that we as therapists of color and as a therapeutic community wanted to see provided. One of the many needed supports identified was a Therapists of Color (TOC) Mentorship Program.

In January 2021 a group of students, associates and licensed therapists of color formed the Therapists of Color (TOC) Mentorship Program Committee and met on a monthly basis to discuss and begin the creation of this program. The committee spent quality time on the purpose statement, guidelines, interest form, marketing, launch date, and more. The development of the program are the contributions of the following committee participants: Akiah Selwa, Destiny Campron, Jenni Villegas Wilson, Leanne Nettles, Lucy Sladek, Maisha Gainer, Matthew Fernandez, Nehemiah Campbell, Perla Hollow, Rachell Alger, Raven Barrow, Stara Shakti, and Tina Cacho Sakai.

The LA-CAMFT Therapists of Color (TOC) Mentorship Program exists to help address inequities experienced by professional mental health therapists of color and intersections with other historically marginalized groups. The first of its kind amongst CAMFT chapters, LA-CAMFT is committed to ensuring quality mentorship for therapists of color by therapists of color. The mentorship program is intended to help bridge the gap of identifying and creating opportunities for growth and advancement in the field, guide clinicians across various stages of professional development, increase accessibility and sustainability in the field, and assist therapists of color to confidently provide services from their culturally authentic self.  

At this time, we are Calling for Therapists of Color (TOC) Mentors who are committed to this mission and more:

• Qualifications: Licensed in the State of CA (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, PSYD, etc) 
• Commitment: 6 to 12 months with the option to continue independently.
• Frequency: 1x per month or mutually agreed-upon schedule of meetings, which may occur via phone, virtual platform, email exchanges, or face-to-face meetings.
• Types of Mentorship Relationships: 1-on-1 and/or group mentorship (your choice) .
• Mentors do not need to be LA-CAMFT Members. 

Interest Form Due Dates and Mentorship Start Dates: 

• 6-month Mentorship duration is from June 1st — November 30, 2023. 

Interest forms submitted before or after the listed dates above will not be considered during the matching process. 

Here are some of the many rewards for being a Therapist of Color (TOC) Mentor:

• Guide, teach, and inspire the next generation of TOC mental health professionals.
• Establish and promote a culture of support within our profession.
• Build intergenerational relationships.
• Contribute to new developments in the field.
• Receive LA-CAMFT benefits for volunteering your time, knowledge and wisdom. 

If you are interested in becoming a Therapist of Color (TOC) Mentor, would like to receive more information and/or receive the Interest Form, reach out to us at tocmentorshipprogram@lacamft.org. 

With Gratitude and Solidarity, 

Divorce Mediation in High Conflict Situations

Imagine a couple, let’s call them Sarah and Joh, caught in the turbulent storm of a high-conflict divorce. Their once-loving relationship has turned into a battleground of resentment and anger. Legal proceedings seem like a never-ending maze, leaving them emotionally drained and financially depleted.

As a divorce mediator with over 30 years of experience, I’ve witnessed countless stories like Sarah and John’s, where the traditional adversarial approach only exacerbates the pain. But what if there’s a better way? Let’s explore how divorce mediation can offer a beacon of hope in even the most challenging situations.

The Problem

Divorce, especially in high-conflict scenarios, presents a myriad of challenges that can feel insurmountable to those involved. Legal battles, escalating costs, and prolonged court proceedings create a hostile environment, further fueling animosity between parties. Emotionally, divorce takes a toll on individuals, leading to stress, anxiety, and depression, disrupting familial bonds and leaving scars that may take years to heal.

The adversarial nature of traditional divorce proceedings often perpetuates a win-lose mentality, where neither party achieves closure or satisfaction, failing to acknowledge the humanity and complexity of each individual’s situation, leaving them feeling dehumanized and disempowered. It’s clear that the current system is failing those experiencing divorce, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

How Divorce Mediation Works in High Conflict Situations

As a seasoned divorce mediator, I’ve dedicated my career to guiding couples through the tumultuous waters of divorce with compassion and understanding. Here are some key points to consider when exploring divorce mediation as an alternative approach:

1. Facilitating Communication

Divorce mediation offers a neutral space for couples to communicate effectively, fostering constructive dialogue and problem-solving. Unlike traditional adversarial proceedings, mediation provides a safe environment where parties can openly and honestly express their concerns and interests. This open dialogue allows for a deeper understanding of each other’s perspectives, facilitating the resolution of conflicts in a collaborative manner.

By encouraging active participation and mutual respect, mediation empowers couples to take ownership of their decisions and work towards mutually beneficial agreements. Ultimately, the goal of mediation is to promote communication skills that extend beyond the divorce process, laying a foundation for healthier co-parenting relationships and future interactions. Through facilitated communication, mediation enables couples to navigate the complexities of divorce with dignity and respect, paving the way for a more amicable and sustainable resolution.

2. Empowering Decision-Making

In contrast to traditional litigation’s imposition of decisions by a judge, mediation empowers couples to take charge of crucial matters like child custody, asset division, and alimony. This autonomy fosters the creation of durable and mutually beneficial agreements. By actively participating in the decision-making process, individuals gain a sense of ownership over the outcomes, resulting in agreements that better reflect their unique needs and circumstances. This collaborative approach not only promotes greater satisfaction with the final resolution but also fosters a more amicable post-divorce relationship between the parties involved. Ultimately, empowering couples to make their own decisions through mediation can lead to more sustainable and harmonious outcomes for all parties involved in the divorce process.

3. Reducing Conflict and Cost

Mediation offers a route to resolving disputes outside of the courtroom, effectively minimizing both the emotional and financial tolls associated with divorce. Research indicates that mediated divorces are typically swifter and less costly than litigated ones, enabling parties to conserve resources for their post-divorce adjustment. By sidestepping prolonged legal battles, couples can not only achieve resolution more efficiently but also mitigate the strain on their emotional well-being. This reduction in conflict and financial burden not only benefits the individuals involved but also fosters a smoother transition into the next chapter of their lives, ultimately promoting greater long-term stability and well-being for all parties affected by the divorce process.

4. Prioritizing Children’s Well-being

What’s Next?

You might be thinking, “But what if my ex-spouse is unwilling to participate in mediation?” It’s essential to recognize that mediation is a voluntary process, and both parties must be willing to engage in good faith negotiations. However, even in cases where initial resistance exists, skilled mediators can often facilitate meaningful dialogue and ultimately reach mutually acceptable solutions.

If you find yourself facing the challenges of divorce, know that you’re not alone. Consider exploring the option of divorce mediation as a more humane and constructive alternative to the adversarial legal system. By choosing mediation, you’re taking a proactive step towards reclaiming control of your future and fostering a more amicable resolution to your divorce.

Remember, the journey towards healing and resolution begins with a single step. Reach out today to learn more about how divorce mediation can help you navigate this challenging time with dignity and grace.

Steven Unruh, MA, MDiv, is a Divorce Mediator and LMFT. He and his team at Unruh Mediation complete the entire divorce process, including all assets, pensions, properties, alimony and child support—along with all required documentation. Unruh Mediation files in 13 different courthouses throughout Southern California. Website: stevenunruh.com.

Helping Our Clients Come to Terms with Impermanence: Aging Isn’t for Wimps!

There are an abundance of articles, Instagram posts and podcasts telling seniors how to “Age Well.” This can be wonderful and empowering information, but it can also create false hopes and unrealistic expectations leading to pain, shame and guilt if we don’t perceive ourselves as aging in the best possible way. 

Let’s face it, there are many normal and natural changes that a person’s body may go through as it ages. And no matter how fabulously we excel at aging, or how many of the good health tips we follow, we will still age and eventually die. Clients may blame themselves and wonder what they did wrong when their bodies don’t respond in an optimal way. They may also be embarrassed and ashamed that they aren’t aging better.

This self-blame and shame frequently come up for clients experiencing depression. They are not only depressed but feel guilty for being depressed because according to social media feeds, happiness is a choice. If we aren’t happy, we must be doing something wrong . . . Maybe it’s our negative thinking?

Sadly, I saw this up close when my mom was diagnosed with cancer. She was embarrassed and didn’t want to tell friends or neighbors about her diagnosis. It was as if cancer was a moral failing. Actually, my mom was the kind of woman who even felt embarrassed if she needed to take a nap. Her self-identity was tied into being a strong woman and naps and cancer didn’t fit with her view of herself.

Judging oneself doesn’t help the depressed client or the senior. And frankly everything isn’t within one’s control. Genetic makeup, environment and many other factors impact health, longevity, and mood.

One way we can help our older clients navigate changes that come with aging is to help them let go of the stigma that there is a gold standard of aging. Your office can be a place where clients can talk about what aging is like for them, and look their reality squarely in the eyes. They can grieve their losses, let go of guilt and begin to see and feel the positive (and not so positive) aspects of aging. 

As the ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, said, “The only constant in life is change.” This is also a key tenant in Buddhist philosophy, accepting that everything is temporary and nothing is certain. Our clients so often suffer because they believe that if they just do this aging thing right their bodies and the universe will cooperate; they will “Age Well” and maybe even be a super-senior.

I don’t want to dash my clients’ hopes of being able to control the aging process. Instead, I want to help them widen their understanding of aging and themselves. I want to help them accept that all may not go according to their plans no matter how well they follow best practices for aging.

Spouses can die prematurely; clients can lose their vision or their hearing or get a devastating diagnosis. Or on a smaller level, the changes may be as simple and as mundane as getting tired earlier or no longer being able to take their daily 4-mile hike. These things won’t happen to everyone as they age, but most likely there will be some changes that are outside of our clients’ control.

As therapists it is important to know how to support our clients when they can’t change their bodies or their circumstances, but instead need to learn to accept their new reality, future uncertainty, and maybe even some diminished capacities.

Some approaches that are helpful in this process are Existential Therapy, Logotherapy, and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy).

On one level we need to be a companion on this existential journey. We can best serve our client by helping them reflect on the impact that aging is having on their bodies, relationships, and identity. We can help them explore the questions: “Am I the same ‘me’ only older, or has aging changed who I am? Has aging changed my sense of identity and how I see myself? Has aging changed how others see me? These are important and existential questions because so much of how one defines oneself may be changing. For instance, has your client always seen herself as an athlete? Or has his job title been his identity? Helping our clients understand who they are when these labels are stripped away is essential.It can pave the way to help them find a deeper sense of who they are.

Logotherapy, developed by Victor Frankl, can also be useful in helping our clients find meaning in their suffering. Victor Frankl was a holocaust survivor and, in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, he emphasized that when all is stripped away, we can still choose our attitude.

Neither Existential Therapy nor Logotherapy deny difficult realities. Instead, both therapies focus on looking at the individual realities of aging. They provide ways for our clients to process their thoughts, feelings, hopes and expectations so they can reach a deeper understanding of themselves.

ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) can also be a useful therapeutic approach to help our clients come to terms with aging and their mortality. ACT starts with encouraging our clients to be mindful of their current realities without judgement . . . then moving towards embracing what is. This approach doesn’t mean giving up on proactive steps toward creating a more fulfilling and comfortable future. Rather as the Serenity Prayer prescribes, it helps our clients accept the things they cannot change. ACT also helps our clients reassess their core values and commit to taking steps that are in alignment with those values. 

Kim Scott, LMFT is a licensed marriage, family and child therapist. She has a private practice in Granada Hills where she works with couples and individuals, in-person and via Telehealth. Kim has been licensed for 30 years and has expertise in working with older adults and women issues. To learn more about Kim's practice and to read more of her articles visit her website: www.kimscottmft.com.

LA-CAMFT’s Declaration
of Inclusion, Diversity, and Anti-Racism

Psychotherapy can be transformative in a democratic society, and can open intellectual inquiry that, at its best, influences and results in lasting positive change. In recognition of our shared humanity and concern for our community and world, LA-CAMFT loudly and overtly disavows all racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, classism, ableism, ageism, and hate speech or actions that attempt to silence, threaten, and degrade others. We in LA-CAMFT leadership hereby affirm our solidarity with those individuals and groups most at risk and further declare that embracing diversity and fostering inclusivity are central to the mission of our organization.

As mental health professionals, we value critical reasoning, evidence-based arguments, self-reflection, and the imagination. We hope to inspire empathy, advocate for social and environmental justice, and provide an ethical framework for our clients, our community, and ourselves.

We in LA-CAMFT leadership are committed to:

(1) the recognition, respect, and affirmation of differences among peoples

(2) challenging oppression and structural and procedural inequities that exist in society, generally, and in local therapeutic, agency, and academic settings

(3) offering diverse programming content and presenters throughout our networking event calendar, as well as in our workshops, trainings, and special events

While we traverse the turbulent seas of the important and necessary changes taking place in our country, in order to form a “more perfect union.” we wish to convey our belief that within our community exists an immense capacity for hope. We believe in and have seen how psychotherapy, therapeutic relationships, and mental health professions can be agents of positive change, without ignoring or denying that the practice and business of psychiatry, psychology, and psychotherapy have historically been the cause of great harm, trauma, and emotional toll, particularly for people of color and other marginalized groups. We are committed to doing our part to help remedy that which we have the position, privilege, and/or resources to do so.

At LA-CAMFT events, all members are welcome regardless of race/ethnicity, gender identities, gender expressions, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, disabilities, religion, regional background, Veteran status, citizenship, status, nationality and other diverse identities that we each bring to our professions. We expect that leadership and members will promote an atmosphere of respect for all members of our community.

In a diverse community, the goal of inclusiveness encourages and appreciates expressions of different ideas, opinions, and beliefs, so that potentially divisive conversations and interactions become opportunities for intellectual and personal growth. LA-CAMFT leadership wants to embrace this opportunity to create and maintain inclusive and safe spaces for all of our members, free of bias, discrimination, and harassment, where people will be treated with respect and dignity and where all individuals are provided equitable opportunity to participate, contribute, and succeed.

We value your voice in this process. If you feel that our leadership or programming falls short of this commitment, we encourage you to get involved, and to begin a dialogue with those in leadership. It is undeniable that the success of LA-CAMFT relies on the participation, support, and understanding of all its members.

Standing together,
The LA-CAMFT Board of Directors and Diversity Committee

Voices Publication Guidelines for 2024

Calling all community writers and contributors!

Are you searching for a unique platform to express your passions and showcase your expertise in the Marriage and Family Therapy field? Look no further, as we welcome your input!

Following are the due dates and publication guidelines for submitting articles and ads for the 2024 calendar year to Voices, LA-CAMFT's monthly newsletter:

LA-CAMFT Publishing Guidelines for Voices

• All submissions are DUE by the 1ST of each month.
  • Around the 15th of each month, you will receive the editor’s call for articles for the next edition of VOICES.
  • This editor’s call will allow contributors to have up to 2 weeks to put together all the material for submission by the 1st of the month.
  • Around the 25th of each month, you will receive the editor’s second and last call for articles, reminding contributors to submit completed articles by the first should they wish to be included in VOICES.
  • In this last call for submissions, the editor will include a list of the content planned for the next edition of VOICES. This editorial list will note submissions received as well as submissions expected but not yet received and which must be received by the 1st in order to be included.
  • Any submissions received after the 1st, will be included in the following month's edition of VOICES.
• ARTICLES are 500–1000 word submissions by LA-CAMFT members, sponsors, speakers, or recognized experts in their field. Only universal file formats, like Word (.doc and docx.) will be accepted as submissions. If an article is submitted in a “.pages” format, it will be returned to the submitter.
• HYPERLINKS in articles must be individually typed into the body of the article by the writer and must be included at time of submission. It is the responsibility of each writer to “type in” the hyperlink(s) in their own work when the article is submitted. Putting “LIVE LINK” in the body of an article won't work. When multiple links are being included, this must be made clear by the writer as to where each link is to be featured.
• IMAGES: All personal headshots or images must be attached to an email as either a JPEG, PNG or TIF. Images pasted into an email are not acceptable since the quality of such photos is diminished. Any images received in the body of the email may result in delayed publication of the submission.
• AUTHOR TAGLINES: Author taglines are a short paragraph of 50 to 75 words after the end of the article in which the author is identified. It includes the author's full name, pertinent professional credentials, a short business description, and website address with a HYPERLINK. Email addresses and phone numbers are not included — the only exceptions are lacamft.org emails. All taglines are limited to 75 words, MAXIMUM. This word count includes the author's name and website.
• IMAGES OTHER THAN PERSONAL HEADSHOTS. There is an issue about images. When you submit an image other than a personal headshot, you must provide proof of how you obtained that photo. Following is a link that covers the importance of copyright issues, but especially so when it comes to anything “Internet.” (Sued for Copyright Infringement)
• AN ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN:
  • Helpful tips, strategies, analysis, and other specific useful clinical, educational, business or professional marketing or networking information.
  • A review of literature or arts (reviewer not related to or in business with the creator of the item being reviewed).
• AN ARTICLE MAY NOT CONTAIN:
  • Reference to commercial products or services being sold or distributed by author;
  • Information that is only useful if the author’s book or other materials are purchased
  • Suggestions that the reader attend the author’s workshop, conference or podcast for more information;
  • Any other material that could be construed as an advertisement, rather than an article;
  • Language that could be construed as defamatory, discriminatory, or offensive.