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MARIN CAMFT CONNECTIONS

Jan Feb Mar 2025


Lauren OgrenOutgoing President's Message

Lauren Ogren, LMFT

2024 Marin CAMFT President

Dear Marin CAMFT Members,

Happy New Year! I like to take the beginning of the year to reflect upon the prior year, and set goals for the year ahead. In this increasingly divisive time that we live in I've noticed that it can feel like I'm screaming into the void and not able to enact the positive changes that I would like to in this world. If I focus on this, it can feel overwhelming and daunting. When I reflect back and look at the times that I felt positive, effective, and happy, I noticed that all of those are when I'm connecting with the community around me. And that is my continued goal for 2025, as I have concluded my time as President in 2024, and, following our recent election where I stepped up to serve again, I now return to the role of President-Elect where I will be supporting Liz Clark as the new Marin CAMFT president in 2025, and get ready for my subsequent term as President in 2026.

Some of the highlights of 2024 in my role as president have been the in-person events where I got to speak with members and my board colleagues, as well as the changes that we are moving forward with at the Marin chapter, which includes our new offering of asynchronous CE courses that will be available through our website within the month. I want to thank Peter Sadler, our 2023 President, Adam Cohen, our 2021- 2022 President, Jennifer Agostinelli, our departing Membership Director, and Cassandra Beck, our departing Pre-Licensed Director, for their incredible help, support, and service to our chapter during my president year.

Looking ahead, I am excited to continue on with our current board of volunteers who have also worked so hard alongside me, including Liz Clark, our new President; Nicole Lako, our Treasurer; Bonnie Kaufman, our Secretary; Rachel Barr, our Marketing Director; Norman Hering, our Programs Director; Katharine Spencer, our Community Director; and Ryan Plumb, formerly our Pre-Licensed Director and now taking on the Membership Director role. I also appreciate the ongoing contributions over so many years from our listserv moderator Susan Pease Gadoua; Therapy Groups List editor Renee Owen; Scholarship Chair Elaine McMahon; and Trauma Resource Team Co-Chairs Beth Leib and Kathleen Ries. My priorities are to work with this amazing group to continue to build community, and I encourage each of you as members to come and join us.

My goal as President-Elect this year is recruiting members like you to join the board or join a committee, and to encourage micro volunteering in order to help this chapter continue. Many hands make light work, and the more members we have on the board, the more we are able to accomplish. Also, this volunteer run board is a delightful way to spend some time and energy!  Being on the board has impacted my life in positive ways through the connections that I've made with other board members, and also positively impacted my private practice through referrals and personal connections for consultation. I am a better version of myself at this point thanks in part to these connections made. 

We do not know what this year will bring, however, I do know that when I engage in my immediate community, I am able to enact change that I can see and feel. I encourage any of you who are feeling disconnected, discouraged, or are just curious to reach out to any of us board members and ask how you can engage more with Marin CAMFT. 

With sincere thanks,

Lauren Ogren

2024 President & 2025 President-Elect, Marin CAMFT


Elizabeth Clark, LMFTIncoming President's Message

Elizabeth Clark, LMFT

2025 Marin CAMFT President


Hello Marin CAMFT!

I would like to begin by thanking the people who had confidence in me to recommend that I run and am now consequently serving as your President for 2025. I am honored to accept the position despite my very limited experience running an organization. I plan to do my very best to represent those who may or may not have more experience than myself. I would also like to thank my predecessors who led us through the pandemic, who have demonstrated mastery at getting members involved, and who have placed Marin CAMFT on stable financial ground. Each of these past presidents have informed not only my hopes for the future, but the hopes of other board members and all of you.

Finally, I would like to thank you, the Marin CAMFT members, for electing myself and the incredibly dedicated 2025 Marin CAMFT board. Thank you for electing to increase member dues. We did not make that decision lightly and we were gutted to learn that for legal reasons, we had to begin charging our pre-licensed members. We, the Marin CAMFT board, worked tirelessly to develop programs, scholarship opportunities, and to plan more networking events in 2025 to increase the value of your membership. Stay tuned and read on!

In addition to offering all the live and virtual continuing ed programs you need for each license renewal cycle, Marin CAMFT will offer asynchronous CEs beginning this month. That means you can get those CEs at your leisure by watching a pre-recorded training when you want. Read on for more information on this new on-demand option or check out the website for the latest updates.

For our pre-licensed community, we have partnered with the Therapist Development Center to offer $2,000 in scholarships, which you can learn more about in the Pre-Licensed Update below. This in addition to the three scholarships that our Scholarship Committee diligently awards pre-licensed members every year. I want to thank our pre-licensed members who are key to the continuing success of Marin CAMFT. You offer fresh ideas, new energy, and current clinical experience. You are also our most poorly compensated boots on the ground. I’m thrilled to support you however possible.

Now for my big ask to you, the Marin CAMFT member that has read this far: Come forward to participate in volunteer opportunities! Consider joining the board, or one of our excellent committees. Lend us the benefit of your expertise. If you wish to present about a topic related to clinical mental health or know someone who does—reach out to any one of our board members or ideally, our board member of the year and Director of Programs, Dr. Norman Hering. (Congratulations, Norman! We would be lost without you.)

This is a volunteer organization. Its strength comes from you. We all have to attain and maintain work-life balance, but the bigger picture is this: This organization is a representation of this profession. Your input, hard work, energy, financial contributions, and time are critical to maintaining Marin CAMFT and this profession’s relevance. The people of Marin County need to know who we are and what we can do for them.

My goals for 2025 are to see the development of our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Acceptance Committee. I am so grateful to the members who approached me at our Fall Celebration with an interest to participate and lead this project that I am very passionate about. I would like to ensure the continued success of our Trauma Resource Team. They are the backbone we absolutely need in order to stand tall. I would also like to increase our presence in the community whether that be at local health fairs, cultural celebrations, and college campuses. Let’s spread the word—far and wide—that marriage and family therapists in Marin are humans who care about their community and will do what it takes to lift up other humans. Everyone deserves to see and be seen. 

Elizabeth Clark

2025 President, Marin CAMFT


A D V E R T I S E M E N T


Felton Institute LOSS: Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors








 Felton Institute LOSS: Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors

Felton Institute's LOSS Postvention Support Program offers two free support groups:

Survivors of Suicide Attempts (SOSA) Support Group - Winter session starts in January 2025

  •     Led by a clinician and a peer with lived experience.
  •     Provides a safe space to share, connect, and heal.
  •     Weekly Zoom sessions for 8 weeks.


Healing Together: Support Group for Youth and Young Adults Affected by Suicide Loss

  •     Open to those 14 - 25, who’ve lost a family member, friend, classmate, partner, or coworker.
  •     Meets on Zoom 2nd & 4th Tuesdays each month.



 Marin CAMFT is about COMMUNITY

December Coffee Gathering

We had quite the turnout at our December 1st gathering at Blue Barn Coffee in Novato in early December! It was great to see everyone who came out for coffee and conversation. Rachel Barr, our Marketing Director, organized in-person casual events like this for the chapter every quarter throughout 2024, with around 25 to 40 members coming each time.

Photo of Marin CAMFT members

Photo of Marin CAMFT members

Photo of Marin CAMFT members

Photo of Marin CAMFT members

Marin CAMFT also made important appearances in the wider community in 2024, including hosting booths at Juneteenth in Richmond with East Bay CAMFT and at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco with SF CAMFT. Thank you to Liz Clark for taking the lead on these new outreach efforts and bringing new ideas to the chapter. We will stay busy collaborating with our Bay Area chapters in projects like this, to increase visibility and get the word out to our local communities about the value of therapy.


Fall Member Celebration

In October, we enjoyed a lovely evening as a chapter at our Fall Celebration & Membership Meeting in San Rafael, which included updates from the board, a raffle, and plenty of conversation and connection with friends new and old.

Before sharing some photos from that event, we want to issue a very special THANK YOU to the Marin CAMFT members who gave generous donations to our Kristina M. Carey Scholarship Fund when registering to attend this event:

  • Marty F.
  • Dylan K.
  • Jacob B.
  • Claire G.
  • Elaine M.

Thank you so much for supporting this important chapter project! Our scholarships are a meaningful initiative which could not happen without the support of members like you. (If you're a pre-licensed member of Marin CAMFT, please keep reading to learn more about this scholarship opportunity - the deadline is coming up!)

The Fall Celebration was in all ways another lovely gathering of the community. Here's a few photos.

Photo of Marin CAMFT members at Fall 2024 Celebration

Photo of Marin CAMFT members at Fall 2024 Celebration

Photo of Marin CAMFT members at Fall 2024 Celebration

Photo of Marin CAMFT swag


Be on the lookout for announcements for our next gathering and in-person social event! You can always check the Marin CAMFT website at https://www.marincamft.org for the latest information. 


Membership Renewals Happening Now

Renewals for most memberships are due on January 1

As we shared in our recent member updates, the Marin CAMFT membership approved a small dues increase, which went into effect with all new and renewing memberships as of December 27. Most Marin CAMFT memberships are on a calendar year renewal cycle, which means that it's now membership renewal season most members. Your ongoing membership is valued in allowing us to continue putting on quality programming and networking opportunities. We truly hope you'll choose to renew and stay on as a member!

Many of our members are on auto-pay, so your payment will process automatically. Step-by-step instructions for turning off auto-pay are in our Help FAQ. (Note that the membership level may still say "autorenew" even when the auto-pay option has been turned off. Those membership membership levels have "autorenew" in the name in order to alert folks that that is the default. You'll want to confirm the actual payment settings on your individual account to see if it's turned on or off for you.)

Log on to check your membership settings now

Questions about membership in Marin CAMFT can be directed to our Membership Director at Large Ryan Plumb at membership@marincamft.org

Thank you to those of you maintaining your membership in Marin CAMFT! Your support allows us to continue putting on quality programming and community activities in 2025.

Continuing Education Programming at Marin CAMFT

Including new on-demand options!

Big Announcement! On-Demand Courses Now Available!

For many years, we've offered the audio of most of our trainings to our members in podcast format on our website. However, starting this month, our continuing education programming will be made available not only "live" on Zoom on our monthly Friday events, but also in an asynchronous self-directed training format - earn CEs at your convenience at the new Marin CAMFT On-Demand Training site!

We know many of our members enjoy gathering in our virtual Zoom space on the second Friday of every month, and we aren't making any changes to that training schedule. This additional programming is being offered as a supplemental to that, in case you miss one of the regular Friday programs. 

screenshot of Marin CAMFT On-Demand Training site


We are excited to be launching this new offering with these specific on-demand courses:

  • DBT for Parents (originally offered in December 2024)
  • Effective Collaboration with Psychiatrists (originally offered in March 2024)
  • You will earn CEs by completing these programs! All are available for free or at low cost for Marin CAMFT members (log on to your member profile at marincamft.org to find the sign-up code), and also offered at reasonable rates for non-members.

Learn more on the Marin CAMFT website at https://www.marincamft.org and see what's been published so far in the Marin CAMFT on-demand course catalog.

A few notes on Marin CAMFT On-Demand Training

  • To access an on-demand course for free, Marin CAMFT members will need to use a sign-up code, which is posted in the Members Only section of the Marin CAMFT website. You'll need to log on to your membership account at marincamft.org to get the code. This code will let you sign up for most courses for free (or for the same members-only rate that was offered for the original training).

  • If you took a training with us when it was originally offered "live" then please note that the BBS does not allow you to also claim CEs for the on-demand version. However, you could always access the training again to brush up on the content offered from our presenters.

  • Free or discounted access is available for our chapter members only, and
    is not available as a reciprocal benefit. However, non-members can sign up for our standard low prices: A 2-CE course is only $30 with Marin CAMFT!

  • We hope to publish the on-demand version of a training within a month after it is held. Not all of our presenters grant permission to us to record, so we appreciate your understanding if a desired program cannot be made available.

  • Over the coming months, we will be publishing selections from past trainings in this new on-demand format. Check out the current catalog at Marin CAMFT On-Demand Training.


Upcoming Live Programs on Zoom

We are of course still offering our regular Friday CE trainings. Next on the calendar is:

More to come in 2025! Our online Events Calendar always has the latest information as soon as it becomes available.

The Continuing Education Committee is looking for members

Marin CAMFT members: Want to help your chapter identify speakers and plan our programming? CE Committee Meetings are held quarterly. Please reach out to Director of Programs Dr. Norman Hering at programs@marincamft.org for information on the next one. This is an important function of Marin CAMFT and the CE Committee is always in need of additional support.





    Scholarship Applications Now Being Accepted!

    The deadline for applying for one of the Kristina M. Carey Scholarships is January 31

    The Marin CAMFT Scholarship Committee is happy to announce that we will be offering three Kristina M. Carey Scholarships this year. We will award one scholarship to a Trainee MFT, one to an Associate MFT, and one to either an MFT Trainee or MFT Associate who identifies as belonging to an underrepresented group in the mental health field (example: BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse). The amount of each scholarship is $2,500. Scholarship applications are being accepted from Marin CAMFT pre-licensed members through January 31.

    Find full requirements and scholarship application here

    We are also grateful for donations made to the scholarship fund! You can donate online at any time on the donations page.

    Thank you to the Scholarship Committee - Elaine McMahon, Marty Frankel, Dorie Rosenberg, and Karen Benjamin - and thank you again to the Marin CAMFT members who continue to support our pre-licensed community with these critical financial donations.


    Pre-Licensed Members Update

    For Students, Trainees, and Associates working towards licensure

    Marin CAMFT is working with the Therapist Development Center to offer deeply discounted exam prep courses for select members. If you will be taking the Law and Ethics exam, or the Clinical Licensing Exam, you may find it helpful to take a pre-test preparation course like the ones offered by the Therapist Development Center. Marin CAMFT has partnered with Therapist Development Center through their Tzedakah Project to offer special discounted prices for their exam prep. We will be selecting pre-licensed Marin CAMFT members throughout the year who participate in Marin CAMFT activities and community events to offer these prizes. More specific details will follow, so look out for an email with how you can participate and maybe win one of the significant discounts on their products.

    Even if you do not get one of the special prizes, you can still use the code MARIN25 at checkout on the Therapist Development Center website to get $25 off either their MFT L&E exam prep course or their CA MFT Clinical exam prep course.

    Therapist Development Center logo




    Trauma Resource Team

    The Trauma Resource Team meets on the third Friday of most months on Zoom. For more information and to RSVP to attend,
    please contact TRT Co-Chair Beth Leib at bethleibmft@gmail.com


    Trauma Resource Team News

    Following on from our survey earlier this year, the Marin CAMFT Trauma Resources Team is excited to announce the following offerings. If you are interested in any of these initiatives, please complete the Marin CAMFT Trauma Resources Team Interest Form and a member of the team will be in touch with you.

    Vicarious Trauma Peer Support Group

    One of the key outputs from our survey was that some members would like to join a Vicarious Trauma Peer Support Group.  Kathy Ries from the TRT has kindly volunteered to coordinate this group and has prepared some materials to get the group going. Please complete the TRT interest form, or contact Kathy at 916-893-8469 or KathyRiesMFT@gmail.com.


    Trauma Focused Consultation Groups

    The TRT is happy to co-ordinate interested members into monthly Consultation Groups. These groups work best when the composition remains stable and group members are committed to prioritizing attendance on a monthly basis. The hope is that each member will have the opportunity to request support from peers and the purpose is to expand and support the choices you make within your work. We all have weak spots and vulnerabilities and we hope these groups become a space to grow and share with other colleagues in Marin. 

    In order for the groups to be successful long term, we encourage participants to consider whether you are able to take on the role of co-ordinator within a small group of 4 to 6 members.  Please complete the TRT interest form to share your availability and preferences for meeting.

    Note: consultation groups are suitable for licensed professionals who are not receiving supervision.


    Resources

    Please do tell us about any good local trauma-informed resources you know about or come across so others can benefit from what’s available in our community: Examples include: support groups, service organizations, yoga classes, dance classes, trauma related apps, videos, podcasts.  Please email any references to community@marincamft.org. We will be collating these resources on our web pages on a regular basis.


    TRT area of the Marin CAMFT website

    We will be aiming to make regular updates to the TRT pages so please check back for further information in between our newsletters: www.marincamft.org/current-trauma-resources/


     

    RECAMFT Golden Jubilee Celebration including 1.5 CE training with Dr. Robin Zasio on Hoarding - January 3, 2025, in person in Santa Rosa

    Robin Zasio, PsyD

    Marin CAMFT members are invited to RECAMFT's 50th anniversary celebration

    The Redwood Empire chapter of CAMFT is our sister chapter to the north. They serve Sonoma and Napa counties. They are celebrating their 50th anniversary on Friday, January 3rd. Their event features a 1.5 CE training with Dr. Robin Zasio on Hoarding. Lunch is also included. RECAMFT is offering tickets to their event to the public for the same pricing as their members pay, which is $35 for licensed attendees, and $10 for pre-licensed. Guests are also invited. Find out more on the RECAMFT website.

    This is a courtesy announcement, shared on behalf of the RECAMFT chapter. Please contact RECAMFT at therapy@recamft.org if you have questions about their event.


    Invitation to the Marin CAMFT listserv

    The listserv is our chapter's email community. It's a great resource for getting and giving referrals, making connections, learning about office space for rent, and more!

    If you are a Marin CAMFT member and want to join the listserv, please send a message to MCAMFT+subscribe@groups.io and our listserv moderator will confirm Marin CAMFT membership and subscribe you.



    Questions, comments, feedback on this new newsletter format?

    Please email Lisa our Newsletter Editor at editor@marincamft.org or just hit "reply" on this message and let us know what you think!




     

    This is a reproduction of the main content from our newsletter that was emailed to all MCAMFT members on January 1, 2025.

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