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Juan Gavidia

 

CANDIDATE FOR CLINICAL DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE

Juan Gavidia, LMFT

I am honored and excited to be nominated as Clinical Director-At-Large of the 2020 CAMFT Board of Directors. Like many of you, I started as a case manager, then became a pre-licensed therapist in community mental health, and later a fully licensed therapist in private practice. I am also a Subject Matter Expert helping to further develop licensing exams with the BBS.

I’m asking you to vote for me as a CAMFT board member because I believe in the importance of strengthening our profession and fighting for the rights of people who have no seat at the table. My experience working with low income and monolingual Spanish speaking families, refugees and other marginalized communities motivates me to elevate their voices.

I believe that to further advance our work, and the laws that govern it, we must actively advocate for ourselves. This begins by broadening our outreach to potential CAMFT members. Then we must identify, develop and mentor grad students, younger clinicians, and ALL clinicians, including those from diverse backgrounds, because together we can shape the future of our field with one powerful, united voice.

Over the past three years, I have been a member of both the CAMFT Federal Grassroots Advocacy Group and the CAMFT Strategic Planning Committee, where we worked to address the future of the organization on a broader scale. As part of the Federal Advocacy Group, I met with the office of Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (in Norwalk and Washington D.C) to advocate for HR 945, a bill that allows MFTs to be considered as Medicare providers. This classification is currently only afforded to LCSWs and psychologists.

As a result of our advocacy efforts, Rep. Sanchez is now a co-sponsor of our bill, along with 99 other members of Congress from both parties. HR 945 provides more people access to our services and gives our profession the prestige and respect it deserves.

I want to thank CAMFT and all its members for their support in the advancement of MFTs. The work that CAMFT does to fight for our rights, locally and in the halls of Congress is invaluable. I have a lot of passion for what I do, love for the people I serve and respect for our work. My experiences in the field have shaped my sense of compassion and leadership. They’ve also motivated me to stay involved and connected to those communities. Please vote for me to join CAMFT as Clinical Director-At-Large.

Thank you for your consideration.

2020 - 2021 SLATE of BOARD CANDIDATES

Carla Rather, LMFT

Candidate for President-Elect
(one open position)

Dana Williams, LMFT

Candidate for President-Elect
(one open position)
 

Robin Andersen, LMFT

Candidate for Chief Financial Officer
(one open position)

Shannon Hanrahan, PsyD, LMFT

Candidate for Chief Financial Officer
(one open position)

Maureen Houtz, LMFT

Candidate for Director-at-Large
(three open positions)

Ava Denise Phillips, LMFT

Candidate for Director-at-Large
(three open positions)