Chapters and DEI

Please forward any updates to mchampion@camft.org).

DEI is listed as an agenda item so that we can touch on it at every board meeting. We added the following statement on our website, which is included in our objectives: “To promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our professional and community at large.” We continue to have our statement on our stance on racial justice on our website.

We experimented with providing events/networking opportunities on the weekend with the intention of including folks from agencies and those not able to take off work to attend weekday events. This included lunch meets ups at various locations in the county, an art gathering, a virtual training, and our first self-care retreat. Our retreat included yoga with options for all bodies, a sound bath, as well as a break to enjoy hearty snacks/refreshments and connection with colleagues. We offered it at a sliding scale price and our board voted to use chapter funds to help subsidize costs to make the retreat more accessible.

In addition, our scholarship subcommittee team worked hard to develop our first Pre-Licensed scholarship program. This program was just rolled out in March ’23 and we have done outreach via e-tree, our Pre-Licensed meeting reps, and to local graduate programs to help spread the word.

A significant transition that happened early in the year was hiring our IT person who now helps us handle many of the details that board members previously had to tackle. This will allow us to focus our time/energy more on DEI efforts moving forward.

 

• Solidarity Statement sent out via e-tree and also posted on our website: EB CAMFT Solidarity Statement
• Provided Link to Resources to Combat Racial Injustice
• Created DEI Director Position
• Collaborated in a three-chapter collaboration RaceTalk workshop presented by Dr. Shawan Worsley
• Diverse Board of Directors
• Social Media Campaign to highlight the chapter’s diverse members whose practice focuses on serving communities of color
• Sponsored a booth at the Oakland Pride parade. Provided mental health resources to attendees.
• Diverse Board of Directors (50% identify as a person of color)

 

LB-SB CAMFT recognizes that as an organization we have not been aware of or done enough to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We acknowledge that we have a lot to learn and we have work to do. We commit to working in practical and substantive ways to act in both our organization and our community to learn about and remain aware of longstanding patterns of historical and systemic discrimination and biases, and to act towards breaking these patterns.

We recognize that discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, Indigenous heritage, immigration status, religion, socioeconomic status, marital/relationship status contributes to disparities in power, privilege, influence, control, and opportunities in our organization and in our community.

The Board of LB-SB CAMFT commits to the following action items: Plan of Action for 2021/2022

• We commit to active recruitment for membership of underrepresented portions of our community, based on data analysis.
• We commit to improving our demographic data collection and data analysis that will inform recruitment, programming, and retention.
• We commit to fostering spaces that are responsive to the needs of underrepresented affinity groups of therapists, for example: consultation groups, networking events, and other opportunities for connection.
• We commit to amplifying and highlighting community members and organizations offering low-fee and sliding scale resources, and specialized services to underrepresented populations.
• We commit to programming that increases awareness around diversity, inclusion, and social justice.
• We commit to active recruitment of Board members, committee members, and volunteers that reflect the diversity of our membership.
• We commit to continuing to work on our Grievance and Resolution Process.
• We commit to providing training with diverse presenters that intentionally address issues around diversity, inclusion, and social justice.
• We commit to a designated budget for our Diversity Initiatives, including events, training, and resources for the Diversity Committee.
• We commit to intentionally including diversity, equity, and inclusion in every single role on the board of directors while continuing to adjust each role as we commit to learning and growing on these topics.

 

Programs and Events

• Monthly Diversity Committee Meetings (4th Sunday of every month)
• Diversity Committee members and volunteers facilitate monthly support group meetings. 
  • Therapist of Color Support Group (3rd Sunday of every month) 
  • Black Therapists Support Group (1st Saturday of every month)
  • White Therapists Anti-Racist Support Group (3rd Thursday of every month)
• Planning meetings for new groups that will start meeting this year.
  • Therapists of Asian Descent (AAPI+) 
  • Therapist of Middle Eastern Descent 
  • Therapist of Latin Descent (Latinx) 

• May 20 Monthly LACAMFT Networking Event with Dr. Edil Torres Rivera, "Liberation Psychology" 
• August 7 Monthly LACAMFT Workshop (4 hours) with Dr. Edil Torres Rivera "The Decolonization of Therapy".
• Annual Anti-Racism Roundtable Summer 2022. This year's gathering is our 3rd gathering. More details to come.
• Therapist of Color Mentorship Program. We matched 49 mentees with 24 mentors for your first cohort of mentors and mentees. We have begun advertising for the second cohort. 
• Pre-Licensed Therapist of Color Grant program. Two winners receive $500.00 each, one-year free membership to LACAMFT, and free admission to three LACAMFT monthly workshops. 
• Publishing articles in the LACAMFT Voices Newsletter 
• We reflect on our DEI statement at every Diversity Committee meeting. 

 

We recognized where the Monterey Chapter of CAMFT has historically and currently been lacking in DEI and identify how our community is being affected. The following was undertaken:

• Form a DEI committee and elect a committee chair
• Include DEI learning material and awareness in MCCAMFT board meetings
• Update our website to include our DEI policies and initiatives
• Improve membership applications to include more inclusive language
• Ensure that topics and presenters at our events are increasingly diverse
• Publish articles on DEI topics in our Newsletter
• Consider more diverse nominees in our next election of our chapter’s board
• Identify and recruit members from different diverse communities through our recruitment committee. Include our DEI mission and policy at our recruitment presentations.

 

Overview

Orange County Chapter is pleased to present this report for their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategic Plan. The purpose of this report is to provide an outline, plan for implementation and record of completed actions during the 2021 and 2022 board years. This report covers the period of January 2021 to December 2022.

The Objective:

• Incorporate a lens of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging throughout all aspects of OC CAMFT.
• Need #2: Develop a mission statement that highlights the chapter’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Listed on OC CAMFT Home Page and DEI Page
  • Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (created April 14, 2021)
  • The Orange County Chapter of CAMFT is dedicated to supporting its membership and creating an inclusive environment that incorporates equity and diversity. Our goal is to create a sense of belonging within the OC CAMFT community that fosters respect, cultural humility, safety, and growth. We value and honor individuals across all intersectional identities including race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, familial status, marital/relationship status, class, age, national origin, ancestry, language, citizenship status, disability, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information and request for leave related to family care, health conditions, pregnancy disability, and education. We commit ourselves to the engagement of authentic conversations and uplifting marginalized communities. We are social justice advocates and agents of change.
• Need #3: Provide social engagement, training and professional development that meets the unique needs of OC CAMFT members and recognizes their intersectional identities.
• Need #4: Create opportunities for the diverse spectrum of voices within the field of marriage and family therapy to be empowered and uplifted.
• Need #5: Provide educational opportunities that highlight our universal human rights and empower and uplift marriage and family therapists and our clients.
• Need #6: Be agents of change and engage in authentic conversations around protected classes including race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, familial status, marital/relationship status, class, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information and request for leave related to family care, health conditions and pregnancy disability. (www.senate.ca.gov)
• Need #7: Honor marginalized communities including Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), Latinx communities and the Latinx diaspora, Asian American communities and the Asian diaspora, Middle Eastern communities and the Middle Eastern diaspora, LGBTQ+ communities, Deaf & Hard of Hearing communities, Individuals with Disabilities (Visible and Invisible) and Neurodiversity communities, Military and Veteran communities, Immigrant communities, Undocumented communities, Multi-lingual communities, First Generation college students, International students, Survivors of trauma and gender-based violence, and others.

The Opportunity:

• Goal #1: Create a section in the OC CAMFT newsletter entitled “Diversity Spotlight” that includes content that highlights issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Implemented on February 21, 2021, and ongoing
• Goal #2: Recruit professional development speakers that represent the diverse spectrum of voices and experiences present in Orange County.
  • Ongoing
• Goal #3: Create a tab on the OC CAMFT website entitled “Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion” that includes a statement of commitment and resources that support marginalized communities and protected classes.
  • Statement of Commitment created April 14, 2021
  • DEI Resource List – In Progress
• Goal #4: Highlight awareness campaigns in the OC CAMFT newsletter and social media accounts (e.g., Sexual Assault Awareness Month) and promote advocacy and a call to action for marriage and family therapists and our clients.
  • DEI Awareness Campaign Calendar created – Last Updated on May 8, 2022
• Goal #5: Assess the diversity, equity and inclusion needs of the OC CAMFT membership through a climate survey.
  • Draft created on April 14, 2021
• Goal #6: Establish an Empowerment Fund that is designed to provide financial support to professional development speakers that come from marginalized identities.
  • Budget line item approved in January 2022
  • In progress – Establishing eligibility criteria (Ryan & Sheetal)
• Goal #7: Submit a Chapter Spotlight article via the Chapter Advisory Council which highlights the DEI efforts of OC CAMFT
  • Submitted to Michele Champion on June 12, 2022
  • Published in the July/August 2022 Issue of The Therapist
• Goal #8: Encourage board members to utilize gender pronouns within all OC CAMFT marketing materials and social media accounts, with the goal of creating an inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ identified individuals within the community.
• Goal #9: Establish a code of conduct for board members and chapter members with the goal of creating trust and safety between members.
  • In progress

Rationale:

• Alignment with CAMFT and OC CAMFT mission, vision and values
• Increasing professional development opportunities
• Creating an inclusive environment with a focus on marginalized communities
• Nurturing and developing the cultural competence and cultural humility of marriage and family therapists
• Remaining relevant as a resource to the OC CAMFT membership

 

We introduced the continuation of The Justice Project: Anti-racism, a program for our members that includes a course of self-study on anti-racism with books and videos, and discussion groups for synthesizing learning. A mailing about the program went out to our entire contacts list in late February 2022: 

• Offered 2 discussion groups with Dr. Shawan Worsley on Ava DuVernay's documentary "13th" and Ibram X. Kendi's How to Be an Antiracist. Both presentations included two CEs each for attending members.
• Hosted Dr. Shawan Worsley to present a live consultation on racial and social justice issues within the therapeutic setting. She provided live consultation to three therapists, two who were chapter members. Attendees received 2 CEs for this event.
• Our Racial and Social Justice Committee (RSJC) met monthly on the third Friday each month from 10 am to 12 pm to review ongoing projects, discuss progress on action items, and identify future DEI objectives. RSJC  members occasionally met for additional ad-hoc meetings to formulate proposals and conceptualize smaller projects.
• Provided 2 peer-led discussion groups to participants of The Justice Project: Anti-racism to support members in deepening their understanding of required course materials.
• Reviewed and updated our Racial and Social Justice Pledge to better represent our DEI principles, changing “equality” to “equity” at Mariama Boney’s suggestion.
• We partnered with a non-binary digital artist (Sol Meade) to commission a new RECAMFT rainbow rings logo adaptation in honor of The Justice Project: LGBTQ+ Affirming Care. See it here on our website.
• Launched our second program of The Justice Project: LGBTQ+ Affirming Care in December 2022. This self-study program consists of readings, videos, trainings, and more. 
• We hired a non-binary graphic artist (Sol Meade) to design a sticker to mail to our members in honor of The Justice Project: LGBTQ+ Affirming Care. Mailings for the program was sent to all members and included a commemorative “All Are Welcome” RECAMFT sticker in February 2023. 
• We hosted Melle Browning, LMFT for a 2 CE presentation on Affirmative Therapy with Trans/Gender Expansive Clients in December 2022. This served as our kick-off event for The Justice Project: LGBTQ+ Affirming Care. 
• Promoted and linked our members participating in The Justice Projects to purchase course materials from bay-area based companies owned by BIPOC and/or queer business owners.
• Held a 2 CE presentation on providing therapy to South Asian American (SAA) Women with host Shipra Maurya, PhD to increase understanding of the unique experiences of SAA individuals and improve SAA client outcomes.
• We expanded our resource page on Anti-racism and created a page dedicated to LGBTQ+ resources.
• We hosted an informal discussion on Community Mental Health and Law Enforcement with guest Jerry Threet, retired from the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO), to increase awareness of local mental health policies and their intersection with the criminal justice system.
• Awarded two $1,000 scholarships and free 1-year chapter memberships to two Pre-Licensed members. We offered a $1000 scholarship to one Newly Licensed RECAMFT member in need of financial support but had no applicants. We prioritized underrepresented communities within the mental health field when choosing the winners.(BIPOC, disabilities, LGBTQ+, elders, etc.). 
• We sent out a survey in November 2022 to participants from The Justice Project: Anti-racism and analyzed feedback to increase engagement and improve future projects.
• The Racial and Social Justice Committee (RSJC) authored articles for our monthly newsletter on anti-racism and social justice issues.
• Initiated the formulation of a Land Acknowledgement Statement which is still under construction.
• Updated our Racial and Social Justice Committee (RSJC) website page several times throughout the year. 

 

• Assembled a Diversity Committee
• Published a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion chapter statement
• Facilitated a three-chapter collaboration to host RaceTalk workshop
•  Are partnering with The Gender Health Center to host the Gender 101 Workshop in June 2022
• Working to build partnerships with several local mental health agencies of color
• Working to ensure that our online and print collateral is ADA compliant
• Last but not least, are proud to report a Diverse Board of Directors

 

We consistently aim to identify and recruit members from various and diverse settings, with an increased emphasis towards impartial and fair practices that make members feel comfortable and supported by our organization

Our events include presenters chosen from varied tenets who discuss and provide education around the needs of our therapists, and their clients, who may derive from diverse identities, such as race ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic class, and other diversity components, like veteran status, and physical or mental capacity

Leadership:

• Our current board of directors includes members of Asian American, Black, LGBTQIA+, and disability communities. (This constitutes 50% of our active board)
• As a board, we continue to brainstorm to strengthen our dedication to DEI discipline within our Chapter

Programs and Events Reflecting Diversity:

• 2021:
  • “CAMFT State of the Profession”- El-Ghoroughy, PhD (9/24/21) Arab American
• 2022:
  • “Women’s Reproductive Health”- Sarita Shah, MD & Monica Federoff, MD, PhD (4/22/22)
  • “What every Therapist needs to know about Black Folks and other People of Color (BIPOC)”- Shawn LaRe' Brinkley, MS, LMFT (5/20/22)

Websitee:

• We are in the process of defining and adding a statement to our website outlining our Chapter’s policy regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

 

Mission Statement: To increase the membership to include diverse populations and expand the knowledge and understanding of non-people of color relative to the mental health presentation of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Differently-Abled, and other diverse individuals and groups with whom they may encounter in practice.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives in 2022:

• Participating in college fairs on high school campuses
• Monthly diversity minutes at the beginning of chapter meetings to familiarize the membership with cultural norms, practices, and historical disparities associated with diverse populations in America i.e.…
  • Cultural generational trauma as it relates to the Japanese experience from concentration camps
  • Mental health therapy stigma relative to the following populations:
    • African American; Latino/Latinx; Japanese
  • History of and significant meanings behind African American Women’s hairstyles and trauma related to stereotyping and stigma related to styles in White-American settings
  • African American contributions in history in the field of psychology: the first Black psychologists, male and female
  • Black History Month celebration of Black Women using video entitled “Hello Queen” acknowledging strength and resilience of African American women in Amica
  • Discussion on the different types of diversity
• Reaching out to therapists who identify as part of the culturally diverse population to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within the membership.
• Addition of more diverse individuals on the diversity committee other than its African American founder and Co-Chair; Latinx, Japanese, Persian

 

• Training: Cultural Reverence for Asian Diaspora Communities with Dr. Jenny Wang
• Culturally Responsive Counseling Workshop with Shawan M. Worsley, Ph.D.
  • Workshop #1: Culturally Responsive Self-Awareness: Mapping Cultural and Social Identities
  • Workshop #2: Addressing Cultural Biases that Influence Clinical Practice
  • orkshop #3: Race Talk- Strategies for Effective Discussions around Race and Racism
• Monthly Therapists of Color virtual support group

 

Board Trainings

DEI Board Leadership Consults with Mariama Boney (4/29/21; 5/22/21) Board Consult with LACAMFT Chapter DEI Chair Tina Cacho Sakai (9/10/21) “Creating a safe environment for POC”

Programs Reflecting Diversity

2021:

• “Road to Private Practice Panel” (6/26/21) Panel members included Latina, Asian American, Black speakers
• “Dismantling Implicit Bias” - Dr. Saida Peprah, PhD (7/9/2021) Black
• “CAMFT: State of the Profession” - El-Ghoroury, PhD (9/24/2021) Arab American
• “Diá de Los Muertos” – Cacho-Sakai, MFT (10/22/2021) LatinX
• “Law and Ethics” – Dr. Ofer Zur, Phd (11/19/21) Israeli American

2022:

• “Exploring Material from Altered States as a Therapeutic Tool for Healing” – Amy Rae Jordan, MFT (2/18/22) Inclusion of Indigenous People’s practices around plant medicine and healing
• “Social Anxiety: Covid, Quarantine, LGBTQIA+, DEI/BIPOC/POC” – Dr. Agnes Simone (4/22/22) Asian American
• “Therapy Tips for working with Transgender families” Casey Weitzman and Grace O’Connor (May or June 2022) Transgender
• Pre-Licensed Panel (July 2022) Panel to include Jessica Ruiz, MFT - LatinX
• “Law and Ethics” – Dr. Ofer Zur, Phd (October 2022) Israeli American

Leadership

Our current board includes members of Asian American, LatinX, LGBTQIA+, and Jewish communities. (This constitutes 50% of our active board) Unfortunately, we lost a valued Black member of our board when she moved to another area of So Cal last summer. Susan Lowe was a driving force in our DEI initiative efforts. I think, had she not moved, we might have benefitted greatly from her as President and/or as a key organizer of a SIG for Black Therapists in SGVCAMFT.

We hope that by presenting speakers of multiple Diverse communities in our programs will attract new members to our Chapter and eventually a more diverse leadership as well.

Website

We are in the process of re-designing our website. The new website will have language at the forefront describing our DEI policies and initiatives. We spoke at some length about what this might look, and sound like in our consultation with Tina Cacho-Sakai last September. We will work from examples on the CAMFT website and from LA CAMFT’s website.

 

Programs Reflecting Diversity

4/22/22 Tea with JT. Location: Zoom
5/20/22 Tea with JT. Location: Santa Barbara
6/25/22 Tea with JT. Location: Santa Ynez
9/17/22 Tea with JT. Location: Carpinteria
10/15/22 Tea with JT. Location: Santa Maria
11/12/22 Tea with JT. Location: Lompoc

We also held monthly meetings with the Diversity Subcommittee to stay on task with goals and objectives for the year.

 

Position statement/DEI Action plan

• Early in January, the chapter posted for the first time, and with the guidance of our Director of DEI, Moitreyee Chowdhury, our statement and position in terms of DEI,
• The action plan for 2022 was to increase diversity-oriented programs and start to think about how to refine such programs (as events and articles for our newsletter) for 2023,
• Throughout 2021 and early 2022, the goal was to increase diversity within the board of directors, which resulted in bringing on members from various backgrounds, personally and professionally.

Education Programs and Speakers

• Diverse topics were addressed throughout 2022 in our events programs:
  • The athlete population, its associated mental health issues, and ways to address them therapeutically, a luncheon offered by Megan Hankins-Maldonado, LMFT, an athlete herself,
  • A luncheon program about how to heal the Latino population of intergenerational trauma through community involvement, a presentation given by Ana Morante, LMFT,
  • Partnered with Sacramento Chapter to offer a luncheon online presentation by Shawan Worsley, LMFT, about strategies for effective discussions around race and racism,
  • In an effort to address issues pertaining to the transgender community, we offered a hybrid program led by Maureen Johnston, LMFT, that covered how to understand and assist families of gender expansive children,
  • Linda Johnson, LMFT, LAADC, presented a very well received workshop on the mental health trends and needs in juvenile justice, emphasizing the need for unwavering governmental and community support for mental health programming in this population,
  • we have addressed an important issue within the Indian community by providing a luncheon on the topic of the immigrant child within a South Asian perspective. Kalpana Asok, an Indian LMFT and writer was our choice to address this topic.
• We created a Social Justice column in our newsletter and reached out to individuals from the BIPOC community to speak about their involvement in various areas:
  • Ellie Vargas, LCSW, founder of BACIE (Bay Area Center for Immigration Evaluations) was interviewed by Liliana Ramos, LMFT, our Director-at-Large, to speak about the relevance of therapeutic skills in doing immigration evaluations, her own work doing these evaluations and her continued quest for therapists to get involved,
  • Dr. Sherry Wang, professor at Santa Clara University, was also interviewed by Liliana Ramos, about cultural humility and social justice in the therapeutic encounter,
  • One of our community focuses was Perry Clark, LMFT, interviewed by Dominique Yarritu, PhD, LMFT, our president and discussed his role and experiences as a self-identified neurodiverse, LGBTQ, Black male therapist.

Networking events

• Coffee talks in the summertime that reached out to our diverse membership community and the prior registrants to our various programs who are non-members,
• In an effort to connect various groups through the understanding of and exposure to diverse celebrations, Moitreyee Chowdhury, our Director of DEI, has been offering multiple email blasts on a monthly basis recognizing the contributions and celebrations of the various communities our chapter is made of. Some examples are religious and spiritual holidays, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, Elders months, with supporting educational offerings such as linked articles and videos.
• Special interests groups/committees
• We are proud to offer a Black Therapist support group, led by Erica Jenkins, LMFT; the participants are members and non-members, some finding support from far regions such as Washington, DC and Mexico (providing therapy in the Bay Area),
• We continue to brainstorm to integrate other special interests groups and to look for volunteers interested in leading special interest committees.

Membership and volunteer outreach

• The outreach was done through our Facebook and Instagram presence as well as by using the CAMFT list and posting in various therapy listings with the intent to bring on students, trainees, and associates as a priority.

Donations/Scholarships/Grant programs

• Our chapter is in the process of devising a scholarship program to encourage the new generation of therapists to join the chapter: it would aim at mental health students, trainees, associates in various universities/graduate schools around the Bay Area.