November and the holidays are right around the corner, which means that our November presentation will be earlier than the regular 4th Friday of the month and thus will be on 11/15/24. Since (I assume) you have your calendar out now, save the date for Friday 12/13 for our Holiday Gathering which you will be able to RSVP soon. Personally I always have fun at social events since I like to interact with people and learn about their personal and professional journeys. So hopefully you can join us and we get to know each other even better.

I am already looking ahead a tiny bit and would like to invite you to start thinking about your role in our chapter and how you can be an addition to our board for a specific task or even a board member (at large). I know I know it’s a bit soon, but I would like you to really think about it and talk to any board member to get a better idea of their role and realize it might be something you would like to do in the (near) future. Don’t hesitate to reach out, you can find our contact info: https://ie-camft.org/page-1682891.

We had some great presentations the last few months, in case you missed them, check out our ‘on demand library’ and if you would like to present yourself, please complete the form on: https://ie-camft.org/events.

I noticed several of you also found our Instagram and have taken advantage of our newest way of connecting with the community and post YOUR events with us. Not sure what I am referring to, check our September Newsletter as well as: https://forms.gle/tmgmrg784x6t6Lg36

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Kindly,
Ilse

Hello IE-CAMFT,

I am Dr. Muriel Casamayor, LMFT, and it is an honor to serve as your President-Elect. As a proud formerly undocumented and Afrolatina therapist, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share a bit about my journey and passions. My focus is on working with the undocumented and LGBTQIA+ communities, addressing disparities in mental health, breaking the stigmas surrounding mental health and HIV, and advocating for more BIPOC therapists in a field that has been predominantly white.

IE-CAMFT is committed to fostering a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse professional landscape. As we look toward the future, we are not only focused on growing in numbers, but also in advocacy, equality, and accessibility for all. I want to extend an invitation to more BIPOC therapists in the Inland Empire to join us as members, to bring your unique perspectives and experiences, and help us make a difference in addressing the systemic inequities that affect our communities. Together, we can break down barriers and create lasting change.

Last month, we took a step in this direction by hosting a Therapy Book Fair, where 11 incredible authors were able to share their knowledge through books and workbooks. It was a great opportunity to connect, learn, and grow. We are also becoming more active on social media, and if you haven’t yet, I encourage you to follow us on Instagram and be part of our virtual community.

As a board, we are committed to not only growing our membership but also challenging ourselves to embrace future changes in the profession. We are actively working to deepen our understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and ensure that these values are reflected in everything we do. Change begins with us, and we are dedicated to creating a space where all voices are heard, respected, and empowered to make an impact.

Please continue to check our website for updates and stay tuned for more in-person meetups and events. I look forward to connecting with many of you as we build and grow together.

Warmly,

Dr. Muriel Casamayor, LMFT

President-Elect, IE-CAMFT

Dear Colleagues,

Hope you all were able to enjoy a longer weekend and spend some time for self care and/or well deserved rest. I feel like we all have been going and trying to take care of so many things, that Labor Day weekend was nice to take some much needed rest.

Following up on our last newsletter regarding the cybersecurity and recent scam events, as a board we have decided to not show our members' email addresses in the therapist directory as of 9/13/24. We are hoping this will eliminate the amount of scam emails our members are receiving. If you prefer to have your email posted on the member directory, please send us an email at iecamft@gmail.com and we will take the necessary steps.

To increase our connection and community, we offer our members to submit their upcoming events, and we will share them on our social media - more info:  https://forms.gle/tmgmrg784x6t6Lg36

State CAMFT would like the input from their members by completing the following form:  
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CAMFT24StratPlanMembership

Looking forward to seeing you at our Author’s gathering/book fair on September 28. We encourage you to RSVP so we have enough snacks available.

Make a note that our November presentation is earlier than our usual 4th Friday of the month due to thanksgiving Holiday, so will be on November 15.

We are looking forward to hearing from you about ideas for the end of year social event. Please email us with suggestions: iecamft@gmail.com.

Kindly,
Ilse
President IE-CAMFT

Dear IE-CAMFT Members,

At our July board retreat and strategic planning for the upcoming year, we discussed that our main goal will be: Growth, Community and Connection.  We are looking at being more present for our members in different areas including encouraging more community, which will partly be done by some more in person/social events, as well as an increase in our presence at different social platforms to share our valued members’ events. As always we are open to your suggestions from all members, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

In light of recent global cybersecurity events, we are taking decisive action to further safeguard our chapter’s digital environment. Your security and privacy are of utmost importance to us, and we are committed to protecting you through proactive measures.

We are investing a portion of your membership dues in security software, expert consultation, and requiring comprehensive cybersecurity training for all board members. These enhancements will significantly improve our ability to detect and respond to potential cyber threats, ensuring that our chapter remains a safe and secure space for everyone.

This initiative underscores our dedication to your safety and well-being. By fortifying our cybersecurity defenses, we are not only protecting your information but also reinforcing the integrity of our chapter. Our proactive approach is a testament to our commitment to you and our collective resilience against any potential threats.

If you receive any suspicious communications, please do not hesitate to contact any board member or message iecamft@gmail.com. Your vigilance and cooperation are crucial to maintaining our shared security.

I also want to remind you about the change in our planned programming.  Please check out our events page for up to date info. As mentioned in previous newsletters, if you happen to miss a presentation, don’t worry, most of our presentations you can re-watch in our ‘on demand’ library which is free for members, and you can still gain CE’s. One of the many perks of being a member.

While you are browsing our event page, don’t forget to mark your calendars (and RSVP) for our upcoming Author’s/book fair in September where some of our members will showcase their book/program and we can start stocking up for holiday presents…..

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or comments. This is your chapter and we want to make it worthwhile for you.  Those of us who attended the Welcome A Board event, have been enjoying their free headshots…. Looking forward to continuing to connect with you at upcoming events.

Ilse & Omar

Summertime, for some of us it might feel a bit scary since caseloads might be going down while clients are going on vacation or they have more home responsibilities since kids are home, others might see it as an opportunity to have some time off for themselves and able to practice more of the much encouraged self-care. At times I struggle with practicing self care since there seems to be not always enough time in a day. So I am glad that my colleagues/friends remind me the importance of it and give some great suggestions, from taking a day off and enjoying a hike in the mountains, a walk on the beach, a cup of java or lunch with a friend, to a (small) moment of mindfulness, or a quick stretch. What is your favorite self care activity? I hope for some of you, you will respond that it will be hanging out at our networking events. Our next one will be in a few weeks at our Board Retreat on July 26 (sign up will be on our website soon).  We try to have some fun while also preparing for our next year and hope that members will bring some ideas/suggestions on how we can continue growing and making our chapter to the best of our members’ liking.

We had a great time at our Welcome-a-Board event and I want to take this opportunity to thank DawnEllen for the pictures she took.

In case you missed it, here is a picture of our newest Board so you know who you can approach if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions for our chapter.

Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Top: Steve (financial chair), Ayo (Member at Large), Crystal (Membership Chair), Jamie (Member at Large), Muriel (President-Elect), Susan (Member at Large)

Bottom: Ilse (President), Jane (Program Chair), Angie (Secretary), Omar (Past-President) (missing Imani - (Member at Large))

Dear IE-CAMFT Members,

I hope many of you were able to attend our L&E seminars in the last two months. If you missed them, don’t worry you can purchase them in our ‘on demand’ library. In case you didn’t know it’s also a great place to catch up on any missed presentations (as a member they are free or reduced rate).

As mentioned in my previous message, we are looking forward to connecting with you and introducing our newest board at our Welcome-a-Board event on June 28. Please RSVP to let us know you are coming so we can coordinate with our caterer. As an extra treat this year we will have a photographer present for taking your professional pictures (2 headshots) - they will only be there for a limited time, so make sure to come early and let’s spruce up your marketing….

Looking a little further into the future, you might have already seen our ads that we are looking for authors and program creators for our upcoming ‘Therapist Book Fair’ on September 28. If you are interested in showcasing your products, please complete the form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1IoYrIj8EzSAGJoWmcEr2nqfEahiyILmpz5j4QjrO0mU/edit

Those of us that don’t write, please join us and invite friends and family to come explore and possibly buy some great literature (maybe for the holidays already..). If you plan on coming, we would like you to RSVP HERE, so we can estimate the amount of snacks to provide.

Dr. Juan Gavidia will present for us virtually on 6/28 “Exploring Otherness, Imposter Syndrome and Power, Through the Lens of DEI." Hope to see many of you there. If you want to present for our chapter, please email us or complete the interest-form HERE so we can get in touch with you for one of our upcoming months.

Update from State CAMFT: The CAMFT Bylaws Committee is hard at work updating our bylaws, and we need YOUR input to shape the future!
Share your thoughts on key issues like pre-license voting rights, dual licensures and board leadership, agency membership, and more. Your voice matters, so take a moment to fill out this quick survey and make a difference!
https://lnkd.in/dreMQnzU

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any suggestions, questions or concerns, looking forward to hearing from you.

Kindly,
Ilse - President IE-CAMFT

New beginnings,

IE-CAMFT has never lost sight of its purpose: to serve our members with valuable services. As your new president, I am humbled to accept this responsibility. If you are unsure about the services we offer our members: we have our (almost) monthly presentations (at free or reduced fees for members), networking events, free inclusion in our Therapist Directory, and
free classified advertising in the monthly ad bulletin as well as on the website.

I want to thank Omar Valentino-Gonzalez, my predecessor for being able to accomplish many of the goals our board set out last year and I am hoping to continue moving forward in his footsteps.

In this newsletter, I would like to (re)introduce myself (just in case you don’t know me yet): In 2001 I moved to the Inland Empire from Belgium and have since raised our 2 kids who are gradually stepping out in the adult world. I learned about IE-CAMFT around 2012 at a time when I started to venture out as (at that time) an intern (now they are called associates). Doreen Van Leeuwen took me under her wings and got me more involved first as co-program chair, then as program chair. When she moved on to a different chapter, I changed my role to membership chair. I have enjoyed each position to connect more with other like minded people and grow my network and knowledge along the way. I am so happy and grateful that some of our members have stepped up and joined our board and hope to get a similar experience as I have. Welcome to Muriel (president-elect), Angie (Secretary), Jamie, Susan and Ayo (Members at large). Hopefully we can inspire others to do the same and step up in the future since it is after all YOUR chapter. Please don’t hesitate to ask us about our roles in our upcoming Welcome-a-Board social event in the next few months (more details to follow).

May is Mental Health Awareness month, so hopefully we will get some good information out to the public. If you have any suggestions, please let me know by emailing me: iecamft@gmail.com.

This month’s presentation will be our second part of Law and Ethics by Dr. Mah. If you happen to have missed the first part, not to worry, check it out in our ‘on demand’ library. As mentioned in our previous message, this year has been a little different and we have given our members the option to mix and match between what we offer as well as state CAMFT to get to your required
6 hours L&E. Offering them in blocks of 3 hours also gives our associates the opportunity to fulfill their required renewal CE.

Looking forward to seeing you all in one of our upcoming networking events as well as at the presentations or at our board meetings (all members are welcome to attend).

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any suggestions, questions or concerns, looking forward to hearing from you.

Kindly,
Ilse

Dear IE-CAMFT Members,

It was fun to see familiar and new faces at our Winds of March Happy Hour event. If you missed it, hopefully you can join our next networking event in June.

I liked that during our March event we were able to share more about the different board positions and even inspired a few people to join us with hopes to make our board and community an even better place for our members.

By now you should have received an email about the presented board slate. I encourage you to vote or nominate ASAP since the voting will close on 4/15.

The upcoming 2 months (April and May) we will be hosting our yearly Law and Ethics event.  Different from previous years, we will do 3 hours each month.  You can RSVP on our event’s page.  If for some reason you can’t attend live, we will make the recordings available on our ‘on demand’ page as we have done with many of the previous presentations.  If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should and might be good to note that you can obtain CE’s when passing the quiz at the end. As a member at the moment all those recordings are still free to watch, please take advantage of it. https://ie-camft.org/Online-Webinars

Last but not least I want to let you know that we are planning an Author’s fair in the fall.  So if you are an author and/or have a program that you would like to showcase/promote, please email us so we can provide you with more information.

Looking forward to connecting with you soon.
Kindly,
Ilse
President-Elect

Dear IE-CAMFT Members,

As we stand at the threshold of a new season, I am heartened to reflect on our journey together. The "Back to Basics" initiative has not only been a call to our foundational values but also a testament to our collective resilience and adaptability. We have accomplished what we set out to do, hosting more in-person events this past year than we did during the entirety of the pandemic, all while offering a robust schedule of online webinars. This blend of offerings ensures that every member can engage in a way that best suits their needs and schedules.

As this will be my final message as your President, I am proud to say it's been a phenomenal ride, filled with challenges we've transformed into achievements. The legacy we've built together is not just in the events we've hosted or the financial stability we've achieved, but in the community we've strengthened.

Looking to the future, the April Elections are a chance for new leadership to emerge and continue this momentum. We seek passionate volunteers for the roles of President-Elect, Board Secretary, and four Members at Large. Step forward and make your mark – the interest form is waiting for you here: Interest Form Link.

March is bustling with opportunities, starting with our Happy Hour event at El Torito on March 22, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. Register here! Hurry, space is filling up fast!

We also have an enriching webinar called "Breaking the Silence: Empowering Male Survivors of Child Abuse" set for earlier that day. These events embody our mission: to learn, to connect, and to grow.

Our strong financial position is preparing the chapter for lasting initiatives for scholarships, grants, and sponsorships that will benefit members for years to come. I encourage you to join the board, be part of this exciting evolution, and help guide IE-CAMFT to new heights.

As I pass the baton, I am confident in the bright future that awaits us. Let's make this transition as impactful as our time together has been. Join me in celebrating our achievements at the Happy Hour, and let’s embrace the changes that lie ahead.

With heartfelt gratitude for the privilege of serving you,

Respectfully,

Omar González-Valentino, MS, LMFT#115094, LPCC#6913
President, IE-CAMFT Board of Directors
Vice-Chair, CAMFT Chapter Advisory Council

Dear IE-CAMFT Colleagues,

Happy New Year! As we step into 2024 with renewed energy and focus, I am excited to share the journey that lies ahead for our amazing chapter. This year is not just a continuation, but a revitalization of our commitment to the fundamental values that make us a unique and vibrant community. We're still going "back to basics" by strengthening our roots while embracing innovative approaches to meet the ever-evolving needs of our profession and our members.

Reflecting on the past year, I am filled with immense pride for the strides we have made together. Our ability to adapt and thrive is evident through the significant increase of in-person events in 2023. This is a testament to our resilience and dedication to our craft. While we experimented with in-person seminars, your feedback was clear – the flexibility of web-based offerings remains paramount for your continuing education. Your voice guides our path, and thus, we will continue our monthly webinars while enhancing our in-person networking offerings.

Mark your calendars for our upcoming events, including a Happy Hour in March, our Welcome a Board kick-off meeting in June, the Board Retreat in July, our revitalized Fall Homecoming Author's Fair in September, and the Annual Holiday Party in December. These gatherings are not just networking events, but milestones in our journey of growth, learning, and connection. We love seeing you in person so be sure to join!

Financially, our organization is in the best position it has been in recent history, a reflection of your trust and partnership. We are channeling this fiscal strength into an ambitious initiative – a small initial investment of the funds you have entrusted us with. Our vision is to create an enduring legacy, fostering a future where small business grants, student scholarships, loan repayment grants, and event sponsorships can transform potential into achievement for our members.

That being said, the leadership of our chapter, the Board of Directors, needs your participation. Our membership is a mosaic of perspectives and experiences, and it's imperative that our board mirrors this diversity of experience and background. We invite you to step forward for a current opening of a Board Member at Large position! This is a temporary assignment until April when there will be a formal election. For 2024, the Board will need a Member at Large and Board Secretary. Both of these positions are cornerstones for our chapter's successful governance.

To shape the future of our Board of Directors, we seek passionate members to form a special committee for the forthcoming election of our Board Officers. Your involvement is your voice in action, shaping the trajectory of our chapter. For those interested in the Member at Large vacancy or joining the election committee, please reach out at iecamft@gmail.com.

If you are considering board service, let the 2024 CAMFT Leadership Conference on Saturday the 3rd be your stepping stone. Remember, as part of our board, the chapter supports your journey by sponsoring attendance at this enriching event.

As we navigate the year ahead, let's move with intention, embracing each opportunity, each challenge, as a catalyst for growth and innovation. Your involvement, your ideas, and your passion are the keystones of our chapter. Together, let's make 2024 a year of action, inspiration, and collective achievement. Here's to a year of building foundations and embracing opportunities – a year of growth, unity, and empowerment.

Respectfully,

Omar González-Valentino, MS, LMFT#115094, LPCC#6913
President, IE-CAMFT Board of Directors
Vice-Chair, CAMFT Chapter Advisory Council