We want to thank our amazing volunteers for the month of February: Clare Brown Rick Sison Jaime DeJesus
Letter from the Board
March 1, 2017
Hello {Contact_First_Name} {Contact_Last_Name}, We are excited and honored to, again, receive recognition at the CAMFT Chapter Leadership Conference this year. However, this year, we were the first to be presented the top award for both categories. Our Past President, Patricia Saint James, won "Outstanding Chapter Leader Award" for her tireless dedication and performance. On behalf of SVC, thank you, Patricia.
As a result of Patricia's leadership and our Board taking bold cost-saving and streamlining measures, our chapter earned the "Chapter Excellence Award" in the category of "Chapter Management" at the conference. The award added $250 to our reserves. What an amazing team! In the spirit of competition, they set the bar for us this year that we aim to surpass.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: David Clark, MFT Intern
President-Elect: Talal Alsaleem, LMFT
Past President: Patricia Saint James, LMFT
Secretary: Adriana Joyner, LMFT
Treasurer: Billy Schult, MFT Intern Program Co-Chairs: Nate Hooper, LMFT Susan Martin, MFT Trainee
3000 Club Chair: Suzy Lee, LMFT
Volunteer Chair: Angie Moxey, LMFT
Membership Chair: Jessica Wolff, LMFT
Sponsorship Co-Chairs: Vacant
Legal Beagle
Welcome to the section of the SVC-CAMFT newsletter, Legal Beagle written by Darlene Davis, LMFT. The chapter thought it would be helpful to keep you updated on new laws, legislative pursuits or actions, as well as ongoing legaland ethical dilemmas we all face in our career as Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, Interns, and Trainees. Please feel free to ask questions that you have and I will do my best to investigate and post your answer in the newsletter. Please note that articles are based on information from CAMFT and/or the BBS and have been researched to the best of my ability. This is not meant to be legal advice. Please contact CAMFT or Board of Behavioral Sciences for any legal matters you need assistance for.
Darlene Davis, LMFT Executive Director HOPE; Healthy Outcomes for Personal Enrichment MFT Stipend Coordinator for Greater Sacramento Instructor of University of Phoenix www.darlenedavismft.comwww.hope-counselingcenter.org
Addiction: The Layers and Complexities of Treatment (6 CEs)
Presenter: Jon Daily, LCSW, CADC II
Jon Daily is a celeb. He’s the Founder and Clinical Director for Recovery Happens Counseling Services, which has four locations between Walnut Creek and Roseville. He’s had a storied career as an author, lecturer, and instructor, specializing in various aspects of addiction. He’s been interviewed on TV & radio innumerable times, published articles, and has traveled all over to give trainings and lectures. He’s also an addict. His addiction story began at age 12 – he was in the 6th grade when his “world became centered around substances.” He struggled for years in a cycle of delinquency – he was a juvenile runaway, spent time at a Boy’s Ranch, was homeless, was arrested … he was an odds-on favorite to end up where numerous family members and friends of his had ended up: dead from overdose, addiction, or suicide. Fortunately, he met a therapist who provided an environment of healing, became clean and sober, and then feverishly schooled himself in all aspects of substance use/abuse so that he could assist others in avoiding addiction and death. Jon subscribes to the notion that the roots of behavioral health and substance abuse are one and the same, manifested as Affect Dysregulation Disorder [ADD]. Jon explained that Affect Regulation depends on a complementary intersection of one’s chemistry, psychology, neurophysiology, and relationships. ADD, on the other hand, evolves from multigenerational patterns of insecure attachment, which get passed on from father to son [a la “Cat’s in the Cradle”]. When dysregulation is present, a cycle of “Misattunement” takes place and presents as a familial lack of communication, wherein the child doesn’t feel nurtured or seen or heard or felt by his/her caregiver. Without a secure attachment from his caregiver ( see Bowlby), ‘Little Tommy’ responds “positively to an Other who DOES respond to his physical/emotional needs, such as a biker, drug dealer, pimp, gang member, or older teen.” Such individuals inhabit Tommy’s life, become his family, and bad things follow. Couple this environmental experience with Tommy’s neurological predisposition for addiction per generations of substance use and misattuned caregiver behaviors, and you get the etiology of Affect Dysregulation Disorder.
But not to despair: Jon also provided therapeutic interventions that involved “decreasing denial and increasing motivation” toward severing “the pathological relationship to intoxication, so as to start the work to develop [Tommy’s] capacity for attachment and regulation.”
Jon also provided alarming statistics about the increased potency and popularity of marijuana. Did you know that a teen is now “more likely to use marijuana for the first time over alcohol or nicotine”? Seven percent of seniors smoke daily, despite the risk it poses to their still-underdeveloped prefrontal cortexes. Additionally, cannabis edibles are sold to look like sweets and cookies [“Want some candy, little girl?”], they metabolize differently than inhaled THC, create a more intense high, are inconsistently dosed, and are often over-used. Jon avoided launching into an extended debate on Prop 64, but stated the following: “You can’t be pro Prop 64 and pro Mental Health” – until age 25, chemical alterations prompt a user to be more susceptible to depression and impulsivity, among other things.
Other memorable tidbits:
· “If we expect clients to move forward on their journeys, we are obligated as clinicians to do our own work, as well.”
· “As a clinician, be okay with slowing down; then slow down a little bit more.”
· “Addicts don’t hit bottom until the system around them does.”
· “Addiction is a consequence of, and solution for, failed relationships.”
· “At what age should we start talking about drugs? How about three.”
· “Adolescent behaviors aren’t a result of family dynamics; they are a result of 100 years of generational patterns.”
Jon also addressed trauma, wax dabs/budders, family boundaries, and the locus coeruleus. He imparted a tremendous amount of knowledge and wisdom, only fully appreciated if one had attended the whole day. He also displayed tremendous courage in disclosing his personal struggles with a recurring illness that hasn’t yet fully resolved, and I know that all seventy of us in the room said a little prayer or meditation of hope toward his recovery so that he might continue his crusade to save the lives of others.
Summary by: Alison Ehlers, MFTi
MH Clinician, El Dorado County Behavioral Health Division
March Events
MARCH 3000 CLUB
Topic: **Free** Pre-Licensed 3000 Club Meeting - EMDR Basics Presenter: Kim Johnson, LCSW Date: Friday, March 3. 2017 Time: 8:30am to 9:30am Location: Rancho Cordova City Hall, 2729 Prospect Park Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 (map) Free Coffee and Donuts Space is limited so please register here
Workshop Information:
A panel of interns and newly licensed clinicians will answer your
questions and discuss what helped them get to where they are. From
logging your hours and supervision to turning in paperwork and studying for exams.
** Please be courteous and send us an email at info@svccamft.org if you are unable to attend after you have registered. **
MARCH WORKSHOP
Topic: Brainspotting: Trauma Therapy that Works! Presenter: Lisa Larson, LMFT Date: Friday, March 3, 2017 Time: 10:00 AM to noon Location: Rancho Cordova City Hall, 2729 Prospect Park Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 (map)
Networking, Breakfast and Registration starts at 9:00 AM
This program will benefit LMFT, LPCC, LEP and LCSW licensees and pre licensees by asking clinicians to be very mindful and attuned to their clients. A core
principle in Brainspotting is to follow our client's process rather
then leading it. Ethically, this presentation will increase
effectiveness in treating those with PTSD and unresolved trauma.
Includes: Continental Breakfast and Afternoon Snacks and Beverages and meets the
qualifications for 6 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs,
LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of
Behavioral Sciences. Sacramento Valley Chapter of California Marriage
and Family Therapist CAMFT CEPA CE Provider #62279 CE Credit will be
awarded on site and to participants at completion of the course. No CEs will be awarded to persons arriving late or leaving early. Partial CE credit will not be awarded.
Workshop Information:
"Brainspotting" is a powerful, brain-based trauma therapy that bridges the gap
between the mind and the body. Brainspotting accesses the deepest
regions of the brain where traumatized clients store their traumas and survival terror. Brainspotting opens up a neurophysiological healing
vortex that transforms the traumatized in a miraculous way. It works
by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological
sources of emotional and body pain, trauma, dissociation, anxiety, and
other challenging symptoms. Symptoms of unprocessed trauma, which
include chronic anxiety, insomnia, and numbing are notoriously difficult to eliminate through talk therapy. This is because the brain becomes
overwhelmed and is unable to process verbal information about the
traumatic events. "Brainspotting" was voted the most effective trauma
treatment by the parents and survivors of the Sandy Hook massacre after a five year study comparing over 25 therapeutic modalities. The parents rated it first in it's effectiveness in treating the loss of their
young children.
This presentation teaches participants to metrically measure the efficacy of each session with their clients every session so it is very clear if
the client is benefiting or not. It also will help the attendees stay
abreast of the most recent brain-based breakthroughs in treating clients with PTSD. This presentation underscores principles of complete
non-judgment and compassion for each and every client.
1. Experience "Brainspotting" through a Live Demonstration
2. Understand the Basic Principles of Brainspotting
3. Integrate these principles into your treatment plans for your traumatized clients
Presenter Bio: Lisa Larson has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist for the past nineteen years. After seven years in private practice doing Solution
Focused therapy or "talk therapy", Lisa experienced a traumatic event
that transformed the course of her life as well as her therapeutic
orientation. Within one three week period, both Lisa and her teenage
son flat lined (clinically died) both from anaphylactic shock from two different allergic reactions. (Both have recovered). Lisa was acutely traumatized and found that no amount of talk therapy brought relief.
It was only after two sessions of EMDR that she was back to being
herself.
Inspired, Lisa began to train in the most powerful
trauma modalities available. After being trained by the founder of
EMDR she met and trained with one of the top EMDR trainers and her
colleague, Dr. David Grand. Dr Grand founded “Brainspotting” after
finding that fixed eye positions in his EMDR work dramatically
increased the effectiveness of his trauma therapy. Lisa immediately
recognized the powerful neurophysiological healing vortex
Brainspotting taps into as she saw her severely traumatized clients
heal quickly and permanently. She learned that her years as a talk
therapist were missing the most crucial piece required to heal those
with unresolved trauma, the body. Those with complex trauma and PTSD
are enslaved by their own neurophysiology. True healing requires
releasing the individual from the trapped body memories that trigger
chronic fight/ flight or numb/ freeze responses. If left unresolved,
the ensuing negative behavioral and thought patterns can cripple the
traumatized for the rest of their lives.
A dream was born in
Lisa. She was determined to do something about the unnecessary
suffering of the traumatized. She opened Pacific Counseling and Trauma Center in 2012 and Pacific Trauma Specialists, a non-profit dedicated to offering cutting edge trauma therapy regardless of ability to pay. Lisa became a Brainspotting Trainer to teach other therapists how to
bring lasting relief to their traumatized clients. She is passionate
about teaching Brainspotting and letting the world know that trauma
and PTSD are not something you have to live with. Brainspotting makes
freedom, peace and joy possible for even the most severely
traumatized.
2017 Licensed, Associate or Affiliate Member of SVC-CAMFT or a local chapter of CAMFT: $25
2017 Pre-Licensed Member of SVC-CAMFT or a local chapter of CAMFT: $20
Non-Member: $35
For information on joining SVC-CAMFT or renewing your membership for 2017 please email: info@svccamft.org
Refund Policy Cancellations received more than 7 days prior to an event may be subject to an
administrative fee to cover costs of the initial transaction. No shows, failure to attend, and cancellations 7 or fewer days prior to an
event for any reason are non-refundable, including registrations
received fewer than 7 days prior to an event. No credit, refunds, or
price adjustments will be given for typographical advertisement
errors. A $25 fee in addition to the registration fee will be charged
for insufficient funds, denied credit cards, or charge-backs. By
registering for the event you agree to the terms of the Refund Policy.
Board Meetings are FREE for anyone to attend BUT you MUST register so we have an accurate headcount. To Register click on the board meeting(s) you wish to attend.
Our next board meeting and retreat will be Saturday, March 25, 2017 where we will plan the rest of the year
Special Feature
It was never about bathrooms
By Heather Blessing, LMFT
About 50 years ago there were separate bathrooms for whites and "coloreds" (and water fountains, dining areas, waiting rooms, hotel entries, etc.) Now there is a new bathroom argument going on. We see it in the news and most people have some opinion. My mother just watched "Hidden Figures" (about black female engineers working for NASA). She told me that at one point one of the engineers explained that the bathroom she had to use was all the way in the other building. This is how it is now with many kids that are transgender in schools. Most K-12 schools have the office at the front of the school with the nurse's offices. Many of these kids have to go from classrooms that are far from the office to the office to use the restroom and get to class far from the office in the 4-5 minute passing period.
Most high schools no longer have breaks except for a short lunch period (my son's school had 4 minute passing periods between each of the 7 periods except for lunch which was 26 minutes long. His campus had 7 buildings with 2 of them 2 stories and 2 of them 3 stories and near the office was the theater, library, computer center and then the quad. All classrooms were at the back of the school. I state this because it is similar to many high schools and many people really don't understand the logistics of being told that you must only use the nurse's office bathroom and you are not allowed to be tardy to class.
This means that many of the kids that are transgender that I see refuse to eat or drink at school so they don't have to use the restroom from about 7am to 3pm. All of this is under the thought process that people who are transgender might be faking it just to have an excuse to get a peep show. There is so little logic in this idea. So let me take a moment to explain why I think this way.
Did you know that transgender people have been around for a long time? The first "SRS - Sexual Reassignment Surgeries" were done over 60 years ago. And before that many were around that we did not even know but they dressed and acted like the other gender. Another misconception is that transgender goes many directions. The most publicized ones are male to female but there are also female to male and then those who are just something somewhere in between or neither.
The North Carolina law states that people that are transgender need to use the restroom of the gender designated on their birth certificate. Note that under this policy this is what legally is supposed to happen. If the idea is to protect the women using the women's restroom, how do you feel about the transgender man in the women's restroom?
Look at the above picture - and ask yourself if they were using the bathrooms that match their appearance, how would you even know they are transgender?
My husband is transgender and I can tell you, if he walked into a women's restroom, people would complain.
Now on to "but some pervert might pretend to be trans (usually talking about a boy or a man putting on a dress) to have an excuse to have a peep show." "Being Trans" is not as simple as throwing on a dress. First there is a diagnosis, then there are steps someone who is transgender take to match their outside appearance with their internal gender. There may be coming out to those around you, risking losing family, friends and employment. Also there are law on the books that if ANYONE of ANY GENDER violates you in a bathroom (or other such places) they will be arrested. This means if I (a woman) go into the women's bathroom and peek under the stall - I can be arrested for it so it really doesn't matter if I were a man wearing a dress and sneaking in or just me getting a peep show - that is illegal in both cases the person can be arrested.
At school it is really even less likely someone would fake it. To go to the school administration, with a doctor's dx that you are suffering for gender dysphoria, to have your name and your pronouns changed and to face ridicule by your classmates, really doesn't make sense to get a peep show. A boy does not show up in a dress one day, go into the girl's bathroom and get to claim they are transgender, it is a much longer and emotional process.
So in reality what is the real issue, since really it is not about safety or using the excuse one is trans to peep at other people. It is that we are uncomfortable about something we don't understand and it is easier to categorize it as other and find a way to make the other seem dangerous to prove our point.
50+ years ago, using the bathroom that a "colored" person used could give you diseases as they were unclean animals. It was for everyone's safety that they had separate bathrooms. So now, despite never having any reported issues of transgender people committing crimes in the bathrooms or any perverts trying to get away with things because they claim they are transgender or really the opposite sex in all of history that we have shared the bathrooms with them, we have decided that they are dangerous and we must protect others from them.
Every day we use public restrooms with people who are convicted murderers, pedophiles, robbers, arsonists that have been released. We don't ask for background checks on them to use the bathroom nor do they have a convicts bathroom. I mean wouldn't it make more sense to have a separate bathroom for stalkers or sexual predators? But there is no way to check and in reality there is no way to check to make sure that everyone is in the bathroom of their birth in public restrooms unless the person outs themselves as transgender.
As a woman who has spent 45 years using public restrooms, I can honestly say I have never seen private parts of anyone appropriately using the restroom (now there was that one drunk lady at the bar who was showing us all what her boyfriend was missing as she stripped in the bathroom).
The reason I decided to write this article is one of the 3rd grade girls in my practice that is transgender, just had the school tell us since we had gotten her the ability to use the girls bathroom under Title IX, that was now no longer valid, and she needs to use the nurse's bathroom. She had gained several new girlfriends since the beginning of the year and they spend recess doing their hair in the bathroom. None of the girls knows about her past so now they don't understand why she cannot do hair with them anymore. It breaks my heart because we had worked so hard for her to feel safe and happy as she was suicidal only 2 years ago.
I know some of you will not agree with my article, but this is just my personal viewpoint (and does not reflect upon SVC-CAMFT) based on my personal experience and my practice. I welcome other viewpoints and will gladly print them in the newsletters.
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The views expressed in the Special Feature Articles do not necessarily reflect the Sacramento Valley Chapter of CAMFT or CAMFT. They should be understood as the personal opinions of the author. No information in this article will be understood as official. Other views and commentary are welcome and will be published as long as they are respectful and stick to the topic.
Letters to the Editor
Welcome to the Letters to the editor Section. We want to hear what you want to say about SVC-CAMFT, CAMFT, current events and issues. Please see below guidelines on submitting a letter.
We Have No Letters to the Editor! Let your voice be heard! Write a letter to the editor!
__________________________________
Letters to the Editor Guidelines
You must be a current SVC-CAMFT member.
You cannot be a SVC-CAMFT board member or employee.
It must be no more than 250 words.
You must send in your full name so I can verify that you are a member.
If you wish your name not to be published please indicate.
Any letter published without a name will be listed as Anonymous MFT or Anonymous pre-license or Anonymous Associate
All letters must be respectful and without inappropriate words or phrases including name calling.
If you do not get a response back within 2 days that it has been received please email back.
ALL LETTERS RECEIVED WILL RECEIVE A RESPONSE THAT IT HAS BEEN RECEIVED AND WILL BE IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER.
If there is a problem with the letter (language, misspellings, length or appropriateness) you will receive an email back with the reason for the rejection and a chance to fix the problem and send it back in.
Psyched about Books and Movies
Welcome to "Psyched about Books and Movies!" Each month we include a book or movie review by one of our readers. Please see below guidelines on submitting a review.
Review: Katie Couric did a good job on this documentary special. She covered a lot of subject matter and answered common questions and issues well. She did a great job having explained to her the difference between sexuality and gender. Many misconceptions were discussed and real people in in different areas of gender were interviewed to allow us to see the world through a different filter. Even the topic of intersexed was discussed.
Book/Movie Review Submission Policy
All reviews are not to exceed 1000 key strokes. Your review should include the title, a short synopsis about why you like or dislike it, and the author’s name & publication date.You can also include a picture of the book and/or movie. After review, we will publish your review in our next newsletter. Reviews submitted that are longer than 1000 characters will be returned for editing. It is best to type your review in a Microsoft Word document to note how many key strokes (characters with spaces), how big your review is, and for your own record keeping. You can then copy and paste it into the online submission form located here (http://www.svccamft.org/Newsletter.html) To learn more about checking your review for key strokes, spelling grammar and size click below: (http://www.svccamft.org/How_to_check_review_in_microsoft_word.doc).
It is your responsibility to check for spelling and grammar errors. Reviews must be received by the 20th of the month in order to appear in the next newsletter.
You can submit your review by: Visiting our webpage: www.svccamft.org
Mailing it in: P.O. Box 163385, Sacramento, CA 95816
Paid Internships Listing Provided by:
Prelicensed is a free resource for MFT registered interns, trainees, and students in California. We offer numerous services that are designed to help you prepare and prevail over the course of your journey to licensure
Clinician - Sacramento, CA - Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY SACRAMENTO SPECIALIZES IN INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT PROGRAMS
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY Sacramento is small private mental health clinic that specializes in Intensive Outpatient Programs. We treat our patients from a holistic perspective. Our goal is to remove obstacles from healing and help our patients create a life of authenticity and self-management. Our programs are covered by insurance for children, teens and adults with the following conditions: Trauma, including Medical Trauma and Chronic Pain, Mood and Anxiety Problems, Food Dysregulations, Autism Spectrum and Behavior Problems. Patients generally continue to see their primary therapist while attending IOP treatment. Please visit our website at wwww.HealthPsychologySacramento.com
REPRESENTING VICTIMS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
Law Offices of Joseph C. George, Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist (PSY 7480) Attorney at Law (SBN 119231) Free consultation. Website: www.psyclaw.com Telephone: 916.641.7300
LOOKING TO SHARE A 4 OFFICE COMPLEX
We are looking to share a 4 office complex with a waiting room with a similar tenant. Ideally this tenant would pay $600/month for full time access to 1 office and the waiting room as well as break room, sink and private restroom. We have a convenient location in Roseville at Sierra College and Douglas Blvd. 8331 Sierra College Blvd
As the Clinical Director for Insights Counseling Group, we employ and train MFT interns and Trainees, and licensed therapists. A great fit would be a licenced MFT or LCSW, Psychologist, or Psychiatrist for reciprocal referrals. Please let me know if there are further requirements to posting.
2 Private garden offices available at Family Law Center near Arden Park. Furnished or unfurnished $750 a mth or $950 a mth. Shared lobby, kitchen and conference room. Family Law Center e-Mail: carol@familylawcenter.us Phone: 916 488-5088 Fax: 916 488-5080 Website URL: http://www.FamilyLawCenter.US
LIFESTAR WORKSHOP BEGINS MARCH 22
LifeSTAR Sacramento is a successful out-patient treatment program for individuals/couples adversely affected by compulsive sexual behaviors and partner relational trauma. Our next Phase 1 six week workshop begins Wednesday March 22nd 7-9:30PM. A jump start into treatment for new clients or a re-set for current clients in recovery, the workshop is facilitated by certified sexual addiction therapists (CSAT) and is a structured recovery road map for long-term sobriety and relational betrayal stabilization. LifeSTAR implements an integrative treatment model including workbooks with emphasis on CBT, Sue Johnson's EFT, Pat Carnes 30 Tasks, Brene Brown's Shame Reduction and Mindfulness. We also offer a "Taming Triggers" Partner Support group that is open and on-going. To refer a client or seek case consultation contact Leslie Haws, LMFT, CSAT,CMAT, Clinical Director at (916)728-5433. Or email at info@lifestarsacramento.orghttp://www.lifestarsacramento.org.
Advertising Policy for the Newsletter
All ads and reviews are not to exceed1000 key strokes. Chapter members advertise at no cost. Non-members can advertise about employment opportunities at no cost. Non-members, non employment-related ads follow these rates:
$10 for 200 key strokes
$20 for 201-600 key strokes
$30 for 601-1000 key strokes
Full page and ½ page ads are not accepted.
All ads contain text only; no graphics will be included.
Ads submitted that are longer than 1000 characters will be returned for editing. It is best to type your ad in a Microsoft Word document to note how many characters, how big your ad is, and for your own record keeping. Please visit our site to find more information on how to use Microsoft word for editing. You can then copy and paste it on our online submission form located here (http://www.svccamft.org/Newsletter.html)
It is your responsibility to check for spelling and grammar errors.
Ads must be received by the 25thof the month in order to appear in the next newsletter. Ads are placed in theorder that they are received.
SVC-Camft Contact us mail: P.O. Box 163385, Sacramento, CA 95816 Phone: (916) 597-0811 Email: info@svccamft.org We are on the Web! www.svccamft.org To post to the listserve, please email to: info@svccamft.org
You are receiving this newsletter because you are member of Sacramento Valley Chapter of CAMFT.
Newsletter Editor: Heather Blessing, MA, LMFT
Welcome to the section of the SVC-CAMFT newsletter, Legal Beagle written by Darlene Davis, LMFT. The chapter thought it would be helpful to keep you updated on new laws, legislative pursuits or actions, as well as ongoing legaland ethical dilemmas we all face in our career as Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, Interns, and Trainees. Please feel free to ask questions that you have and I will do my best to investigate and post your answer in the newsletter. Please note that articles are based on information from CAMFT and/or the BBS and have been researched to the best of my ability. This is not meant to be legal advice. Please contact CAMFT or Board of Behavioral Sciences for any legal matters you need assistance for. 
