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Monthly event President's message Board of Directors meeting Listserv updates MCAMFT Invitation Members CE Library Members Messages - Laura Strom More upcoming events Past President's Notepad  Prelicensed Support Programs Committee Proposal from BGC Sonoma Scholarships, Honors & Awards Supporters & Sponsors Telehealth Course Therapy Groups Listing

Did you miss the BBS-MANDATED  3 CE Telehealth course? 

Telehealth: Law & Ethics, Technology, and Best Practices for Connecting with Your Clients with Dr. Lisa Wenninger, PhD, LPCC, BC-TMH

Catch it on video here, and get your mandated 3 Telehealth CEs.           Return to top

RECAMFT's Mission Statement

The purpose of RECAMFT is to promote and maintain professional competence and integrity with knowledge, innovation, compassion, humor and respect for human dignity and diversity.

We do this by providing opportunities for networking, education and community outreach for our members. (Note: "For our members" was added to the Mission Statement by the Bylaws Task Force on May 19, 2025). 

Dear RECAMFT Community:

RECAMFT’s Board of Directors and committees are bustling and busy working on future events in the coming weeks and months!

Our planning for our Annual Members' Meeting on Friday, January 9th, 2026, has begun! This will be an IN PERSON event so be sure to save the date. Stay tuned as we unveil the details about our speaker and more. This celebratory event takes a great deal of coordination and execution, and when it comes to planning, the more the merrier! If you are interested in participating in the planning of our Annual Member’s Meeting event, please email us at info@recamft.org. 

Kristina Anzell, LCSW, will be presenting to our organization on Friday, Oct. 3rd on "Postpartum Sleep 101: Understanding Sleep and Mental Health in Postpartum Period. " This CE event will delve into the science behind sleep patterns of postpartum adults, and equip attendees with evidenced-based interventions for treating exhausted parents struggling with sleep deprivation.

The first installation of our fall series, "Coffee with the President", had a great turnout this past month. I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to have casual, real conversations with some of our members about networking struggles, chapter engagement, and the passion we have for our work. I’ll be making my way to Sebastopol next, on Friday October 17th, from 9:30 to 11 AM at Hole in the Wall. Please be sure to sign up to join me for a cup of coffee or tea, and a chat!

RECAMFT’s first ever Prelicensed Meet & Greet on September 5th was a huge success! Attendees mingled, won prizes, and discussed their interests and needs as up-and-coming clinicians. Our Prelicensed Committee is already working on planning their next event, and brainstorming additional ways to support the next generation of therapists in our community. I want to personally thank Brian Crites, our new Director at Large and Prelicensed Committee Chair, for enthusiastically jumping into his role in steering our prelicensed programming. See Brian pictured here, speaking with an attendee about our organization.

Thank you to our dedicated, passionate Board members, committee members, and volunteers for all the thoughtfulness and work that goes into making these events happen. Our RECAMFT team looks forward to strengthening our chapter’s outreach and broadening our impact as we learn and grow. Now is the time to join us.

We are seeking volunteers to join us in steering our ship to new horizons. Please attend a Board meeting or volunteer for a committee to connect and make a difference. If you would like to get more involved with our leadership team, please email us at info@recamft.org.

Warmly,

Emily Larkin, LMFT

2025 President, RECAMFT.org

Emily Larkin, LMFT is the President of RECAMFT's Board of Directors. She has a private practice in Sebastopol. 

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Please note: our new email address is info@recamft.org. 

Are you creative? Please join us for our Crafting Group!

Bring any craft you like, get on Zoom with us and visit with your colleagues while we knit, sew, paint, draw, cook, create, etc. (Note: No Crafting Circle in April.)

Join us at our next meeting:

• Fri., Oct. 10th, 2:30 pm
• Second Friday monthly
• Register here                    

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Call for Submissions for the

Nov 2025 Issue of

The RECAMFT Therapist! 

November is Native American Heritage Month. It is also Homeless Youth Awareness Month. See more here. We especially welcome submissions where awareness themes intersect with mental health. Please send your submission (500 word max) to info@recamft.org by the 15th.

Questions? info@recamft.org.        Return to top

Welcome back, RECAMFT community! We are so excited to share some of the upcoming monthly CE events.

RECAMFT Tentative Zoom presentations

• Oct 3rd -  Powers of Sleep for Postpartum Mental Health - Kristina Anzell, LMFT, 2 CEs
• Nov 7th - Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Eating Disorders, Amy Chalker, RD, 2 CEs
• Dec 5th - The Role of Family in the Recovery Process:

  Understanding how family involvement can impact recovery, Jason Wilson, PsyD, LPC, 2 CEs

• Jan. 9th - we moved our Annual Members meeting to this date, rather than Jan. 2nd. Be sure to mark your calendars. David Khalili, LMFT, sex expert will present. 

We are still reviewing applications for presentations to be scheduled for Spring 2026. Please submit an application if you have a presentation idea to therapy@recamft.org.

Are you interested in seeing what we have coming up? Consider microvolunteering with the Programs & Conferences Committee! Microvolunteering opportunities: screening speaker applications; providing support at in person CE events; monitoring Q&A for speakers during monthly Zoom presentations. We are especially looking for Programs Committee helpers to evaluate applications for programs.

We look forward to another year of bringing you quality, enriching presentations which support your professional growth and development.

With gratitude,

Gwendolyn Watson, LMFT

Programs Chair

Programs & Conferences Committee

RECAMFT Director at Large

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RECAMFT's Racial and Social Justice Pledge

RECAMFT is committed to equity including addressing structural racism and systemic injustice. We endeavor to be inclusive and value individuals from all ethnicities, ages, races, sexual orientations, genders, languages, abilities, religions, citizenship statuses, and socioeconomic backgrounds into our chapter and into treatment.

We strive to advocate, educate, collaborate, and strategize for positive racial and social justice change within our membership and our community.

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An Invitation!!! 

Marin CAMFT is having a party,

and RECAMFT members are invited to attend at no charge!  

To register for this event, go to https://marincamft.org/event-6230992

• MCAMFT's Annual Fall Celebration
• Sun., Oct. 12th, 4-7 pm
• No charge for RECAMFT members to attend!

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Welcome Prelicensed Members from our new Prelicensed Director at Large and Committee Chair, Professor Brian Crites, LMFT! 

Greetings Pelicensed RECAMFT members!

Thanks to everyone that was able to come to our networking event at Brew on Friday 9/12. We were delighted with the turnout and the enthusiasm you all brought to the event.  It was great to meet so many of you and hear from you about what offerings RECAMFT can provide its prelicensed members. The Prelicsensed Committee has taken all of your suggestions and is in the process of designing programs to fit all of your needs.

We will be hosting a second prelicensed networking event in Petaluma on Friday, Nov. 7th, 2025, 5-7 pm (location TBD) and are planning for four in-person prelicensed events in 2026. These events will include networking opportunities, as well as specialized events with topics including preparing for licensure, a panel discussion with licensed individuals, and other community building activities like a book club and outdoor events. Stay tuned for more information about the event on 11/7/25 in Petaluma.

If you have any questions or concerns about the road to licensure,  and how RECAMFT can help, or want to connect with Brian,  please email info@recamft.org.

Brian Crites, LMFT

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Photos from the Sept. 5th Prelicensed Networking Meet & Greet at Brew in Santa Rosa. Thanks to all who turned out for this fun time! 

Photos by Emily Larkin, LMFT. 

Scholarships, Honors and Awards

Scholarships for Pre-Licensed and

Newly Licensed Members

Our listserv has around 400 members on it, and is active daily with great conversations, resources, offerings, in search of, books, movies, office rentals, jobs, internships, etc. You can view the home page of our listserv at https://groups.io/g/recamft.

If you are not currently enrolled in the listserv, please email therapy@recamft.org and ask to be added. You have the option of setting up your account to be 

• Read individual emails
• Read a digest of 12 emails
• Or read online only

After you have been added to the listserv, you can change the way you receive the emails to any of the above choices. In Gmail the emails will appear under your Forums tab. To send an email to the listserv, simply address your email to recamft@groups.io

If you do not want to be on our listserv, you can delete your account or write to info2recamft.org and ask to not be a part of the listserv. But we urge you to give it a try. You are missing out on a ton of meaningful collaboration with your colleagues. We hope you will enjoy being part of our online community! 

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Find out more about advertising with RECAMFT here. 

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At the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley, we believe that mental health is just as important as physical health when it comes to the well being of young people and their families. Over the past several years, we have seen firsthand the growing need for mental health services in our community. Families are facing more stressors than ever before ranging from economic challenges to academic pressures and social isolation, and many do not have access to affordable or culturally responsive support.

Our Mental Health Program was created in direct response to these community needs. Through partnerships with dedicated therapists and mental health professionals, the Club has been able to offer therapy sessions and support groups at no cost to families. These services have provided youth with a safe and supportive environment to process emotions, build resilience, and learn healthy coping strategies. Now, as the needs of our community continue to grow, we are excited to expand the program to support not only youth but entire families.

The expansion of our Family Wellness program focuses on bringing families together, strengthening relationships, and equipping caregivers with the tools they need to support their children’s emotional health. We know that when parents, guardians, and children are supported as a unit, the entire household benefits. That is why we are inviting therapists to partner with us in offering the following services:

• Short Term Family Therapy – Providing accessible counseling that helps families navigate challenges, improve communication, and foster stronger bonds. These sessions are designed to be goal oriented and supportive, giving families strategies they can continue to use long after therapy ends.

• Parenting Workshops – Offering practical tools and guidance for parents and caregivers to better understand the emotional needs of their children, while also learning how to manage stress and strengthen family relationships. 

• Psychoeducation – Giving families the knowledge and resources they need to recognize mental health challenges, reduce stigma, and respond in ways that promote resilience and healing.

By expanding our programming in these ways, we are creating opportunities for families to access resources that would otherwise be out of reach due to cost or availability. Just as importantly, we are ensuring that youth in Sonoma Valley have the support they need both inside and outside the clubhouse.

We know that this work cannot be done alone. That is why we are reaching out to organizations and clinicians who share our commitment to serving vulnerable populations. By working together, we can ensure that Sonoma Valley families, particularly those from underserved or marginalized backgrounds, have access to quality mental health support that strengthens both individuals and the community as a whole.

At the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley, our vision is simple yet powerful: to empower young people and their families to thrive. With the support of compassionate clinicians and community partners, we can continue to build a future where every child and every family has the tools to navigate challenges, grow stronger, and succeed together.

Natalie Goddard, AMFT, is the Director of Mental Health Services at Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley. She can be reached at ngoddard@bgcsonoma.org or online via the website: https://www.bgcsonoma.org. 

Link to our Therapy Groups page and a PDF of current offerings - RECAMFT.ORG/Therapy-Groups

CLICK HERE to learn more about local group offerings, and payment to advertise your group. 

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