Presidents Letter 

Monterey County CAMFT Newsletter,

March-April 2026

Dear MC-CAMFT Community,

As we move further into the spring season, I want to take a moment to invite you into what promises to be a rich and engaging professional gathering. One that centers curiosity, craft, and connection in our shared work as therapists.

Our upcoming Narrative Therapy Salon on Saturday, April 25th, hosted at the beautiful Monterey Museum of Art and is a CEU event.

This special event will be facilitated by Brian Wainwright, who brings over 20,000 hours of narrative therapy practice to the room. Brian has taught in a range of university settings, including California State University, Monterey Bay, California State University, San Bernardino, and University of San Francisco, and has provided consultation and trainings in both remote and in-person contexts. His work is grounded, experiential, and deeply attuned to the lived stories people carry.

Brian will be sharing his ideas based on the article he’s written called Animative Description and Vivifying Discovery: Inviting Clients into Their Understory. The Understory, as described in the article, is a metaphor describing experiences that have yet to be mapped in a person’s life, and show significant promise as rich meaning-making resources for therapy.

The salon will feature:

• A theoretical overview of Narrative Therapy, with particular attention to the “narrative mode” of listening and responding
• Narrative letter-writing practices, including real examples
• Transcript work to sharpen clinical listening and inquiry
• Opportunities for live interviewing practice

Welcoming New Board Members

We are pleased to welcome two new members to the MC-CAMFT Board:

Debra Keller, LMFT – Treasurer (Executive Board Member)
Debra has maintained a private psychotherapy practice in Monterey since 2016 and has been a member of MC-CAMFT since 2009, even prior to completing her graduate training. Before entering the field, she worked in volunteer program management and cultivated interests in wildlife rehabilitation, event planning, and gardening.

Her clinical work has spanned children, adolescents, and adults, though her current practice focuses on supporting adults and seniors in strengthening their relationships with themselves and, by extension, with others. She often works with clients navigating the transitions of adulthood: caring for aging parents, adjusting to changes in health, and negotiating evolving roles across generations. Her experience supporting grief and loss is informed by her work with Hospice of the Central Coast (Griefbusters and Transitions programs) and Monterey County Behavioral Health’s Natividad Hospital ER Crisis Team.

Grounded in depth psychology through her training at Pacifica Graduate Institute, Debra has also pursued additional training in animal-assisted psychotherapy, trauma treatment, grief and loss, and couples counseling. She returns to the board with prior experience as Treasurer from 2010–2013, bringing both continuity and care to this role.

David Watson, LMFT – CE Board Chair
David brings a collaborative and client-centered approach to his clinical work, valuing the process of helping individuals identify and move through obstacles to inner calm, peace, and happiness. His integrative style is tailored to each client’s unique circumstances, drawing from evidence-based practices while also attending to the influence of the unconscious in shaping behavior.

His theoretical orientation is rooted in Gestalt therapy, with thoughtful integration of modalities such as mindfulness-based CBT, Internal Family Systems, and Emotion-Focused Therapy all held within a broader psychodynamic curiosity. David holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from the University of Georgia. He is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California.

We hope you’ll join us on April 25th for a meaningful day of learning, reflection, and community connection and please join us in welcoming Debra and David to the board.

Warmly,
Monterey County CAMFT Board