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Presidents Letter 

Dear Members,

The year is really zooming by. I hope you are all finding fulfillment in your role as a professional helper. Our chapter has been plugging along with social events like our monthly psych hike and psychobabble. And we recently hosted Jeremiah Hindman, of Hindman Business Consulting and Mensana Collaborative, to share some starter kit ideas on the business of private practice. It was fun to see everyone who attended.

The year ahead looks bright with many interesting and exciting events. The sign of a healthy professional network, to my way of thinking, is a network that has its members sharing their work and expertise with each other. I hope our chapter is one that finds inspiration from within its own walls. That’s why we are excited to have our very own Michael Guichet, social events chair host a workshop discussing his work in working with non-monogamous relationships. Of course we plan on having the Narrative Therapy workshop again. Chad Dispenza and I are workshopping our ideas for our workshop. We hope the work we present inspires creative and magical ways of working with serious problems.  

Though the unfolding year continues to invite us forward with hope and optimism, there are a lot of challenges our profession is having to respond to as well.  With a quickly developing AI industry trying to find inventive ways to apply its technology, the field of professional helping seems to be a frontier AI is breaking into. Many of us may be using AI to generate notes. Maybe some of us are using AI systems for assessment or treatment recommendations. It’s a brave new world and I think our profession should be vigorously engaged in an ongoing dialogue about the ethical implications of its use. The question I find myself most interested in now is the question of therapeutic presence. If AI can listen to a 50-minute intake session and outline treatment recommendations, provide diagnostic clarity, and prioritize goals over the course of a three-stage treatment schedule, then what is it that is therapeutic about the work that we do? Put another way, how do we as professional helpers think about the therapeutic benefit of our relationship with our clients? And how do we prioritize those benefits, so our clients reap their reward? I wonder, where do you stand on the issue of AI? Does it threaten the future of our field, or will it assist us in the life saving work we hope we are doing? A question I hope our chapter will be tracking as this rapidly expanding technology makes its way into the intimate space between therapist and client.

Anyway, enough forecasting. To the extent to which this year becomes what we make of it I say, “cheers”. To the extent to which organizations like ours influence the trajectory of our field I say. “show up and vote”. And to the extent that our field slowly becomes something we might never predict I say, “Be of sound mind and full heart, for our work requires more than we know, and less then we think.”

Warm regards,

Brian Wainwright 

FOR PRE-LICENSED THERAPISTS

The Monterey Chapter CAMFT is a great way to start your professional connections in your new career! Join us and be a part of a group of peers supported by your professional community as you journey through your 3000 hours to licensure. First, become a member of CAMFT. Then become one of our valued chapter members by going to our membership application page. You'll be supported by:

• NETWORKING ACTIVITIES with Pre-Licensed and Licensed Members.
• TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES from short to day-long programs.
• JOB SEARCH SUPPORT with links to active job search sites.
• MENTORING: Find a mentor. 
• RESOURCES for the Road to Licensure.
• CHAIR SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE: Contact mccamft@gmail.com with attention to the pre-licensed chair.

VISIT THE FAQ PAGE FOR MORE INFO!

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