Welcome to the Santa Barbara Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (SBCAMFT). We are a local chapter of state CAMFT and exist to serve our membership as a community of local mental health professionals and clinicians offering continuing education opportunities, networking events, additional training and an encouraging community of colleagues that will cheer you on and support you in your practice.
Although the majority of our members are trainees, associates or licensed marriage and family therapists, it is not a requirement to be in that tenure to join our community. We also serve many psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, local mental health agencies, graduate schools and other community partners.
The best way to get involved is to choose a membership level and if you have any questions or would like to learn more, feel free to reach out or join us at an upcoming event . We look forward to meeting you!
Message from our President, Claire Blakey
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Hello SBCAMFT community,
It is both an honor and privilege to be holding the role of President for the next two years. Having served on the Board of Directors for the past five years, I’ve had the opportunity to serve as the Director of Pre-licensing, Vice President/President Elect and now President. It’s a gift to be a part of this community and to serve alongside you all.
As I continue the impact Kristi Miller our Past-President has built, I look forward to deepening two concepts: community + connection. Both of which, I know our pandemic fatigued therapist community has spoken into and asked for. Many of us have been feeling isolated and removed from the therapist community through working remotely via tele-health and the pandemic.
A role I am particularly excited about is our Director of Community Engagement role. This is a new position that will facilitate special interests groups for our community. We recognize that everyone’s comfort level is different - while some might feel comfortable attending a zoom presentation, others crave in person networking or get togethers. Our hope is to poll the community in the next month and create sub-groups as optional meet ups (some in person and some online). Imagine: an EMDR monthly meetup, a hiking with therapists meetup, a monthly coffee meetup, a private practice meetup, the options are limitless! As you begin thinking about what you need or what you’d like to cultivate in our community, reach out to our Director community@sbcamft.org to share your ideas.
In the heartbeat of diversity and inclusion, we will continue to put those efforts at the forefront, as we implement a scholarship program for BIPOC students and clinicians, alongside facilitate a deepening of conversations through our Diversity Director and continue to bring Continuing Education opportunities to diversify and deepen our clinical practices.
With warmth, gratitude and appreciation,
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