- Stephen Vernon
- Ben Caldwell (Chair)
- Christina Tobie
- Angela Kahn
- Nadya Ramirez
- Neil Howell
- Jeff Liebert
Structure, Purpose, Mission
Decisions are guided by our Purpose and Mission Statements, which were carefully crafted by the CA Division Advocacy Committee:
Purpose Statement:
Advocacy for the profession and support of the profession in advocating for families and for relational issues.
Mission Statement:
Because a profession is more than a license, in California AAMFT has a professional system to maintain and to grow. All healthy systems grow toward complexity. Part of this growth requires that in California we partner with legislators and that we think critically about the political frame that defines mental health, intervention, and reimbursement. Therefore, AAMFT-CA embraces political advocacy and professional partnership to move into the future of the MFT profession in California.
The CA Division Board of Directors has committed to keep the membership informed about the Advocacy decisions and efforts that are being made. We seek to create an exchange through ongoing updates to the membership. While we inform you about what we are doing, your input and concerns are always welcomed and appreciated.
Policy Protocol
Policy Areas:
It seems prudent to limit our involvement on social and public policy to the following areas as set forth by the Board of Directors. We wish to find parity with AAMFT protocols and recommend that any issue we are going to advocate should have direct relevance to our profession or to the clientele we serve.
- Practice/Professional Issues
- Family Relevant Issues
Considerations for Relevancy
How we will determine if an issue merits a position from the Advocacy Committee:
- Potentially significant impact, such as LPC licensing and keeping our professional status separate and unique from other mental health providers.
- Moderate impact, such as BBS tweaking of hours of professional experience in different specialty areas.
- Of interest but with minimal impact, such as immigration laws.
Procedure for Determining a Position
The Advocacy Committee will determine, by discussion, whether a policy position is necessary and proceed to take action from three options:
- An ad hoc fact finding task force that will review the significant issues and create an e-blast membership survey.
- A recommendation to the Executive Board for a public statement on moderate to significant issues.
- A proposed public statement for minimal issues as in an e-blast.