The California Division Educators Collaborative, officially launched in 2004, has continued to evolve and grow. The establishment of professional identity and unity among MFTs is a major focus of the work of the Educators Collaborative. In 2007, the Educators Collaborative Steering Committee was created to provide the leadership that will guide the work of AAMFT-CA in developing a representative, unified voice to speak for the future of MFTs in California. Steering Committee members consist of a diverse group of highly respected professionals, who are leaders in MFT education and passionate about the profession:
- Kathleen Wenger: Pepperdine University
- Diane Gehart: California State University, Northridge
- Ben Caldwell: Alliant International University, Los Angeles campus
- Deborah Buttitta:Phillips Graduate Institute
- Mary Read: California State University, Fullerton
- Margaret Avineri: Jewish Family Service, Los Angeles
- Steven Tierney: California Institute of Integral Studies
- Graciela Orozco: San Francisco State University
Steering Committee members share a commitment to perpetuating the training unique to our profession that enables us to see the world through the lens of relationships and relational interventions, no matter how many people we are working with in the room. As MFTs, we contribute a distinct and critical perspective within the mental health care treatment continuum. Without MFTs, a concentrated focus on the interactional and systemic components of mental health care may not be maintained.
Steering Committee members are in agreement about the importance of engaging in national-level discussions and efforts designed to proactively create the profession we desire in the future.