CAMFT's 53rd Annual Conference: JUSTICE FOR ALL: Empowerment, Collaboration, and Resiliency

Dear Fellow Clinicians:

Our field is growing and changing, as we strive to be the best practitioners possible. Social justice, multiculturalism, and resilience have become hot topics as we collaborate with other professionals in multi-disciplinary helping teams.

The 2017 Annual Conference and Continuing Education Committee is delighted to help you bring more to the table. Up to 35 Continuing Education (CE) hours are possible for BBS supervised licensees who attend this conference. Please join us!

Here are some of the highlights: 

• Vincent Felitti, MD – our opening keynote speaker, is the principal investigator of the internationally acclaimed “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study”. 
• Joan Borysenko, PhD - will teach a day-long workshop on the integration of science, psychotherapy and spirituality. 
• Dave Jones, California Insurance Commissioner – don’t miss the PAC luncheon along with a chance to hear the latest, and ask questions of California’s Insurance Commissioner.
• Amy Zeiring - film producer of “The Invisible War”, comments on her military rape film which received a 2013 Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary. 
• Victor Carrion, MD – Stanford child/adolescent psychiatrist and researcher will teach a new model for identifying and working with pediatric PTSD. 
• Timothy Fong, MD - is offering a plenary session on developing tools and techniques for behavior addictions including problem gambling, and sexual issues. 
• Tammy Nelson, PhD – sex therapist author/expert discusses sex, love, pleasure and power.
• Armand Volkas, LMFT and the Living Arts Playback Theater Ensemble – this ever popular and incredibly moving experience is not to be missed as these artists weave their magic for us! 
• Nancy Zarse, PhD – national forensics expert will discuss resiliency in the face of terrorism and trauma. 
• Donna Ehlers, MD - teaches us best practices for working with psychiatrists without stepping on each other’s toes. 
• Joe Kort, PhD – board certified sexologist teaches about relationships in which one person is sexually fluid while the other is not.
• Elizabeth Gershoff, PhD – well-known child rights advocate, researcher and psychology professor offers a special lunchtime discussion.
• Ofer Zur, PhD – always humorous, offers a talk on ethics and boundaries in the digital age of Facebook and Google. 
• David Burns, MD - author of Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, will provide our closing keynote. 

There are lots of other great speakers planned, including a six-hour Law and Ethics workshop by Dave Jensen, JD (CAMFT Staff Attorney), Red Cross disaster mental health, self-care activities including yoga, dance/movement therapy, somatic expression, and processing sessions, and so much more. Can you see why we’re excited?!

We are delighted and thankful for our exhibit hall sponsors who are not to be missed. They will be offering valuable resources, raffle prizes, and several complimentary catered events including breakfasts, lunches, afternoon power snacks, and hors d’oeurves, along with a Welcome Reception on opening day. These are a great chance to network with your colleagues and make some new friends. We are especially grateful to our Grand Sponsors: CPH & Associates, GEICO, Northcentral University, and SimplePractice, and our Gold Sponsor Therasoft. 

As Chair of our 2017 Continuing Education and Annual Conference Planning Committee, I want to extend a big thank-you to our members who served on this committee lending their brain-storming and time to what’s sure to be a terrific conference: Maria Dylan, LMFT, Lynn E. Fritz, LMFT, Carolyn Gerard, LMFT, and Shannon Hanrahan, PsyD, LMFT. 

The San Francisco Bay Area in May is one of the most beautiful places in the world. So please step up your game (and have a lot of fun!) by attending our 2017 CAMFT Annual Conference. If you’ve never come to our conference before, this is the one not to be missed. Take advantage of early registration discounts. 

Looking forward to seeing you at the conference!

Kind regards,

Laura Strom, LMFT
CAMFT Past-President
Chair, 2017 Continuing Education and Annual Conference Planning Committee