To review the previous month’s activity, the recent October chapter meeting with Dr. Mary Watkins was a resounding success. We filled the dining room to capacity! We have heard your collective requests for informative and educational luncheon presentations and we were thrilled to have such a wonderful response. We have plans to sponsor these types of cutting-edge luncheon presentations for the remainder of this year and throughout 2008.

Dr. Watkins' discussion involved her collaborative work with Dr. Helene Schulman-Lorenz on the “by-stander” symptoms that keep individuals locked away from community and collaborative interactions within neighborhoods, cities and at the macro level of the world. There was much animated dialogue among the attendees with whom this idea resonated deeply. There was a collective interest in continuing to meet together as therapists and colleagues in these kinds of forums to further this dialogue. If you have specific ideas or suggestions, or want to initiate such a collaborative group, please send out an e-tree message to the community.

We have another wonderful luncheon presentation scheduled for November 14 at the University Club with Dr. John Tooby from UCSB’s Evolutionary Psychology Department. More information on this presentation will be coming in the next few days and in the newsletter. And please mark your calendars for December 12. We have listened to the collective request for the return of our Annual Holiday Luncheon, this year to be held at the University Club. More information will be coming in e-tree messages.

As you can tell by now, The University Club appears to be the new home for SB-CAMFT luncheons. The staff is most accommodating and they are delighted to have us as regular guests. We believe that the consistency and comfort of this gracious facility will be much appreciated by all. So please count on joining us there for our monthly luncheons in 2008.

We have been speaking with some interested future Board members recently and we look forward to introducing our 2008 Board to you at the Holiday Party. Some positions are still open and we welcome the opportunity to speak with anyone who may consider coming aboard. We’re a very friendly bunch of people, just trying to do the very same thing you are trying to do each day. We just get the extra special bonus of getting together as a Board regularly to enjoy each other’s company and wonderful spirit. Please join us!

We look forward to seeing all of you at our upcoming events and send you our good wishes for happy and safe Thanksgiving gatherings.

Fondly,
Jackie & Kathleen