Hello Everyone,

Welcome back from what we hope was a refreshing and relaxing summer! We are excited to share with you some of the events we have in store for our chapter through the end of this year. And our 2009 line up of speakers is also coming together quite well – we have a waiting list of interested speakers. Our chapter is strong and viable and we continue to welcome new members. We are very grateful to our Board of Directors for all the work they have put into keeping our chapter so vibrant.

By now you have learned of our collaboration with CAMFT to present a FREE Law & Ethics course for our members on Saturday December 6. We are pleased to be able to offer you a FREE seat, simply by renewing your membership a few months early. Since seating is limited, we expect that this course may fill up very quickly, if it hasn’t already by the time you receive this newsletter. Please go to www.santabarbaratherapy.org for detailed information on this event, as well as other presentations that have been scheduled.

As you have read on page 1 of this month’s newsletter, Dr. Joseph Frawley will be speaking at our September 17 chapter meeting on The Pain of Treating Chronic Pain. Dr. Frawley has worked for the past eight years with patients with a variety of combinations of chronic pain, addiction and mental health problems. While acute pain may serve a biological function, chronic pain does not, and the treatment of chronic pain involves not only addressing the mechanical causes of pain, but also determining how the body and mind adjust to the pain. We’re sure this will be a valuable presentation.

On October 15, Dr. Ian Kaminsky will offer a presentation about the use of meditation as a clinical intervention for stress, anxiety, depression, and addiction. Members will learn about the latest research regarding the benefits of meditation in therapy and receive information about how to integrate brief meditations into clinical sessions.

At the November 19th luncheon, Dr. Jamie Rotnofsky will help us prepare for the holiday season by looking at what it means to be present during the holidays, rather than simply offer presents to family and friends. If you joined us at our first meeting in January 2008, you will know what a dynamic speaker Jamie is.

We are particularly excited to tell you about a tradition of “celebrating our own” that we plan to initiate with this year’s Holiday Luncheon on December 17. The Santa Barbara area is fortunate to enjoy an extensive and talented community of caregivers whose contributions merit special recognition and celebration. This year, we will inaugurate our tradition by honoring our very own Violet Oaklander, who has recently retired and re-located to Los Angeles to be closer to her family. We are pleased that Violet will be able to join us for this special event and we are in the midst of planning the festivities with some of Violet’s friends and collaborators.

We welcome your ideas and suggestions for ways in which Santa Barbara CAMFT can continue to serve not only our therapeutic associates but also, and perhaps even more importantly, the individuals and families of our community. Please let us hear from you. We value input from our members and we rely on your thoughts, ideas and inspirations to help guide the organization as it continues to grow and thrive. We look forward to saying hello to all of you at our upcoming luncheons and events.

Warm regards,
Kathleen Barry and Jackie Kurta
Co-Presidents
Santa Barbara CAMFT