Save the Date!

The CTAMFT 2015 Annual Conference is coming soon!

Save the date for CTAMFT’s 2015 Annual Spring Conference, which is scheduled for  April 30 – May 1, 2015, at the Trumbull Marriott. Our theme for 2015 is  “The Couple Experience: Therapy Comes Alive” featuring Terry Real.

Our keynote on Friday May 1, 2015 is couples therapist Terry Real, who will be bringing therapy to life with video and live demonstrations with couples.

Back by popular demand, Bob Madden will be joining us once again to present legal and ethical issues related to couples therapy.

We will also have the usual opportunities for networking, posters and research.

So save the date and we look forward to seeing you there! More information is coming soon!

Legislative Update 12/2014

Contact at legislation@ctamft.org

Our legislative path for this year includes a grassroots lobbying campaign about a provisional license for new graduates as well as supporting MFTs in the schools, Medicaid/Medicare initiatives and advocating for MFTs in mental health settings.

Please keep an eye out for e-mails from our legislative Board representatives, Maryann LaBella or Roxanne Pomeroy, about contacting your legislators to make this happen. We are getting good feedback about the new options for Medicare reimbursement for private practitioners as well.

Please see the website for more ways to access this information.

Student Corner

2015 Pamela N. Griffin Scholarship – Application Deadline Extended

Would you like to attend the 2015 national AAMFT Conference next fall in Austin, TX? Or perhaps the CTAMFT’s Annual Spring Conference April 30 – May 1, 2015 in Trumbull, Connecticut? Here’s how you can apply to receive either $500 for the national conference or full admission to CTAMFT’s 2015 Annual Spring Conference!

Pamela N. Griffin established a trust to award scholarships to MFT students entering the field of Marriage and Family Therapy. The intent of the scholarship is to support students wishing to attend CTAMFT, AAMFT and other MFT conferences.

The amount to be awarded in 2015 will be $1,250 – and distributed in two ways:

1. One (1) award of $500.00 for the 2015 AAMFT National Conference (or another MFT conference of applicant’s preference).
2. Five (5) awards of $150 to one student member from each MFT program in CT (i.e., one student will be selected from each of the following programs: SCSU, UConn, University of Saint Joseph, CCSU and Fairfield University) to attend CTAMFT’s annual conference on April 30 – May 1, 2015.

Please link here to learn more about this scholarship, as well as to download a copy of the application. The application deadline is Saturday, February 28, 2015.

Call for Posters, 2015

The Poster Session Committee invites the submission of proposals for poster presentations during the 2015 CTAMFT Annual Conference “The Couples Experience: Therapy Comes Alive!” The poster session will take place on Friday, May 1, 2015 from 12:30-1:30pm at the Trumbull Marriott. Presenters will be asked to stand by their poster during the poster session to respond to comments and questions posed by conference attendees.

A poster may be about research findings, clinical interventions, or any topic of interest to Marriage and Family Therapists. Posters can include text, charts, tables or other graphic representations suitable for conveying the message. We encourage posters that are creative and that address current issues or trends in the marriage and family therapy field. Teams may submit posters if at least one member of the team will be present during the poster session at the Annual Conference on May 1, 2015.

Posters will be based upon the quality and relevance of the proposed presentation. Poster Committee members will hold a blind review of submissions, with preference given to submissions that are consistent with the Annual Conference theme, “The Couples Experience: Therapy Comes Alive!” Accepted presenters will be notified by March 1, 2015 and must confirm attendance by March 15, 2015.

Four posters will be selected as recipients of the 2015 Poster Awards. Each poster category award winner will receive a cash prize of $100. The Poster Award categories are: Best Research-Based Poster, Best Clinically-Based Poster, Best Poster Related to Conference Theme, and Best Poster by a Clinical Fellow. The Poster Committee and CTAMFT Board will evaluate accepted posters being considered for the Poster Awards during the Annual Conference.

Completed applications shall consist of the “Poster Session Proposal Form,” which includes the “Poster Presenter Agreement.”

Posters selected for presentation must be no larger than 36” x 48”. In addition, each presenter should bring a sign-up sheet for conference participants who may want more information about their poster. For additional information about poster requirements, please contact the Poster Session Committee Chairs: Dr. Nicole O’Brien and Dr. Erica Hartwell at posters@ctamft.org.

Email the completed Proposal Form/Agreement to: posters@ctamft.org by February 1, 2015.

Letter from the President – AAMFT Restructure Report

Denise Parent, LMFT, President of CTAMFT

by Denise Parent, LMFT, President of CTAMFT (president@ctamft.org)

Hello everybody, welcome back, after one of the most gorgeous summers I can remember!

Both AAMFT and CTAMFT have been busy! Stay tuned for our September E-News, which is coming out shortly. In the meantime, we feel it’s important to discuss the many changes underway at AAMFT, which will certainly impact us on a local/CT division level. I encourage you to please read this closely and share your thoughts with us, as well as AAMFT.

It is our understanding that next month, AAMFT’s restructuring task force (or DASC), is likely to recommend that AAMFT move toward centralizing services at AAMFT in order to create a more uniform MFT “brand.” We believe that AAMFT is heading toward creating a structure similar to the American Counseling Association (ACA) in which members will be invited to join the national organization and optional practice specialty groups – eliminating geographic divisions like CTAMFT.

AAMFT’s rationale is that in order to adapt to changing membership demographics, service inequities from state-to-state, and to address the needs of the future – structural change is necessary. Any changes will likely take four to six years to realize, and will depend on an AAMFT Board vote this October, followed up by a full membership vote in order to change the AAMFT bylaws.

The logistical process of any change has not yet been discussed. These decisions will create the organization that represents our profession in the coming years. The CTAMFT Board and the five MFT academic programs in Connecticut feel strongly that no matter what structure is decided upon, there needs to be a strong association presence locally for employment advocacy/legislation, as well as support for students, new professionals and clinical members as they navigate their careers.

On behalf of CTAMFT, I strongly encourage you to share your thoughts with the AAMFT task force (DASC) via their Community Forum.

Furthermore, we’d like you to share your opinions with us at CTAMFT. Please link here (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8FTCBTT) for a short (we promise!) survey. The intent is to learn from you the local services you count on and value as members of CTAMFT. Your opinion counts and we’re hopeful you will take a few minutes to respond.

In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact us at CTAMFT. I can be reached at president@ctamft.org.

Elections Committee Update: New Executive Team and Directors Announced

Early this spring, we ran our annual elections.  We had a great deal of members running for open positions.  And while everyone was highly qualified, our membership has voted and made their selections.  Please join us in welcoming your newest Executive Team Members and Directors.  Their term begins in July.  If you would like to learn more about the new additions to our leadership team please link here.

Heather Ehinger

Maryann LaBella

Nicole O’Brien

Wendy Haggerty

Eve Hornstein

 

 

 

 

Michelle Triompo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Heather Ehinger was elected to serve as our incoming President-Elect. Heather will serve one year as President-Elect and move into the President position in July 2015.
• Maryann LaBella has been elected to serve as our new Legislative Liaison.  In addition, Roxanne Pomeroy has graciously agreed to Chair the Legislative Committee for Maryann.
• Nicole O’Brien has been elected to serve as a Director.
• Wendy Haggerty has been elected to serve as a Director.
• Eve Hornstein has been elected to serve as our Pre-Clinical Representative.
• Michelle Triompo has been elected to serve as CTAMFT’s Student Representative.

For more information, please contact Paula Levy at elections@ctamft.org.

 

Student Committee Corner: Pamela N. Griffin Scholarship Recipients

Pamela N. Griffin established a trust to award scholarships to MFT students entering the field of Marriage and Family Therapy.  The intent of the scholarship is to support students wishing to attend CTAMFT, AAMFT and other conferences.  This year, we were able to give five scholarships in honor of each of CT’s MFT Programs.  Congratulations to the following recipients:

1. Michael Saracerno from University of Saint Joseph
2. Carrie Rosenbloom from Fairfield University
3. Michelle Triompo from Central CT State University
4. Beata Wielgoszewski from Central CT State University
5. Joy Heafner from the University of Connecticut

Furthermore, we awarded one student with a $500 scholarship to attend AAMFT’s National Conference this fall in Milwaukee.  Congratulations to Scott Huff who attends the University of Connecticut.

Please note that we traditionally have called for applications in the spring.  We are aware of how difficult it is for students during this time of year to apply for the scholarship.  Therefore, we will be changing application timing to the fall.  Please stay tuned for more information with regard to timing and the application process.

For more information about the Pamela N. Griffin Scholarship, please contact us at  manager@ctamft.org.

Conference News

Thank you to all who attended this year’s Annual Spring Conference: “The New Brain Science of Connection.”  We are thrilled to have shared this experience with over 300 practitioners.  Across the board, feedback to all of the keynotes and presentations was outstanding!  We do take all input into consideration when planning for future conferences; so thank you to those of you who gave us your input.

Business Update

In addition to what’s covered in relation to the conference theme, CTAMFT also takes the opportunity, while we have so many members in attendance, to bring members up to speed on the state of CTAMFT.  If you missed the conference, please link here for a copy of the 2013 Business Report (which includes financials).

Poster Session Awards

This year CTAMFT’s Poster Committee received a record-breaking number of poster submissions.  We are also pleased to share we received submissions from all five MFT programs throughout the State.  There were 12 posters on display at this year’s conference, which were voted on by CTAMFT’s Board of Directors.  Congratulations to the following Poster Award Recipients, who each received $100.

 

Allison Collins:  Therapist Attachment and the Therapy Relationship (Collins, A. M. & Parker, M. L.)

The existing research supports the role of clients’ attachment style as an influence on the therapeutic relationship, which affects clinical outcomes. However, therapists’ attachment style has been relatively unexplored in the development of the therapeutic relationship. The goal of this study was to explore attachment style differences in the development of the therapy relationship. Findings have implication for clinical education and supervision.

Selena Gürman:  Partner/Parental Acceptance and Psychological Adjustment of Asian Adults (Gürmen, M.S., Ki, P., Rigazio-DiGilio, S. A., & Rohner, R. P.)

Parental acceptance-rejection theory predicts psychological adjustment tends to be affected by perceived partner acceptance and remembered parental acceptance. This study explored three questions with Asian adults in US: (1) Is partner acceptance correlated with psychological adjustment associated with parental acceptance? (2) Do remembrances of parental acceptance predict the association between partner acceptance and psychological adjustment? (3) Are there gender differences in these relationships? This study provides information to clinicians about Asian adult clients who deal with parental and partner acceptance and rejection.

Hyeseong Kang:  Clinical Use of the Story Stem Method in Marriage and Family Therapy: Theory, Research and Practice (Kang, H., Yoo, Y., & Robinson, J.)

Young children are known to have a limited capacity in describing their inner experience. The MacArthur Story Stem Battery (MSSB) is a standardized doll-play story-completion technique that can explore young children’s internal representations of family relationships. We provide the overview of theories and research of the method.Further, we discuss potential clinical usefulness of MSSB in marriage and family therapy, along with comparing story responses of a typical child with those of a child whose family is presented with specific problems.

Service Awards

Service to the Organization: Dorothy Timmermann is this year’s recipient of CTAMFT’s “Service to the Organization” Award.  Dorothy has been a Clinical Member of AAMFT since 1992.  She has been an Executive team Officer on the CTAMFT Board since 2008, when she began as Secretary through her Presidency, from 2010-2013.

Dorothy applied the same grace to taking minutes as she did to running the annual conference.  During her tenure, she reorganized staffing structure, gently moved the CTAMFT Board to create and hold to a strategic plan, and she welcomed speakers and members to the organization in such a warm and characteristic way that any leader with the luck to learn from her could not help but be influenced for the better.  Link here to read more about this recognition.

Service to Families Award:  This year, in honor of our conference theme of innovation, we are marking the way that love and relationship tends to break new ground.  The CTAMFT Board is delighted to present the Service to Families award to a couple who has terrifically impacted the fields of family studies, family therapy and family medicine. They have both blazed individual trails, while expanding their influence exponentially as a partnership.  Dr. Robert Ryder and Dr. Jeri Hepworth are this year’s honorees.  Link here to read more about this recognition.

2015 Conference

Save the date!  CTAMFT’s Annual Spring Conference is scheduled for Thursday, April 30-Friday, May 1, 2015.  Based on attendee’s recent feedback, we are planning some exciting changes for the 2015 conference.  Stay tuned for more information!

Legislative Update: Two Positive Outcomes!

We are pleased to share there were two positive outcomes from this year’s legislative efforts, which will be going into effect October 1, 2014! 

Medicaid Reimbursement

The most recent legislative session wrapped up with a budget implementer bill that passed through the House and Senate.  Included in the implementer bill is language that directs the Department of Social Service (DSS) to adopt a Medicaid State Plan amendment to provide for reimbursement for individuals 21 and over to Private Practice Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) and other mental health professionals (social workers, psychologists, counselors and LADCs).  Link here http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/TOB/h/pdf/2014HB-05597-R00-HB.pdf to review the document (section 220, pages 276-277).

License Portability 

License portability has also been adjusted to allow LMFTs who have been licensed in other states for three (3) years to obtain a Connecticut license.  This is in keeping with other professions, who also changed their regulations.  Previously LMFTs from other states were not recognized by Connecticut until they had been licensed for five years.

We believe that these inclusions were positively impacted by meetings with committee chairs from the Department of Public Health (DPH) and Appropriations, and supporting Community Health Center Association initiatives with Medicaid.  Thanks to our lobbyists, Murtha Cullina, and CTAMFT members Susan Boritz and Maryann LaBella for your contributions to those efforts.    

Professional Development Update: Spring Book Reviews

In the spirit of our recent conference, for our Spring book review, we invited members to review books written by our conference keynote presenters, Dr. Kelly McGonigal and Dr. Lou Cozolino.

Thank you to Elaine Bentley Baughn, MS, LMFT, who reviewed “The Neuroscience of Change: A Compassion-Based Program for Personal Transformation” (Sounds True Audio, 2012) by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. and to Joan Calvert, Ed.D., LMFT, who reviewed “The Neuroscience of Human Relationships: Attachment And the Developing Social Brain” (2^nd Edition) by Louis Cozolino, PhD.

 Link here to read the Spring Book Reviews:  http://www.ctamft.org/ohana/website/?p=63905640.