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.

 

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!

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.

Letter from the President: Thank You To Outgoing Executive Team Members and Directors!

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

Denise Parent, LMFT, President of CTAMFT

I would like to recognize that this month, we are bidding a fond farewell to the Executive Team and Directors who have completed their terms.  On behalf of CTAMFT, I would like to thank the following for their dedication and service to our organization.

• Susan Boritz – Director and Legislative Liaison, gave much time and energy to professional advocacy, coordinating the committee, traveling to Hartford when needed, working toward obtaining the LMFTA and implementing MFT in the schools, writing emails to legislators and mentoring people with insurance questions.
• Katherine Allen – Director and Marketing Committee Chair, who has been our own personal go-to IT and marketing specialist.  She has helped us greatly with our electronic newsletter and social media efforts, creating cohesive outreach strategies and supporting our Association Manager with electronic communication.  We are pleased to share that Katherine has agreed to continue to Chair the Marketing Committee!
• Mika Vinci – Our Student Consultant, who is a ball of energy and enthusiasm!  Mika has developed the student networking meeting with Student Rep Jessica Floyd, and added the idea of coordinating with mentoring professionals and supervisors. Mika and Jessica have designated and met with representatives from each of the five MFT programs and have represented student interests and concerns actively on the Board.
• Jessica Floyd – Our Student Representative will complete her term this year, but we hope will carry on the tradition of moving into the role of Student Consultant.

Thank you!

Letter from the President: AAMFT Restructuring Update

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

Denise Parent, LMFT, President of CTAMFT

At our recent conference, we received several questions about AAMFT’s Division restructuring process.  Most recently, you received a survey from AAMFT about this subject. The CTAMFT Board is receiving information at the same time as you are, so we are processing this as well. Our understanding is that this restructuring would change the state “division” structure, possibly replacing it with “chapters,” “specialty” groups, or regionalizing etc.

The short version, after the Board’s thorough review of the AAMFT documents and discussion, is that AAMFT’s goal is to find the correct organizational structure for AAMFT to a.) Participate effectively in the greater mental health delivery system (i.e., remain “relevant”), and b.) Offer high-quality member benefits in a “transnational environment.”

 

 

Issues AAMFT raised are as follows:

• Inconsistent member benefits across states based on the size of membership and local volunteer interest, create divisions that “have” and “have not.”
• The possible retirement of many of the current Clinical Fellow population means potential for substantial loss of dues revenue in the next 10 years.
• The new smaller cohort of “millennial” Clinical Fellows coming up are anticipated as being more diverse, nationally and globally mobile and tech savvy, with different needs –  possibly finding state division and council of division presidents structure bureaucratic.
• The cost of AAMFT dues are approximately twice that of sister organizations.
• Many states experience inconsistent interest and performance in division management issues like finance, conference event planning and legislative advocacy.

Connecticut has always had a reputation as a legislatively active, innovative and fiscally responsible division that can pull off a great conference. We strongly support student “millennials” through their travels to licensure and highly value our established clinical members of all ages. We believe that AAMFT has to have a strong national presence for important federal initiatives like Medicare, and items that cross over state lines, like interstate license portability. We also feel that there is an equally strong need to build local relationships for legislative and professional advocacy, as well as support members in strong networking/educational opportunities, new professionals mentoring, state-specific communications and “in person” contact.

AAMFT will convene a meeting with an Association Consultant and a task force with a mix of invited division leaders from larger and smaller divisions in August. I was told at the Division Leaders meeting in March that any decisions regarding this would depend on task force discussion and will take at least three years to implement. Victor Olsen, a Connecticut-based LMFT and a member of the AAMFT Board, has been invited to participate in the task force, while Nancy Knudsen, President of the Massachusetts Division, will represent the New England states and voice the needs of smaller divisions.

As a Board, we hope that we have struck a good balance in Connecticut and hope that there will be strong national and local presence in whatever new structure is chosen.  In spite of the lengthy material we have received from AAMFT, it is hard to speculate how this will roll out in Connecticut.  It seems that there is an inclination toward financial management and strategic planning taking place at the national, rather than local level, but we can’t be sure.

We will stay alert to the process and be vocal about promoting the field of MFT, which we see as the Association’s chief responsibility, both nationally and locally.  If you have further questions or comments, please feel free to email.  Our Board is preparing comments to submit to the task force at their August meeting and would be happy to hear your thoughts.

I look forward to hearing from any of you with questions or comments.  I can be reached at president@ctamft.org.

It’s Almost Here!

Trumbull Marriott

The 2014 CTAMFT Annual Conference: The New Brain Science of Connection

As MFTs, we are taught to consider all aspects of our clients’ lives. Most of our time and abilities are spent looking at the big/macro picture to work with our clients. How much do we know on the micro level of our clients’ internal experience in terms of brain processes?

Over the past decade, with the improvement of technology and understanding of what that technology tells us, information has become accessible. The more we can become familiar with these discoveries, the better this information can be used and applied.

This year’s conference “The New Brain Science of Connection” was designed to bring technical research data and implementation specifically to our field of practice. We are presenting six speakers who will offer this information in a compelling and engaging manner, in which you can use in your own practice. We’ve designed a conference that presents you with a range of opportunity to learn more about this exciting field and how we can use this knowledge as clinicians to treat our clients.

The Thursday April 24 afternoon keynote speaker is Dr. Kelly McGonigal, who has been named as one of Forbes.com’s “20 Inspiring Women.” Dr. McGonigal is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University, and a leading expert in the new field of “science-help.” She is passionate about translating cutting-edge research from psychology, neuroscience, and medicine into practical strategies for health, happiness and personal success. Last June, Dr. McGonigal gave her “stress confession” at TEDGlobal in Edinburg, Scotland. At our conference, Dr. McGonigal will feature the latest scientific thinking on compassion, including the psychology, biology and neuroscience of empathy, compassion and altruism.

On Friday April 25, we are thrilled to share that Dr. Lou Cozolino, Psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Pepperdine University, will be giving a keynote presentation in the morning titled, “Psychotherapy and Science,” as well as an afternoon workshop featuring “The Social Brain.” Recently Dr. Cozolino authored The Neuroscience of Human Relationships: Attachment and the Developing Social Brain. He will be bringing his expertise in this topic to this year’s conference attendees. Read a review about his latest published work. You will be able to purchase his books at this year’s conference, as well as attend a book signing on Friday.

Furthermore, we have lined up four clinicians in Connecticut who bring a unique perspective to this year’s conference, including Jeff Schutz, LMFT, who will introduce attendees to Neurofeedback (NFB), including a live demonstration. Karl Speirs, LMFT, will highlight the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) Model, on which EMDR therapy is based. Dr. Ingeborg Haug will explore the concept and aspects of mindfulness, aspects of its Buddhist roots and secular variations. Jayne Dean’s workshop guides attendees through a unique mind-body exercise with “Shake Your Soul: The Yoga of Dance.”

To learn more about each of the keynote presentations and workshops available at this year’s conference, please visit our Website.

You can register for Thursday only, Friday only or the entire conference online, or download a copy of the registration to mail in.

If you have any questions, please contact Shannon Eterginio at manager@ctamft.org.

We can’t wait to see you there next month!

Letter from the President – Happy New Year!

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

As we enter the New Year, I have been thinking about the communities our collective MFT “family” is embedded in. Last month, I attended fellow member, Nelba Marquez-Greene’s, “Love Wins” conference and admired the Sandy Hook families’ many initiatives to “Choose Love” and carry on the lives of those lost by developing strategies to strengthen communities everywhere.

The Ana Grace Project

At the Love Wins Conference, Neuropsychiatrist Dr. Bruce Perry talked about the importance of relational connection to survival, saying that optimal human conditions include having about 40 people in our extended relationship circle. He commented that many of our modern day problems have grown out of setting up social structures that create isolation and ignore the fact that humans are not naturally sedentary beings.

This led to me wonder how we as MFTs can more actively connect our “systems” with non-therapy initiatives, as well as join our colleagues in social work, counseling and psychology, to create a stronger community with a coordinated vision to support families? This lofty idea immediately drove me to check Facebook and watch a few minutes of HGTV, because it seemed to imply an enormous amount of work!

MFTs have always believed, at least in theory, that we are already, and always will be, interdependent beings. Possibly the work of connection is merely to remember that we are already connected, and as a social constructionist might say, act “as if?”

This would involve remembering to invite others to our MFT “party,” as well as to attend other, different gatherings to absorb the value they might add to our ideas. It could involve building relationships by committing to providing strong collaborative case management. In keeping with this, we have planned to explore neuroscience as a foundation and extension of our relational perspective at our April conference.

CTAMFT’s Board of Directors has spent a great deal of time reviewing the impact of the MHPAEA final regulations and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (see Susan Boritz’s article). We have also been discussing what a public relations campaign for MFT in CT might look like, as well as explore what Connecticut organizations and people influence mental health care delivery systems. This year, we hope to move into using these experiences (off the couch now!) in a thoughtful and productive way. You are welcome to join our efforts in whatever way you find meaningful!

Thank you for the many ways you make CTAMFT a vibrant association – by supporting us through your membership, encouraging others to join our membership, participating in CTAMFT initiatives or committees, attending our fall workshop, our spring conference or by shooting us an email when you have a thought or question! As we enter 2014, I wish us all at least 40 connections with friends, family and warm community.

Wishing you health and happiness in the New Year!

Legislative Update, January 2014

Susan Boritz, MA, LMFT
CTAMFT Legislative Liaison (legislation@ctamft.org)

Mental Health Parity, Affordable Care Act and Access to Treatment

MHPAEA Update
On November 8, 2013, the Obama Administration issued a news release announcing the final regulations/rules for implementation of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), which was originally enacted in 2008 and implemented under interim rules in July 2010.

By way of background, the purpose of the MHPAEA is to reduce misinformation and stigma about mental illness and addiction, as well as increase access to affordable mental health and addiction services. It’s designed to establish “parity,” or equivalence, between mental health/addiction services and medical/surgical treatment.

Specifically, if a group health plan includes mental health and addiction coverage; out-of-pocket costs, including deductibles, coinsurance and copayments must be the same. If the plan has out-of network benefits for medical/surgical treatment, it must provide equivalent out-of-network benefits for mental health/substance abuse treatment. For a full overview of the MHPAEA, please link here.

MHPAEA Final Regulations/Timing
The final regulations have taken into account research, as well as public input throughout the interim period. These rules prevent most group insurance plans from establishing reduced benefit coverage for mental health and addiction services than other kinds of health care services.

Link here to view the final regulations. Please note these final regulations were effective on January 13, 2014 (except some technical amendments – see rules for details). The mental health parity provisions of these final regulations apply to group health plans and health insurance issuers for plan years (or, in the individual market, policy years) beginning on or after July 1, 2014.

Affordable Care Act Expands on MHPAEA
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands on the MHPAEA by considering mental health and substance abuse treatment as one of its 10 essential health benefits categories, thereby requiring that it be included in all health insurance plans sold on the exchanges/marketplace.

In Connecticut, as most Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) reading this are no doubt aware, laws governing the sale of commercial insurance are made at the state level and vary considerably from state to state. This is particularly true with respect to mental health and substance abuse benefits.

Connecticut law provides for mandatory coverage for the “diagnosis and treatment of mental or nervous conditions, including alcoholism and drug addiction.” Policies cannot be sold without their inclusion. Information about state health insurance mandates and the ACA essential benefits provisions can be found here.

Despite the fact that Connecticut has among the most progressive laws in the country, Connecticut residents have nevertheless faced roadblocks when they have attempted to access care. In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shootings, such problems in the system have received considerable attention and criticism. In response, representatives from the insurance industry have teamed up with experts from the UConn Health Center to produce a “Tool Kit” to help consumers navigate the system.

Written in clear and accessible language, the toolkit guides the consumer through the process from contacting his/her insurance company, obtaining pre-authorization, and determining their out-of-pocket expenses. The Behavioral Healthcare Claims Toolkit is available here.

If you have any questions, or would like further information, please contact us at legislation@ctamft.org.

Resources:
• November 8, 2013 News Release Announcing Final Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Rule

• Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA)

• MHPAEA Final Regulations/Timing

• ACA 10 Essential Health Benefits

• State Health Insurance Mandates & ACA Essential Benefits Provisions

• Connecticut Insurance Department Behavioral Health Consumer Tool Kit

Elections Committee Update: Call for Nominations!

elections

Paula Levy, MA, LMFT

CTAMFT Elections Committee Chair (elections@ctamft.org)

CTAMFT’s Elections Committee is seeking Nominees for the following Board of Directors positions opening in September 2014.

• President-Elect (1-year term)
• Director/Legislative Liaison (3-year term)
• Director (3-year term)
• Director/Pre-Clinical Representative (3-year term)
• Student Representative (1-year term)

A detailed description of the responsibilities of each position is available here.

If you are interested in serving, or if you know someone who would be a great candidate, please:

1. Notify the Elections Committee (elections@ctamft.org) by Friday, January 31, 2014.
2. Complete and submit the 2014 Nomination Form by Saturday, February 15, 2014. The form can be downloaded here.

Election results will be announced at CTAMFT’s Annual Conference on Friday, April 25, 2014.

Please feel free to contact us at elections@ctamft.org, or contact Paula Levy, Chair of the Elections Committee at 203.803.9387 with any questions. We look forward to hearing from you!

Student Committee Corner!

Jessica Floyd, Student Representative and Mika Vinci, Student Consultant
CTAMFT Student Committee (students@ctamft.org) 

Pamela N. Griffin Scholarship Award
Would you like to attend the national AAMFT Conference in Wisconsin next year? Or perhaps this year’s CTAMFT Annual Conference: The New Brain Science of Connection?  Here’s how you can apply to receive either $500 for the national conference or full admission to this year’s CTAMFT 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 conferences.

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

1. One (1) award of $500.00 for the 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 two-day conference.

To receive awarded funds, recipients must submit proof of conference attendance (i.e., proof of registration and attendance).

Application Criteria and Procedures:

• Applicant must be a current MFT student in a Connecticut MFT program.
• Applicant must be an AAMFT Student Member (must submit AAMFT ID# on application).
• Applicant must have a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher (must submit scan or photocopy of current transcript or written proof from Department Chair or Faculty Supervisor).
• Applicant must complete Pamela N. Griffin Award Application Form.
• Applicant must submit a brief essay (250 words max.) describing goals as a future MFT and how the conference will enhance that goal.
• Applicant must receive a signature on the application form from their MFT Program Director or MFT faculty member.
• Final award will be made upon proof of registration and attendance to Conference (local or national).

Selection Process:

• The $500 award will be selected via a lottery, drawn at random by CTAMFT’s Board of Directors.
• For each of the $150 scholarship awards, one student from each of the five MFT programs in CT will be selected by lottery, drawn at random by CTAMFT’s Board of Directors.

Submit applications electronically to manager@ctamft.org.