It’s Almost Here!

The CTAMFT Annual Conference is just days away!

On April 25 and 26, 2013 we are proud to bring you what we consider to be the best conference this country has to offer.

We have packed 2 days full of learning, networking and sharing, there is  something for absolutely everyone.

The beautiful Mystic Marriott helps make this 2-day event even more special.

Please contact any of the Board members if you have questions or need more information, and we look forward to seeing you there!

2013 Annual Conference and Meeting

It’s almost here!

2013 Annual Conference

Our 2013 Annual Conference is April 25-26.

Following a year of engaging our neighboring divisions in discussion about collaborating for growth opportunities, the Rhode Island division has elected to join us in hosting an expanded conference offering.

Our upcoming conference will encompass two days and feature multiple popular presenters including: Dr. Kenneth Hardy, Dr. Eliana Gil and Charlette Mukulka.

There will be new social and networking opportunities (hey Students – we mean you too!) along with special discounted room rates ($149!)  from the Mystic Marriott to enhance your visit and encourage overnight stays – but they will sell out so make your reservations now.

We are offering multiple ticketing options to accommodate various needs – even 50% off 2013 Annual Conference Non-Profit Registration for groups of 4 or more from agencies or non-profits.

And for those of you who were lucky enough to attend last year’s amazing Conference, this year is going to be even better!

As always, more detailed information can be found on our website at ctamft.org, or you can email us at manager@ctamft.org.

See you there!!

Letter from the President – Spring News

Spring Leadership News

Dorothy Timmermann, LMFT, CTAMFT Board President

“It’s a Brand New Ballgame,” was this year’s theme for the 2012 Spring Leadership Conference (March 15-18) in Arlington, VA. Division leaders from Connecticut joined the other divisions to discuss the new AAMFT membership categories, Code of Ethics, division bylaws updates, new technology, National Health Career Network, legislative issues, media training, and more. The event was full of valuable ideas and we are excited to share them with all of you. Highlights from the discussions will be presented during the CTAMFT Annual Conference and Meeting, Friday, April 20th, and a summary will be posted on CTAMFT.org as part of our Annual Report late April.

Want more involvement in the discussion? Please consider joining your CTAMFT Board of Directors in welcoming AAMFT Representatives and other Regional Division Leaders at our local “Innovations that Work” networking event, Thursday, April 19th, from 6-8pm at the  Mystic Marriott. For more information, please email us at CTAMFT or call 203-254-1748.

Also save-the-date, AAMFT’s Annual Conference will be held on September 13-16th at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC. The theme is “Women: Evolving Roles in Society and Family.”

Annual Conference Update

There is still time to join friends and colleagues at this year’s Annual Conference being held Friday, April 20th at the Mystic Marriott. Registration is open for another two weeks and the Conference Committee is aiming for 350 in attendance. For some added fun, drawings will be held for the next three days to award “Red Door Spa” prizes to new conference registrants. So don’t wait, register today and you may be a lucky winner! The Red Door Spa located at the conference hotel is also offering attendees 20% off all services and complimentary makeup refreshers for Thursday and Friday. Enjoy some self-care and call today to book your appointment: 860-446-2500.

Michele Weiner-Davis

This conference features a wonderful line-up of Speakers Presentations offering up to 7 Continuing Education Credits to Full-Day Attendees. We are also offering a Half-Day Ticket to those who wish to attend only an Afternoon Workshop, Poster Session and Career Fair. Speaker presentations for the day include: “It Takes One To Tango: Doing Couples Therapy with Individuals” by Michele Wiener-Davis who is our keynote presenter. Dr. Krista Wells will provide a “Therapist Self-Care” presentation following our Luncheon. Afternoon Workshop offerings include: Dr. Tammy Nelson presenting: “Sex & Intimacy; Treating Couples with Desire Discrepancy and Sexual Dysfunction,” Dr. Rosalyn Dischiavo presenting: “From Work to Play: Reinforcing the Partner Bond by Re-Framing Pleasure,” and Michele Weiner-Davis presenting: “Affairs: A Step by Step Approach for Healing from Infidelity.” Further details and registration is available on CTAMFT.org.

Please join us!

Student Networking Event

A FREE Student Networking Event follows the Annual Conference on Friday, April 20th, from 5-7 in Conference Room 7 at the Mystic Marriott. Please email Steven Fabius for further details.

Regional Collaboration

The Rhode Island Division is offering an exciting spring seminar entitled “Let’s Talk About Sex!” to be held on Friday, May 11, 2012, at the North Beach Clubhouse in Narragansett, RI. Details and registration is available at RIAMFT.com.

Free DSM-5 Seminar

On Wednesday, April 18, 2012 from 11:30-1:00, Silver Hill Hospital is offering a free 1.5 CEU Grand Rounds presentation of an in-depth look at the new DSM-5: a Critical Overview. Presented by Michael B. First, M.D., Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, this presentation will cover some of the major changes, implications and controversies surrounding the DSM’s revisions. At the end of the program, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the major proposed changes to the DSM-5
2. Review the nature and specifics of the DSM-5 controversies
3. Evaluate the need to balance risks vs. benefits in making changes to the diagnostic system

Space is limited. To register visit Silver Hill Hospital’s website or call (203) 801-3443.

Loving Relationships

by Katherine Allen, MA, LMFT

The New York Times has run some very hopeful pieces lately concerning the importance of loving relationships in our lives. As we already know, marriages are on the decline, but I do not believe that is an indication of the importance of love, connection and interconnectedness in our lives, quite the contrary in fact.

First, there is the article titled, “The Brain on Love” by Diane Ackerman. In this piece she very hopefully summarizes that even in the face of terribly troubling childhoods that may even have been bereft of safe attachments, that the brain is capable of being “rewired” to a more positive outlook through the development of a loving intimate relationship. She references research, also pioneered by Sue Johnson, of a spouse’s touch having the ability to reduce negative stimulus reactions when there is a safe, loving bond between partners.

Secondly, in “Forging Social Connections for Longer Life”, columnist Jane E. Brody shares a poignant reflection of her own journey, 2 years post having lost her husband of 44 years, in which she concludes that,  social connectedness had a greater influence on survival than heart drugs. She reflects from John Robbins book, “Healthy at 100”, in study after study, people in loving relationships with spouses or friends were healthier than those lacking this intimacy, even when the latter had healthier living habits.

So no matter what your marital status, the importance and impact of healthy, loving relationships, bonds, attachments, or whatever one may wish to call them, is far greater than we may yet know.

“Who I’m Following”

To help CTAMFT members become more comfortable with social media and networking, we are going to start a monthly piece called “Who I’m Following” where either Katherine Allen or another Board member will share a piece of their online social world to help dispel some of the fear for others.

This month, Katherine shares some of her insights about LinkedIn, the popular professional networking service.

LinkedIn is a web site which acts as a online resume cum professional networking center. On it, individuals can post professional histories and accomplishments in a personal profile (see, for example, Katherine’s profile), as well as post opportunities for those looking for work, or look for new opportunities themselves. An accurate and complete profile can be used to let both clients (potential and current), as well as colleagues, know your background and skills. Because LinkedIn is so popular–over 58 million members in the U.S., and about 150 million worldwide–it can be a cornerstone in the promotion of an individual therapy practice, and an essential tool in personal career building.

LinkedIn also has Groups: like-minded individuals who share tips, ideas, resources, etc., in an online forum. As a rule, LinkedIn Groups are aimed at professionals who want to share thoughts, experiences, and questions with their peers. A LinkedIn Group is generally more formal than its comparative “free-for-all” equivalent on Facebook or Twitter, which mental health practitioners can find more appropriate and appealing. Even as a LinkedIn personal profile is viewable by the public, LinkedIn Groups are peer-to-peer oriented.

Katherine belongs to several LinkedIn Groups, including United States Mental Health Professionals-Members Only Group, NAMI, Mediators and Peacemakers, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Professionals, Addiction, Abuse, Trauma Recovery Strategies and of course, Connecticut Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Groups have either open or closed membership–often, closed groups can be preferable because membership is vetted by the group’s moderators, and the discussions are similarly scrutinized. You can usually browse some groups’ current topics to see if it is suited to your interests. When a group’s moderators require prospective members obtain their approval, they are basically trying to keep out people intent on misusing membership to sell products or otherwise “spam” other group members.

Groups all have a daily or weekly summary option; you can choose how often you’d like to receive e-mail, if at all, related to member activity (messages, discussions, etc.) in a group. Typically members pose a question they may have, and then look to colleagues for supporting advice and views. In therapy-oriented groups, the discussions often concern tough cases, with members offering support to one another in the use of emerging models and approaches. Help in practice growth and organization is another popular topic.

Joining both LinkedIn and some of its wonderful groups is a safe and simple way for a therapist to get more involved in social networking. Active participation in a group is optional, and a group member can “window shop” to get a sense of  a particular group’s tenor before jumping in more actively.

Letter from the President—Spring Ahead!

Spring Ahead!

Dorothy Timmermann, LMFT, CTAMFT Board President

Mystic Marriott

Spring is a time when the energy around us seems to be renewed and our work often benefits from that collective energy. Your CTAMFT Board and Staff find ourselves moving at a fast pace with multiple priorities and exciting happenings. You have already heard much about this year’s Spring Conference and we are excited to report that we already have over 100 of our members registered to join us! We will kick-off the conference on Thursday evening with “Innovations that Work,” a special regional networking event with our AAMFT colleagues Tracy Todd, Director of Professional and Public Affairs, and Past President Linda Schwallie. Later that evening we are offering a free movie screening of the new documentary film, “After Happily Ever After”, a funny and thought-provoking look at what drives most Americans to marry in a lifetime and how some of them make marriage work. John Gottman, Betsey Stevenson and Stephanie Coontz all weigh in on the subject, along with an engaging group of long married couples. Spend the night at the beautiful Mystic Marriott and wake up refreshed for the Spring Conference on Friday, April 20th, 2012.

Also during this time of year, AAMFT hosts the Spring Leadership Conference and once again Connecticut will send delegates to participate on our behalf. Meetings have been set with key legislators on Capitol Hill with an emphasis placed on parity and gaining Medicare coverage for services provided by MFTs. A critical meeting will also take place with AAMFT to discuss the possibility of elimination of the USDE requirement for COAMFT accreditation and how that will need to be worked on a local level. Other local legislative issues are also at the forefront of our work and we will continue to update you all on issues and progress along the way.

Each spring, the CTAMFT Elections Committee is also busy seeking candidates to serve us in numerous Board of Director positions. Shortly you will be receiving E-Voting information so that you can help elect those positions in your member category. We are enthused about this year’s quality candidates and excited about welcoming new members to the Board.

So let’s all spring ahead together! Thank you for your continued support and involvement with CTAMFT.

Enhance Your Value as a Knowledge Worker
Macdara MacColl, CTAMFT Editor

You may have heard the phrase many times: Knowledge Economy. People from President Obama to elementary school teachers have adopted the mantra that we must prepare ourselves to compete in a Knowledge Economy. What you may not have realized is that you, as a marriage and family therapist, are already a knowledge worker in that vibrant economy. Think about it: as MFTs, the coin of our realm is knowledge—our training and experiential knowledge that allows us to work with the myriad constrains and challenges facing our clients.

As clinicians, you also know that your knowledge is not fixed. You didn’t stop learning once you gained your degree or license. On the contrary, those achievements marked a beginning of your growth and development. You’ve been innovating every day of your professional life—trying new interventions, shifting your therapeutic stance, collaborating with different systems.

In a Knowledge Economy, innovation is crucial. But so is collaboration. In fact, the economist who first proposed the idea of a Knowledge Society, Peter Drucker, articulated a radical idea when he first wrote about the topic in the 1950s. In a traditional capitalist economy, competition is key. Businesses jealously guard their secrets. But in a Knowledge Economy, Drucker argued, collaboration is as important as competition. We must share our knowledge and insights because shared innovations beget more innovations. When we share what we know, we all benefit.

“[I]n a knowledge economy we have a world that revolves around the trading of ideas, knowledge and innovative insights,” said Ron Young, Chief Knowledge Officer of Knowledge Associates International Ltd.

CTAMFT Networking

On Thursday April 19, CTAMFT clinicians have an opportunity to enhance their value as Knowledge Workers and increase the value of our profession as a whole by participating in “Innovations that Work,” an evening of collaboration and sharing of our knowledge.

Join us at the Mystic Marriott and share what’s worked in your practice; what interventions have you created; what collaborations with schools or mental health providers or businesses have enhanced your systemic reach; what marketing techniques have brought clients through your door. As Knowledge Workers, we all benefit from shared innovation, so join us for a rich and rewarding evening of information and inspiration.

 

Promote Your Practice at the Annual Conference

image courtesy Playlist.com

We are very excited to present this year’s CTAMFT Annual Conference, April 20th at the Mystic Marriott with keynote Michele Weiner-Davis, internationally renowned relationship expert. We also have wonderful afternoon speakers including: Dr. Tammy Nelson, sex & relationship expert, and Dr. Rosalyn Dischiavo, founder of the Institute for Sexuality Education, Enrichment & Enlightenment. There will be a Self-Care presentation midday with Dr. Krista Wells, plus the Poster Session and a NEW Career Fair. There is an opportunity to earn 7 CEUs for the day. We anticipate a great crowd this year.

We are seeking those who may be interested in promoting their practice, agency and/or services directly to the attendees. We have a special offer for those specifically providing services to couples to sponsor a table at our luncheon with your business name or logo and a brief synopsis of your offerings that will be marketed through signage on the tables. This table sponsorship will also include a business-sized ad in our Conference Program. We have a limited number available so this is offered on a first-come basis and the cost is $95.

Please email Wendy Haggerty for further details. Also attached you will find other opportunities to promote your business at the Annual Conference.

For more info & online registration, please visit CTAMFT.org

Thank you,
the 2012 Annual Conference Committee

The Board on the Road!

On the road again!

CTAMFT Board members met this past Friday on the lovely and welcoming campus of CCSU in New Britain, CT. It was great to network with students new to the program and with colleagues with long years of service.

We would like to remind all CTAMFT members that even if you can’t make one of the CTAMFT Board “meet and greet” sessions, please let us know your ideas, your needs, hopes and wishes. We are here to help you!

Please send your ideas, questions, inquiries to the CTAMFT Marketing & Communications liaison, Katherine Allen at this email.