The AAMFT Blog

AAMFT Leadership Symposium Returns In-Person for 2023

AAMFT is thrilled to announce that registration is now open for the 2023 Leadership Symposium   (March 9 – 11, New Orleans, LA) and we are BACK IN PERSON! We have missed seeing you and we cannot wait to spend this time at this truly special event with you.  

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was just starting to unfold in the United States, the   cancellation of the Leadership Symposium was one of the first decisions AAMFT was forced to   make. While the subsequent virtual Leadership Symposiums have created their own magical   moments and offered us a chance to connect from all parts of the globe, there is a dynamic   synergy created by bringing together so many new and experienced leaders in one place. The in-person 2023 Symposium is designed to deliver that experience.

Some highlights include: 

•  A keynote by bestselling authors and researchers Jillian Peterson and James Densley, focused on their work around The Violence Project highlighting key ways we can play a part in how to stop a mass shooting epidemic.  

• An interactive workshop with musician Mary McBride highlighting her work with the incarcerated population in Louisiana. 
• Over 12 continuing education hours focused on leadership development designed to shape careers, overcome barriers, and make the MFT mark on society.  
• Tons of opportunities for networking and re-connecting with colleagues and peers including a brand-new community outreach project!  
• Approved Supervision Refresher course available as a pre-Symposium training.  

View the entire schedule, find location information, and register today at aamft.org/leadership! Attendance for this event is limited so don’t miss your opportunity to join us.  

We can’t wait to see you!  

Systemic Family Therapy Conference: Update for 2021

As was announced last year, in 2021 AAMFT will be launching a brand new event, the Systemic Family Therapy Conference (SFTC). Designed as a reimagined approach to the traditional AAMFT Annual Conference, the SFTC takes a holistic approach to the development and enhancement of family therapists. Just like our dynamic profession, SFTC targets three key areas:

• Enhancement of the systemic thinker as an individual focusing on personal and professional growth
• Development of cutting edge clinical skills and training to propel our profession forward
• Integration into vital community and institutional systems that shape our global society

Check out our FAQs below to find out more about this dynamic new event, how it will be launching in 2021, and how you can get involved!

When will the SFTC be held?

This year's SFTC will be November 10 – 12. With the ongoing travel and event challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our debut event in 2021 will be held online but we are truly excited about this. Our 2020 virtual online annual conference united a record number of attendees from every continent in the world and eliminated barriers for attendees to access vital systemic training. We learned a lot with that format and are excited to build upon it for 2021. The schedule will be built around timing to accommodate as many time zones comfortably as possible.

What will the format of the SFTC be?

SFTC will be true to its mission and spend time over the three day event holistically meeting all of the areas of training and development for systemic thinkers. SFTC aims to be the most comprehensive event for systemic thinkers starting with personal and professional development, moving into cutting edge clinical skills and training, and ending by examining the role of systemic therapy in our communities and institutions and their impact on our global society.

Sessions will employ cutting edge adult learning methodology with optimized timing and content delivery methodology, interactivity, and engaging presentation dynamics.

What is AAMFT's role with the SFTC?

AAMFT is the founding sponsor of the SFTC; however, we envision it growing to be a global partnership of key drivers in the systemic family therapy profession helping create a distinct voice and a training home for all systemic thinkers.

What will the cost of the SFTC be?

For this inaugural SFTC, AAMFT in its role as founding sponsor, will be significantly subsidizing registration costs for all AAMFT members to reduce barriers to attending. Registration for AAMFT Professional members will be offered at a 75% discount and Student members will be able to attend for free. Registration opportunities for prospective members and non-member attendees interested in systemic therapy will be available as well.

How can I be a speaker for SFTC?

AAMFT is launching a brand new speakers' bureau where MFT speakers and educators can highlight their areas of interest and unique presentation abilities and modalities. Speakers for SFTC and future AAMFT events will be selected. The AAMFT Speakers' Bureau will also be available for AAMFT engagement programs and other family therapy and mental health associations to access our dynamic MFT speakers. Interested in developing your profile? Keep an eye on the Family Therap-eNews for more information next month.

Are there going to be exhibition and sponsorship opportunities available for SFTC?

Yes! Send an email to marketing@aamft.org and we will add you to our list to receive information when it is available this spring.

AAMFT20: MFTs Changing the World + Special Announcement!

In a year filled with unprecedented challenges, MFTs have been an integral part of our society’s coping and healing efforts. From facing a global pandemic to the call for correcting systemic oppression, racism, and injustice, our members have been on the front lines of the pain being felt by others. And we know this hasn’t been easy for you.

In the face of these huge challenges, there have also been incredible moments for our profession. Many of our members have shifted their entire way of working, seemingly overnight, while continuing to deliver vital care – both to their clients and their families. In the midst of COVID-19 lockdowns, over 6,000 MFTs from around the world came together to share in our At Home series focused on how we can continue to impact change. Members also worked swiftly to re-imagine and author two issues of the Family Therapy magazine to focus on the pandemic and the struggle with racial injustice. In the U.S., through vigilant efforts, our MFTs in Medicare bill recently passed through committee and should later be heard by the full U.S. House of Representatives for the first time since 2009. We also continue to make incredible gains with the VA, including the passage by both the U.S. Senate and a House committee of Veterans mental health legislation.

There is so much being done to discuss, so much that we need to learn from one another in these times. And yet, one of our greatest opportunities to do this, together in-person at our Annual Conference, is another loss in a year that feels filled with unfulfilled and cancelled plans. However, I am confident that our re-imagined virtual Annual Conference, AAMFT20: MFTs Changing the World, (November 12 – 13) will deliver in so many ways.

And as a thank you to all who have worked so hard this year, AAMFT20 will be FREE to ALL current AAMFT members*.

That’s right – all you have to do is register and show up and you can share in this re-imagined experience! Highlights include:

• Keynote presentations by former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, one of the leading voices in mental health advocacy today, and a panel of MFT experts discussing the State of Systemic Family Therapy and the World.
• Breakout sessions that focus on a variety of clinical topics from couples to trauma and highlight key issues facing MFTs and their clients including anxiety, alcohol and drug misuse and abuse, systemic oppression, and more.
• An interview series highlighting MFTs doing good in our world with their work creating impactful change.
• Topic oriented tracks hosted by AAMFT’s Topical Interest Networks.
• Favorite events from our in-person conference, such as our Spotlight reception, re-imagined in a virtual space.

Each day offers space in the schedule to connect with your fellow participants, exhibitors, and presenters. Join together with your peers and colleagues from around the world as we discuss the clinical and societal impacts in our first ever virtual AAMFT Annual Conference.

Non-members registration rate is $150. Non-members who are students can contact us to receive a discounted rate. Interested in attending for free and enjoying all of the other great benefits of AAMFT membership? Sign up today to join AAMFT.

Review the schedule and register today at aamft.org/conference. And I will see you in November!

Tracy Todd, PhD

CEO, AAMFT

*Membership must be current as of November 10, 2020.

 

Thank you to our sponsors!

                   

MFT Virtual Hangouts: Connect with Peers

Virtual hangouts are available for AAMFT members to connect and check in to discuss coping and adaptation to COVID-19. This month’s hangouts will center around back to school, reopening for in-person client sessions, and practicing telehealth. Hangouts are intended to be an informal discussion time for members to share, check in, and support each other.

Space is limited to 10 participants to encourage familiarity and interaction. Hosted by Vanessa Bradden, LMFT. Click on a session to RSVP:

• Friday, September 18 from 3:00 – 4:00 PM Eastern
• Tuesday, September 22 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern
• Friday, September 25 from 12:00 – 1:00 PM Eastern
• Tuesday, September 29 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM Eastern

We encourage members to visit the Events Calendar to see a full list of all upcoming events, including hangouts and Interest Network events. 

An Update on AAMFT20 and Upcoming Events for MFTs

Dear Members and Friends,

It is a bittersweet moment today as I write to inform you that we will be cancelling the in-person 2020 AAMFT Annual Conference scheduled for November 12-15 in Orlando, Florida.

The impacts of the coronavirus pandemic have hit us all hard. We have been forced to re-imagine the way we work. Our lives and those of our clients have been stressed dealing with health concerns and care disparities, economic impacts, and disruptions to our daily lives and those of our families. And we are uncertain of when this all will end.

That pain is now being compounded by the recent incidents of racial violence and trauma being inflicted upon so many members of our AAMFT family.

Historically, the AAMFT conference has offered us an opportunity to come together and discuss our role as MFTs in impacting societal change. We have been able to engage and join with our peers to reinforce our commitment to one another. There is certainly a great sense of loss in cancelling our largest event of the year, possibly at a time when we need it most, but ultimately the public health and safety concerns and uncertainty for in-person events dictate we must make this difficult decision.

But much as each of our MFTs have risen to the challenges and continue to do the work that is so necessary right now, I want to assure you that AAMFT will rise to this call. Staff will be using the weeks ahead to re-imagine our event with our speakers and researchers to move into a virtual format integrating opportunities for us all to learn and engage with one another in the ways we value.

As we have seen from our meaningful At Home series and the richness of our MFT Virtual Hangouts, we need to connect with others in the profession. Our members have been doing amazing work during this time and I have never been prouder to be an MFT and I believe our work can truly impact vitally necessary change.

So I encourage you to save the date on your calendar now for our Virtual AAMFT Annual Conference, to be held during the week of November 9, when we will gather together as a community and learn and grow together. I can promise you this will not be an experience you want to miss! And with our event now more accessible than ever, I hope you will be able to be a part of it.

And in the meantime, consider joining us for these impactful, cutting-edge training opportunities AAMFT is offering this month:

• Special At Home Session with Brittany Packnett (Tuesday, June 9; 1 – 2 p.m. eastern): Join us as we welcome award-winning national leader in social justice, and 2019 AAMFT Keynote Speaker, Brittany Packnett for a special At Home session. As an advocate for urgent systemic change at critical decision making tables, and an appointed member of both the Ferguson Commission and President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, Brittany offers unique insights that MFTs can use to have courageous conversations with our clients about racism and systemic oppression. 1 CE will be offered.

• Virtual Advanced Clinical Institutes (June 25 – 26): Designed specifically for the advanced clinician and offered in our most intimate settings, the Institutes have been re-imagined to offer you two days of deep dives with some of the most cutting edge thinkers and trainers in our industry from around the world. Find out more at aamft.org/institutes

And as you continue to navigate these uncertain times, I would encourage you to check in often with our AAMFT blog. Recent resources such as our Resources for MFTs in a Racialized Climate and our Guide to Reopening Practices offer support and assistance. If you weren’t able to attend our At Home series sessions, recordings will be available for viewing throughout the summer. And if you are feeling a need to connect, be sure to join one of our Virtual MFT Hangouts to chat with other members.

 

Thank you for being a vital part of the AAMFT community.

Tracy Todd

CEO, AAMFT

Free Webinar: Online Supervision — What You Should Know

Join us Thursday, March 19 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time for a webinar on online supervision 101.

With the rise of telemental health, more therapists are switching to HIPAA-compliant video conferencing. You may know that online supervision (telesupervision) is now allowed for mentorship towards the AAMFT Approved Supervisor credential. And, depending on your state, some (or all) of your supervisee’s sessions can be done online as they work towards licensure.

If you’re looking for more information about online supervision, you can register for this free webinar exclusively for AAMFT members.

Click here to register!

COVID-19: AAMFT 2020 Event Status

Please see website for ongoing updates regarding AAMFT events. 

Update: It is with deepest regret on behalf of AAMFT, that we must announce the cancellation of the 2020 Leadership Symposium as well as our associated events: AS Refresher Course, Engagement Program Leaders Training Day, and Certificate of Leadership orientation scheduled for March 12 – 14. This decision to cancel is based on the latest developments of the spread of COVID-19 and came only after much deliberation and careful review of the CDC and WHO situation reports. While we are all extremely disappointed not to be moving forward with the event, we do not want to put our members or presenters into a potential harmful situation. We recognize that the timing of this decision may inconvenience you. However, please know that it was made out of deep concern for the health and well-being of you and your fellow participants.

AAMFT staff will be working together in the coming week to work on refunding registration fees for this event in full. We ask for your patience as we work through this process. In the meantime, please contact your travel agent or airline to cancel your flight and, if you are registered at the Camby or another property in the Phoenix area make sure to cancel that reservation as well. If your travel and/or hotel was booked by an AAMFT staff member, your AAMFT staff contact will handle canceling your flights/hotel and follow up directly with more information. Again, we apologize that we will not be moving forward with these events. Please do not hesitate to contact Dawn Berry, Director of Events, at dberry@aamft.org with any questions or concerns.

We are proceeding as planned with the following events:

• March 10 – 11: AAMFT Board of Directors Spring Meeting (Modified Schedule)
• March 16 – 19: Fundamentals of MFT Supervision: Airport Courtyard Marriott, Denver, CO
• May 13-17: Minority Fellowship Program Training Institute: Hilton, Arlington, Arlington, VA
• June 24 – 26: Institutes for Advanced Systemic Family Therapy: Marriott Resort Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, HI
• November 12 – 15: 2020 Annual Conference: Swan and Dolphin Resort, Orlando, FL

Cancelled and Rescheduled Events:

• March 12 – 14: 2020 Leadership Symposium: Camby Hotel, Phoenix, Arizona

Health Information and Resources:

In an effort to ensure our response to the Coronavirus is based in facts, not driven by fear, we are closely monitoring and reviewing guidance from global, federal and local health authorities to implement what is needed for the good of our event and our membership. Sources for this information include the following:

• Daily Situation Reports from the World Health Organization (WHO)
• How Coronavirus Spreads – US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Prevention and Treatment – CDC
• Guarding Against Stigma Related to Coronavirus – CDC
• Information for Travelers – CDC

We will also be adding several new health and safety measures for the event including: 

• Disinfecting registration counters continuously throughout the day. 
• Offering disinfectant wipes near touch screen technology and in each session room for podium and microphones.

We are encouraging participants to follow the guidance of the CDC for everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses. These guidelines include:

• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when sick.
• Cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

Questions or Concerns:

Email Dawn Berry, Director of Events at dberry@aamft.org.

 

2020 Leadership Symposium: Registration Now Open

Let AAMFT help you meet your personal and professional goals in 2020! The Leadership Symposium is an exceptional resource for MFTs who have leadership aspirations, or who simply want to expand their skills and practice to advance both their career and the profession.

The 2020 Leadership Symposium is in Phoenix, Arizona, from March 12-14. Register early for the lowest pricing.

Highlights:

• Keynote speakers who lead their fields and will provide higher-level insight and inspiration on topics of decisive actions, going from good to great, intersectionality, and reaching new generations.
• Expanded breakout sessions, submitted through an abstract and invitation process, ensure that there are more opportunities to hear from MFT experts, allowing you to tailor your experience.
• 13.5 hours of continuing education as an option for attendees while maintaining the highest value and lowest cost per hour available.
• Networking receptions and dining options to connect with MFTs at every level of experience and background.
• Approved Supervisor Refresher Course available as an add-on for those who need to renew their designation.
• Located in Phoenix, Arizona, a sunny city that unites the beauty of the desert with sophisticated urban amenities.

Visit the Leadership Symposium website to learn more about this event. 

The Role of MFTs in the Care of Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth and their Families

 

Join Daran for a webinar on affirmative care with transgender and gender diverse youth on Friday, March 1, from 3:00-4:30pm EST. Hosted by the Queer and Trans Advocacy Network. Register here.

Family support is a vital protective factor for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth who are at high risk for mental health concerns, particularly suicidality. We also know that larger systems like schools and communities are important buffers for young people as they navigate a world that often does not understand or validate their experience. Young people do better when they are allowed to express their authentic selves.  For TGD youth, it can be life-saving.

MFTs play an essential role in the lives of TGD youth. First, MFTs can help young people explore their gender identities and expressions. Gender affirmative therapy assumes that gender diverse expressions and experiences are normal, and therapists should validate, de-stigmatize and support this diversity.

Second, youth often require a letter of support from a therapist for a medical transition, making us gatekeepers in their transition. This means assessing levels of distress, exploring options around gender transition, supporting families, and advocating for the youth in school and community systems. It is important, therefore, for MFT’s to have a deeper understanding of gender identity development, the challenges that TGD youth face along the way, and to adopt an affirmative lens in therapy.

Finally, MFTs are in a unique position to work with families of TGD youth. Families come to therapy at various stages of acceptance and understanding of their child’s gender expressions. MFTs can assess and increase family members’ attunement to the young person’s identity and/or expression. Therapy is a place for families to process their own feelings and learn to accept, protect and support their child. Working with immediate and extended family members often becomes a central part of the therapeutic process.

By affirming gender identity and expression, advocating across multiple systems, and supporting family members, MFTs can help TGD youth live authentically.

 

Daran Shipman is a LMFT, a member of QTAN, and an expert in transgender mental health. Daran has a private practice in Syracuse, NY, where he specializes in working with transgender and gender diverse clients. He also teaches and supervises marriage and family therapy students at Syracuse University and delivers workshops nationally through PESI. Daran has published in peer reviewed journals on working with families of gender diverse youth.  His most recent article on the special considerations for transgender therapists in clinical practice and supervision was published in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.

Submit an Abstract for AAMFT19

Austin, Texas provides a perfect backdrop for hosting a conference featuring innovation in family therapy. AAMFT19 will be held in Austin from August 29 - September 1, 2019.

Abstracts that push the envelope in service delivery, training, education and policy development are welcome. Maybe your ideas will lead to some form of disruptive technology that invigorates attendees and radically alters the profession. Think big! During the week, maybe you will collaborate on a new model, technique, research topic or method while enjoying a music venue and catching the buzz of this highly ranked city. 

Submit your abstract by December 1, 2018. If you have questions concerning submitting an abstract, contact Alexander Hunt at 571-303-0114 or ahunt@aamft.org.