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Board of Directors |
President Shawn LaRe' Brinkley, LMFT 818.285.8037
Shawn LaRe’ says her clinical experience and advanced training has allowed her to share, through speaking, training, and presentation, what she has learned with professional audiences throughout California as well as globally. She further indicates, “at “Living Loved” we pride ourselves in delivering client-centered therapeutic services and continuing to enhance our knowledge, keeping up with the latest developments in the psychological field. A non-traditional practice, Shawn LaRe’ and her team use art, music, mindfulness, energy healing, and live by a code of practicing cultural humility in the work. In 2022, Shawn LaRe’ was able to travel to Trinidad and Tobago to deliver her first TEDx Talk, entitled, “When the Fairytale Fades.” Her visual podcast, “B.O.S.S. TALK: Bold One-of-a-Kind Sensational Superstars airs on Facebook, Linkedin, and YouTube, Wednesdays at 6:00 pm PST. 
Past President Gina Balit, LMFT, ATR 818.533.1897
Gina is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Art Therapist. She works in a private practice setting in Woodland Hills, CA. Gina has a deep and life-long love and passion for children and art. She specializes in working with young children of divorce and abuse/domestic violence helping them heal from fear of abandonment in particular, but also trauma, anxiety, depression, and anger. She is bilingual in Armenian (western and eastern dialects) and is passionate about helping her community. She has extensive experience in school-based settings, as well as agencies, shelters, transitional homes, and group practice settings, running individual sessions as well as group sessions such as support, educational, parenting, emotional management, life skills, and art therapy groups. She has also worked with autistic children and has provided home-based Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). She has Domestic Violence and Grief and Loss certifications as well as trained in the Trauma Resiliency Model. Gina is also a graphic designer and a "techie" who is passionate about providing freelance marketing/advertising and bookkeeping services. She values being in leadership positions such as supporting other chapters like LA-CAMFT as their Co-Admin and SGV-CAMFT as their Web Admin, as well as being a Clinical Supervisor for the Free Clinic of Simi Valley. She holds a Bachelors degree from Cal State Northridge in Child and Adolescent Development with a minor in Graphic Design and a Masters degree in Psychology: Marriage and Family Therapy/Art Therapy. She is a forever coffee, blue, and Disney lover.
President Elect Daniel Hermosillo, LMFT 818.744.9551 Daniel provides psychotherapy to teenagers, men and veterans experiencing male issues, relational problems, trauma and depression. Women are also supported by having reparative experiences with a male therapist to overcome anxiety, depression, and trauma. The goal of therapy with me is to instill in you confidence, responsibility, autonomy, and empowerment to assist you in improving your quality of life and confronting the challenges life throws at you. Individual, couples and family therapy is provided through in-person or telehealth sessions in Encino, CA & Sherman Oaks CA.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Niousha Solemani, AMFT 818.390.0123
In her clinical practice, Niousha demonstrates a keen interest in the complexities of romantic and family relationships, acculturation, cultural awareness, sexual health, anxiety, and depression. Her commitment to fostering healthy connections and aiding individuals in navigating various life challenges is evident in her approach to therapy. Beyond her professional pursuits, Niousha finds fulfillment and balance in hobbies such as solving puzzles, enjoying comedy, experimenting in the kitchen, and immersing herself in podcasts. This multifaceted engagement mirrors her holistic perspective on well-being, emphasizing the integration of personal interests with the profound impact of mental health practices.
VP of Programs Jennifer Calderon, LMFT, LPCC 818.639.2213
In addition to serving on the SFV-CAMFT Board, Jennifer has supported the State-level CAMFT organization as a member of the Continuing Education Provider Approval Committee since 2017, and as a member of the CAMFT Certified Supervisor Program Committee since 2019. Since 2020, she has served on the board of Allied Cultures, a nonprofit organization that champions cross-cultural humanitarian initiatives centered around education, hygiene, & direct aid. In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family, and participating in self-care activities including horticulture, photography, traveling, and attending live music concerts.
VP of Membership Akane Takijiri, LMFT 818.447.9393
Akane is in private practice is in Valley Village and Beverly Hills. She offers in-person therapy and telehealth. She was supervised by a psychoanalyst for five years prior to becoming licensed and she is a psychodynamic therapist today. Akane is bilingual in Japanese and she is passionate about serving immigrants and BIPOC communities. She is also passionate about providing neurodiversity affirming care. Akane is neurodivergent herself and she is a proud parent of a neurodivergent child. She is active and involved in neurodivergent community. On her days off, Akane loves to take her son and his buddies to community outings and have some alone time in warm bubble bath.
VP of Marketing & Communication Walker Reade, LMFT, LPCC 818.815.7951
Secretary Stephanie Gonzalez, AMFT 626.373.0871
Specializing in working with interracial couples, Stephanie brings a nuanced and sensitive approach to help navigate challenges related to blending families and cultures. Simultaneously, they focus on working with individuals seeking vitality in their life, employing therapeutic techniques ranging from behavioral models to attachment-based approaches such as ACT, EFT, IFS, and Gottman Method. In addition to their clinical practice, Stephanie serves as an Adjunct Faculty Member at Pepperdine University, GSEP, and the University of La Verne in their Clinical Psychology programs. This dual role underscores Stephanie’s commitment to providing impactful therapy to clients and contributing to the education and development of future mental health professionals. With a comprehensive background in psychology and a mission to empower the next generation of therapists, Stephanie continues to make meaningful strides in the field.
Pre-Licensed Rep Sandy Rose, AMFT 210.373.3969
Her path to becoming a therapist was not immediately evident, as she originally earned degrees in the field of education, then jumped into the entertainment industry, then transitioned into the world of entrepreneurship and fitness, and finally pursued her interest in psychology. Today, she is passionate about relationships, sexual wellness, emotions, and authentic self-expression. In her spare time she likes to walk around her neighborhood, play board games, and dance. She is more than happy to chat with any pre-licensed members who are looking for support!
Member at Large (Hiking SIG Chair) David Eshleman, LMFT 310.906.0030
David Eshleman holds a Masters of Art in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University and is currently in private practice in Sherman Oaks, seeing clients both remotely and in person. David has a level one training in Individual Emotion Focused Therapy as well as a keen interest in Jungian and Archetypal psychology. He is also a student of philosophy, spirituality and mindfulness, integrating eastern and western perspectives in his therapeutic work. He focuses on helping his clients gain deeper awareness to reduce their anxiety and suffering, grow in relationship with themselves and others, explore values, meaning and purpose and, ultimately, to “Find Balance” in their lives.
Member at Large (Web Admin) Virginia "Ginny" Lincoln, LMFT 818.383.2727
Virginia holds a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management System Analysis. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business while working full time for Litton Industries / Northrup-Grumann as a Software Engineer. However, her sojourn in software didn’t start with Litton. When she was the ripe old age of 19, she secured a full-time position with Rocketdyne as a ‘Data Reduction Clerk’; that is of course, after passing ‘the’ rigorous math test (at the time she didn’t know it was suppose to be a difficult test to pass). She ended up being part of the organization (at Rocketdyne) that would develop, test and deliver the Rocket engines that would ‘land Man on the Moon.’ At first, when ‘data’ was collected, they would perform All ‘the’ calculations by ‘hand’ to report ‘the’ engine(s) performance. Then, in the mid 1960’s (Rocketdyne) acquired the second IBM 7094 to be produced and she was asked if she could ‘learn’ what a computer was and program it in ‘the’ language (assembly) of the computer. Again, she didn’t know she couldn’t learn ‘the’ machine and programmed many (as compared to today’s computers) computers — developing computer code and logic in the infancy of computers. When she left Rocketdyne in the late 1960’s, she found employment with Litton Industries as a Programmer (that’s what Software Engineer’s were call at the time). She stayed with Litton / Northrup-Grumann until my retirement in 2006. She worked on many projects while at Litton / Northrup-Grumann. Some of the projects even took me to foreign countries. She worked on a N.A.T.O. project which took me to Brussels, Belgium in 1989 and in 1999 she moved to Huntsville, Alabama (yes, she considered this a foreign country, too) working on a Missile defense contract. She returned to southern California in 2002 and worked on a project that took me to Egypt (yes, and visited the King Tut exhibit while she was there). Interesting note: while doing work on the military base in Egypt, she was ‘the only’ women that had ever breeched the All male environment of their military base. In 2006, the thought occurred to her, . . . “what am I going to do for the rest of my life (that is 'when I retire')?” She decided to return to school and earned an M.A. in Psychology from Phillips Graduate Institute, where she did some my traineeship and intern hours. Virginia also, completed some of her trainee and intern hours with the Valley Trauma Center (now called Strength United) and San Fernando Valley Counseling Center. While at the Valley Trauma Center, she specialized in caring for clients that had suffered Sexual Assault. After graduating from Phillips, she decided to continue her education and enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Pacifica Graduate Institute. She completed 2 years of their program and started her work on a Dissertation called “Born Soul Mates” — a project ‘looking at and analyzing’ what it means to be a ‘fraternal (dizygotic) twin.’ Virginia is currently in private practice in Granada Hills / Mission Hills specializing in recovery from Sexual Assault (of a women, children and men), any aspect of twining — being raised by someone who is a twin, being a twin themselves or struggling with raising twins and lastly, elder counseling (either the senior themselves and / or the children — very much bewildered by what to do with their senior and sometimes ailing parents). For elder counseling, she makes house calls (that means going to the seniors home, convalescent care or rehabilitation facility). Virginia’s other volunteer duties:
Virginia looks forward to seeing her 2 grown children and any or All of her 6 Grand-children (1 — 23-year-old (graduated last year with a double major - Neuroscience and Psychology), 1 — 22-year-old (graduated this year (2024) as a Math major and continuing her education with a MS in Electrical Engineering), 3 — 20-years-old (yes, one set of fraternal twins - Majors are Environmental Science, Marine Biology and English) and 1 — 18-year-old (will start this fall as a Psychology major at Virginia Institute of Technology (VIT)).
Member at Large (Sponsorship Chair) Shari Manculich, LMFT 818.694.3936
Additionally, Shari has a private practice with Association of Behavioral Health Specialists where she works with Victims of Crime and Kaiser mental health referrals. Additionally, Shari works as a Staff Clinician and Supervisor to an Associate at Early Life Child Psychology and Education Center. Shari's modalities are primarily Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Family Systems Therapy. In her spare time, Shari enjoys running, Zumba dance fitness, and has recently started practicing Yoga. Shari resides with her husband Mark, their Golden Doodle Zuko and their domestic, short-haired tabby cat, Shiloh.
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Shawn LaRe' 
Gina joined SFV-CAMFT in 2015 and immediately became involved in board meetings as a guest, as well as a volunteer for many marketing and advertising duties. She created the chapter's brochures as a mental health resource, translated them into Armenian, and began assisting in email blasts to the community. In 2016, she officially joined the Board and continued her mission to brand and give the chapter a voice — she created the annual, printed member directories and gave the chapter a new logo. She served in the VP of Marketing role for 6 years and was honored to complete her presidency in 2023. She's always eager to give the chapter and members a voice and to give back to the community that has helped her grow as a person, professional, and leader through the years. She also serves on the outreach committee, has served on the sponsorship committee, created the expressive arts special interest group, has been the current advertising chair for many years, and enjoys being active in our hiking group.
Daniel is a first generation American and a San Fernando Valley native. He joined the U.S. Army at the age of 17 and served in the army for 10 years. Daniel decided to continue to be of service by providing clinical counseling services to teenage boys at a school setting and veterans at multiple locations during his practicum. He then continued on to work with men experiencing anger, depression, trauma, and transitional stressors in a community mental health facility. Lastly, Daniel has been supporting individuals, couples and families in a private practice setting. Daniel received a bachelor's degree from SIU and a master's degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University. Daniel is certified in CBT by ACBT and utilizes mindful and Somatic interventions while conceptualizing clients through a family systems lens.
Niousha earned her Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute, driven by a profound passion for the realms of therapy and psychology. Within a group practice, she engages with a diverse clientele, offering support to teens, couples, individuals, and families. Niousha's foundational experiences include a traineeship at the California Family Center and the Family Services Agency of Burbank. 
Jennifer 
Akane joined SFV-CAMFT in 2022 and became involved in Diversity Committee. She officially became member at large in board in September 2023. She is excited to serve the chapter as a VP of Membership starting in 2024 and continue to be active in Diversity Committee. Akane enjoys connecting with other therapists and growing with them. Akane was licensed in January 2023 and she realized how important it was to lean into support network while she was studying for the clinical exam. She is eager to recruit more members to the chapter as a VP of Membership and create welcoming environment for the members.
Walker joined SFV-CAMFT chapter in 2023 and immediately began asking around to volunteer more for the chapter. She has a BA in Psychology from California State University Channel Islands, and received her MA in Clinical Psychology with an Emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University. Walker did her practicum with Counseling Partners of Los Angeles until 2019. Walker Began working at San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center as an Associate in 2019 and got DHM-LPS Certified in 2020. Walker worked their until getting licensed in 2022. Walker began working for Northridge Hospital Medical Center in 2022 for the Partial Hospitalization/ Intensive Outpatient program, and inpatient Behavioral Health, where she will begin supervising students and associates in 2024. Walker enjoys working with Depression, suicidality, Bipolar, and personality disorders.
Stephanie is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and has a Masters in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) from Pepperdine University, has been a valued member of our chapter since 2021. Beginning as the pre-licensed representative, Stephanie now serves as the Secretary, showcasing leadership and dedication within the organization.
Sandy is an AMFT working at a group practice in L.A. as a Sex & Relationship Therapist. She graduated from Pepperdine University with her M.A. in Clinical Psychology in 2023, after completing her traineeship at San Fernando Valley Counseling Center. She originally joined the SFV chapter of CAMFT to network with other therapists and learn more about the profession, and since then, her involvement in this organization has become a valuable part of her career journey.
David is our volunteer hiking special interest group chair and returning Board Member at Large. He became an active member of SFV-CAMFT in late 2017, drawn in by the amazing and supportive 3000 club, as well as the monthly hiking group. When David was offered the chance to become the new hiking leader, he was grateful to accept. David has continued to lead our members on monthly hikes, as well as offer unofficial hikes during the summer. In 2023, David co-founded the “Men’s Psychology Book Series Group.”
Virginia joined SFV-CAMFT in 2005. After attending workshops and trainings for many years and being the web administrator since the fall of 2018, she decided to joined the Board as a Member at Large in 2022.
Shari holds a B.S. in Business, Marketing, from California State University, Northridge, and an M.S. in Counseling, Marriage and Family Child Therapy, from the University of Phoenix. Shari has a business background in Consumer Packaged Goods where she previously worked for a large Fortune 500 Corporation. Shari is currently a School Based Therapist with William S. Hart Union High School District working with K — 6 Special Education and General Education students..png)
San Fernando Valley Chapter — California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (SFV-CAMFT)