President's Message — Mishka Clavijo Kimball, LMFT, CAMC

Diversity at the Forefront

“The time is always right, to do what is right.”— Martin Luther King Jr.

February marked the start of Black History month, a time to remember, celebrate, honor and commemorate Black cultural heritage, excellence, and contributions to the world. It is also a time to reflect on history and social & racial injustice. Understanding Black history and learning more about systemic racism is essential if we want to see change in our country and in the world. Let us not forget the lives that were taken during 2020, such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many more.

As stated by the Black Lives Matter movement, “the spirit of Black History Month goes beyond achievement. It is also about remembering and demonstrating that our lives and contributions are creative, industrious, transformative and joyful.” In that spirit, I would like to remember and celebrate the following Black men and women:

• Cicely Tyson (1924-2021): award-winning actress, model, industry pioneer, and a “Queen” to be remembered
• Kamala Harris (1964-): the first female vice president of the Unites States and the first African American and first Asian American vice president
• Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005): the first African American woman in Congress (1968) and the first African American woman to seek nomination for president of the United States from one of the two major political parties
• Hank Aaron (1934-2021): civil rights advocate, philanthropist, and Hall of Fame Athlete
• Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays (1894-1984): college president, scholar, minister, and civil rights activist, spiritual mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

To all our Black members, we celebrate you and we honor you, not just during Black history month, but every day of the year. Always, we stand with you.

As the president of our chapter, I find that it is part of my responsibility to encourage us all, myself included, to further educate ourselves and to continue to learn about diversity and inclusion. As therapists, this is essential in order to provide culturally informed services to our clients and to uphold our oath of “do no harm.”

Our chapter is committed to continue becoming more and more inclusive and culturally diverse. Our Diversity Committee has done an amazing job at offering a Therapists of Color Support group, providing education during our monthly meetings and providing workshops on these very important topics. During December 2020, our committee offered their first official workshop with the topic “Implicit Bias: Tools to Heal, Build & Connect in the Therapeutic Community” and with a panel of diverse speakers we tackled the “elephant in the room.”

This is only the beginning, as we will continue to do more and to strive to do better, so that we can create an environment where everyone feels welcome. We will continue to have these conversations and to educate ourselves, so that we can contribute to the necessary CHANGE our society needs to embrace.

As I previously stated, let us continue to connect, support one another and heal together

 
Mishka Clavijo Kimball
President  
sfvcamftpre@gmail.com

Mishka Clavijo Kimball, LMFT, CAMC, is president of SFV-CAMFT. She is a bilingual, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, in private practice in Sherman Oaks and Woodland Hills. She enjoys working with adolescents, young adults, families, couples and Latinx clients. She has treated mood disorders, relationship conflict, grief, anxiety, trauma, and other disorders. She utilizes Cognitive Behavioral therapy integrated with a client-centered approach that focuses on body, mind, and spirit. Mishka is also a Certified Anger Management Counselor.