President's Message — Gina Balit, LMFT, ATR

Springing Forward

A hopeful year is underway. I’m two months into my presidency and am definitely trying my best to fulfill those “big shoes” that have been passed down to me. I strive to be open and vulnerable, while also reminding myself to be strong for and supportive of my team (aka Board of Directors) and community.

We’ve begun to see hope in action — welcoming back our annual “new beginnings” experiential in January and being able to connect in-person only. In February, the Board participated in CAMFT’s Chapter Leadership Conference. This is an annual conference that allows chapter leaders to connect and be inspired by other chapters while reflecting on our mission and goals, and learning new ways to build upon our chapter’s foundation. CAMFT has been hosting this conference virtually during the years of the pandemic, but this year, while still virtual, we were given the opportunity to get together as a chapter in-person and view the conference virtually. It was so wonderful to have that connection for a full day, while enjoying a nice breakfast and lunch, and learning ways to grow together. In fact, we even won the largest group challenge! We also won awards for outstanding leader, best Board management and best financial management.

My main takeaway from this year’s conference was to think of the Board as a team. This framework was one I already wanted to take on in my new role in leading the Board this year. High-performing teams have a shared purpose and goals; have a diversity of experience, knowledge, skills, capabilities, perspectives; and focus on collective results and outcomes versus individual ones. These factors impact the efficacy of a team and must be in place to create a sense of interpersonal trust and psychological safety. Research shows that trustworthiness is one of the most important factors in how we relate to one another. I'm proud to say we have a very diverse Board this year. It's important to me that we all get a chance to express ourselves and be heard so that we can move forward with a felt sense of trust and safety.

In March, we're planning to try a few new things to improve our hybrid meeting quality. We’re also taking on new, special events like a men’s book club and a cultural-awareness picnic. To come, we're planning to continue in-person-only events like our members luncheon and social networking, while continuing to offer lunch with a Board member, our diversity segment at membership meetings, and our pre-licensed and hiking, special-interest groups (there is hope that others will be making a return). We’re also hoping to continue collaborating with the LA chapter to offer a summer book club again this year, as well as a potential, diversity-committee collaboration. Please visit our website to find out more about our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and upcoming events.

To close, I want to highlight that National Volunteer Appreciation Week is April 16-22, 2023. Since 2019, we have been recognizing one chapter member each month (5 during this particular week) on social media for their service as a volunteer. Each of our volunteers gives the chapter hope and make us the strong, warm, inspiring organization we’ve become and continue to be. In November, I will list these individuals as we typically have a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at that time. I want to thank each and every one of you in advance!

With the season changing and daylight savings around the corner, let’s continue to “spring forward” and see what the next couple months has to bring!

Warmly,

Gina

Gina Balit, LMFT, ATR, is a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist and Registered Art Therapist working in private practice in Woodland Hills, CA. She is passionate about working with young children of divorce and abuse as well as supporting her Armenian community.