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Meet The New Co-President
At the last Board meeting I volunteered to be the male co-chair. My bio: After 20 years of work as a Human Resources Manager in The Netherlands, I came to the USA for Primal Therapy in 1994 (as a patient), got my MA and PSYD, and my MFT license. I work in a clinic in Sherman Oaks, while I also volunteer two afternoons a week in the Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic as Assistant Clinical Director. I live in Santa Monica with my partner Jay.
I have been a member of LAGPA since 1997. I have been impressed with the Community Awards, the educational events, especially the annual conferences and the keynote speakers. Together with the two social events per year, LAGPA has given me a sense of community as well as valuable professional information. I was pleased that after finishing my dissertation I now have the time to serve on the Board.
Last year I was very impressed with the organization of the annual conference, especially the sponsorships that had been obtained. We intend to build on the progress that has been made in the last couple of years. As to the near future, we are planning our first workshop intended primarily as a fund-raiser, "Facing the Challenge of Liability in Psychotherapy: Practicing Defensively" by Dr. Larry Hedges on March 30 at Philips Graduate Institute. The six CEU’s that can be obtained are required every two years by the various licensing bodies. Please come and tell your colleagues, gay and straight, to sign up as well. On June 1, we are planning our annual conference at Antioch University in Los Angeles. Based on the theme: "Traditions and Freedoms," this conference will feature workshops dealing with the question of "Assimilation vs. Gay Soul." Don Kilheffner will be the keynote speaker. Please see ads for both events in this issue of Progress Notes.
The Board intends to have an event, educational or social, approximately every two months. At this point, we do not envision major changes in the type of events planned with the exception of our first fundraiser educational event just mentioned.
It is also the Board's intention to be more inclusive of the transgender community, both in terms of board membership and in the programs we provide.
I have been surprised how relatively unknown LAGPA is among many therapists, interns and students. We would like to see membership in LAGPA grow substantially.
Robbert Schalekamp
Co-President • |
