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LAGPA Lives On
As Joni Mitchell (I know I am dating myself!) once wrote,
“you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”. Well
there were some of you that did not want to play that
one out. Because of a few dedicated colleagues, who
believed that losing LAGPA would have been a loss for
the mental health community, LAGPA has a working board.
The last Progress Notes made
it clear that without members stepping forward to serve,
we would see the end of an organization that has
provided Southern California with so much for well over
a decade.
Because of about eight licensed psychotherapists and
interns, the board has seen a rededication to the
purpose and goals of what LAGPA has stood for since our
creative and dedicated colleagues formed the
organization in the early 1990’s.
Because of individuals who are not using their busy
schedules and other commitments to get in the way, they
are serving us all. You have seen this in the
presentation of an Educational Forum, by Jim Walton,
PhD, at the end of May. You have seen this in the
cleaning up of the directory (still in progress) and in
the well-attended and successful social held at my house
on June10.
You have seen this in the successful conference held on June
24. In partnership with our sponsor, The LA Gay &
Lesbian Center, it was held at the Village at Ed Gould
Plaza. Five workshops were presented, LA City Councilman
Bill Rosendahl (while arriving late) spoke to an
enthusiastic crowd, and the catered lunch was by far the
best meal served up at any conference in 12 years.
While there were naysayer’s who told us there was not
time enough to pull this one off, this new board came
together and each taking a “piece of the action”, made
it happen. We even were able to get the CEU process
reset so Psychologists, MFT’s and LCSW’s alike are set
to receive those precious and needed credits.
We honored one of our own with a special award presented
posthumously to our friend and colleague, Brian Miller,
PhD, who passed in April after many years of living with
AIDS. He was a gentle soul, a good friend and an
inspirational colleague.
The conference even encouraged about 3 new members to step
forward and offer a commitment to serve on the board.
There is still room for more if any of you are willing.
We do need more women, especially.
To make up for the lack of Educational Forums over the last
year, our goal is to present 3 or 4 of them during the
summer months. These months are usually quiet times for
LAGPA, but watch for the announcements and attend. If
you have a desire to present a workshop, let us know and
we can get it scheduled, if it is a fit.
Our annual membership drive is moving forward. We hope you
will continue to support LAGPA, and the efforts in place
at this time, by renewing your membership and
encouraging colleagues to join or renew. If you have
been upset with us over the last year, we ask your
forgiveness and invite you to be part of the refocusing
process by staying a member and keeping our numbers
strong.
The board elections will also be coming your way by August,
as required by our by-laws. If you want a say in the
running of this organization, join the board. If you
cannot do that, your membership will assure you a spot
on our telephone tree. This is something that was a part
of the board’s procedure when I first became a member in
1995. It stopped being used a number of years ago. The
board wants you to know that there is at least one board
member that belongs to you, personally. You have and
will continue to get calls reminding you of events and
lending you an ear to listen to your concerns and
suggestions.
Also, and certainly no small item, we have Chuck Stewart
back and he is getting the administrative duties cleaned
up and streamlined so the board will have an easier time
serving you, the membership and the community.
Finally, on behalf of the entire board, I want to thank
all of you who have communicated, via email, telephone
and in person, how grateful you are to see LAGPA
continue. I cannot tell you how many of you wrote and
apologized for not being able to attend this event or
another, but thanked us for making them happen. It is
important that you are not silent. Let us know what you
want or need from your professional association. We need
to hear from you. Like anyone else, it is always nice to
know when efforts are appreciated. We want you to know
how much the board appreciates your standing by us and
understanding that any community based professional
association is only as strong as the commitment of its
membership. That means you. We
thank you for your continued support, understanding,
patience and friendship. •
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