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The San Francisco Chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (SFCAMFT) is the local chapter of your professional organization providing you with the opportunity to participate in advanced clinical training, practice building, professional development, networking, gaining referrals and the promotion of the Marriage and Family Therapy profession. (Click on "about SFCAMFT" or "the benefits of membership.")
SFCAMFT supports the right of same-sex couples to have legal access to civil marriage and to all its attendant benefits, rights, and privileges. SFCAMFT acknowledges that the denial of civil marriage rights to same-sex couples constitutes discrimination, and that such discrimination and prejudice have been shown to be detrimental to the psychological, physical, social, and economic well-being of individuals, couples, and families. SFCAMFT shall take a leadership role in opposing all discrimination in legal benefits, rights, and privileges against same-sex couples and encourages MFTs to act to eliminate all discrimination against same-sex couples in their practice, research, education, and training.
CAMFT Statement on Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE)
Approved March 9, 2012
The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) reaffirms its respect of human diversity, including gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.i CAMFT affirms that same-sex sexual attractions, feelings, and behaviors are normal and positive variations of human sexuality regardless of sexual orientation identity.ii
CAMFT acknowledges that current cultural prejudice about same-sex sexual orientation compels some clients to seek out sexual orientation change due to personal, family, or religious conflicts, or to better fit into some cultural and religious norms. CAMFT is concerned about children and youth, who are especially vulnerable to harm and who lack adequate legal protection from involuntary or coercive treatment and whose parents and guardians may not have accurate information to make informed decisions regarding the child’s development and well-being.iii
- CAMFT encourages mental health professionals to prevent bias from their own spiritual, religious, or non-religious beliefs from taking precedence over professional practice and standards or scientific findings in their work.iv
- CAMFT advises mental health professionals that do provide assistance to those who seek sexual orientation change, to do so by utilizing affirmative multiculturally competent and client-centered approaches that recognize the negative impact of social stigma on sexual minorities and balance ethical principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence (sic), justice, and respect for people’s rights and dignity.v
CAMFT further recommends that individuals ask direct questions about the mental health provider’s beliefs about same-sex sexual attraction and the effectiveness of their proposed treatments before engaging in a professional relationship.
This statement does not modify or amend any provision of the CAMFT Code of Ethics, or the findings and recommendations regarding SOCE issued by the CAMFT Ethics Committee, as adopted by the Board of Directors on January 9, 2011.vi
i CAMFT Statement: CAMFT Issues Statement Supporting Marriage Equality
ii American Psychological Association Resolution on Appropriate Affirmative Responses to Sexual Orientation Distress and Change Efforts (2009)
iii Id.
iv Id.
v Id.
vi CAMFT Board Adopts Recommendations of Ethics Committee: Does not Adopt Proposed Statement on SOCE
The SFCAMFT Chapter serves the community-at-large by providing you with access to professional psychotherapists who are trained to diagnose, assess and treat individuals, couples, families, children, and adolescents. Marriage and Family Therapists are relationship experts. We can help you to achieve more productive, happy and satisfying relationships, marriages, families and social lives. Our Marriage and Family Therapists can offer professional help with a variety of issues, including:
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Marriage and relationship therapy
Family, child and adolescent therapy
Divorce, mediation and child custody
Sexual dysfunction, desire & intimacy
Cross cultural relationships
Depression and anxiety
Life transitions
Substance abuse
Recovery from abuse or trauma
Chronic pain or illness
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Communication skills & conflict resolution
Parenting, single parenting, adoption
Personal growth and development
Lesbian and Gay relationships
Domestic Violence
Grief and loss
Self esteem, self worth and body image
Compulsive behaviors
Stress management
Sexual orientation and "coming out"
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Our goal is to help you attain a higher level of personal well-being, improve your quality of life, achieve
greater levels of happiness and satisfaction in your relationships. Our therapists work with individuals and
couples of all genders, ethnicities and sexual orientations. MFTs work in private practice, social service
agency hospital and school settings.
Members of the SFCAMFT Chapter provide free Crisis Response Team services, when traumatic events affect the
students and/or staff of the San Francisco Unified School District.
As a free community service, the SF CAMFT Chapter provides trained speakers who are professional psychotherapists.
The Speakers Bureau serves businesses, educational institutions, health service agencies and other community-based
organizations. Topics such as family life, work, relationships, health, transitions and professional growth are
typical. We would be happy to work with you to provide the appropriate educational service to your organization.
Call the Speakers Bureau at: (415) 273-1954
Click here to view upcoming Speaker's Bureau engagements.
SFCAMFT
1032 Irving Street, #441
San Francisco, CA 94122-2200
(415) 273-1954
24-hour message line for membership, meeting and newsletter information: (415) 273-1954.
Webmaster: Carol Gould, MS, MFT
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