WAMFT wants to highlight members who are contributing to our Washington MFT community. Learn more from our Pre-Clinical Committee Chair, Krista Merca's Q&A with Jamie Coronato about her journey to becoming an MFT and her involvement with WAMFT.
Tell us about your journey to becoming a LMFT/LMFTA/MFT Student.
I became a CFT student after working in community mental health and advocacy for quite a few years. I'd known for quite some time that I wanted to take the extra steps to becoming a family therapist, but was intimidated by the time, money, and commitment that are required for a graduate education. It was 10 years after completing undergrad that, with the ongoing support of my partner and chosen family, I finally took the steps to become a CFT student.
What is your current occupation? [Just to clearly get what their jobs are.)
Wraparound with Intensive Services (WISe) therapist at Seneca Family of Agencies in King County
Why did you join WAMFT?
I was lucky enough to attend a university that highly encouraged students to join WAMFT right away. As a student, I didn't engage too much with WAMFT, but have found more and more how supportive this community can be, and how WAMFT can have a real impact on the work we all do as family therapists.
What committee do you currently volunteer with?
I currently volunteer with the Pre-Clinical Committee
What do you enjoy most about volunteering with WAMFT?
I most enjoy the community connections! I'm able to engage with others who are fresh in the field, like me. I've also been able to connect with folk who have been doing the work for a long time, and have a ton of knowledge and experiences to offer! This pushes me to grow as a therapist, and the connections also push forth progressive change in the field. As systems thinkers, in the Pre-Clinical Committee we spend time exploring ideas and actions that can push forth lasting systemic shifts and changes. I'm very grateful to be a part of this group!
Do you have any advice to share with the MFT community in taking their own next steps
This space has so much to offer, and you will get just as much out of it as you put in! None of us have to do this work alone, and WAMFT is a great way to build community, engage in training, and create systemic change all the way up to impacting legislation.