This month we are doing an extra membership highlight to say thank you to three of our outgoing board members. Serving on a volunteer board requires a lot of time, energy, & passion. Without hesitation, these three gave all of that and more! We have all benefited from their dedication and efforts to our MFT community and will most definitely feel their absence on the board next year. Let's take a moment to hear from each of them...
Krista Merca (Pre-Clinical Representative & Chair)
What hats do you wear outside of being a WAMFT board member?
Outside of WAMFT, I am a partner, dog mom, sister, and community member. I love spending time building my private practice. Professionally, I am invested in advancing the field of sex therapy.
What do you love most about being an LMFT?
I love witnessing the change that I am able to see in my clients. Starting a therapeutic relationship with individuals and couples is a journey that is challenging, fun, and rewarding. I have a lot of appreciation for the field of Marriage and Family Therapy due to the systemic lens that it has provided. Finally, the community of LMFTs I have met and become in relationship to has been crucial to my personal and professional growth.
Where did you find your passion for getting involved with WAMFT?
I found my passion for WAMFT during my first quarter of graduate school at Antioch University Seattle. The student board member at the time "recruited" me to be on the student committee and I have not turned back since! WAMFT has supported me in having a supportive "home base" within the LMFT community.
What is next for you?
In this next step in my journey, I will be relaxing and shifting my energy toward my personal relationships. I am dedicating 2023 to my own self-care and rest to continue to fulfill my ability to be sustained in the field. This upcoming year I will be fully licensed and I hope to pursue my PhD in Clinical Sexology!
Do you have any advice to share with our WAMFT community in taking their own next steps in their careers?
My advice to our WAMFT community is to take self-care seriously. Our field needs the special work and experience that you provide.
Charity Laughlin (At-large Board Member & Legislative Chair)
What hats do you wear outside of being a WAMFT board member?
Mother, relationship and sex therapist, dog mom, friend, yogi, skiier, surfer, artist, & writer.
What do you love most about being an LMFT?
I love that I get to do such complex and rewarding work. Many days, I feel so lucky that I get to do this job of talking with people about the most sacred and intimate aspects of who they are: who they love, why they love, how they love. I also love that there is always something new to learn and some new way to grow--for instance, in the coming year I'm looking forward to getting deeper training in trauma work as well as Harry Aponte's Person of the Therapist Model.
Where did you find your passion for getting involved with WAMFT?
When I was a MFT student, a WAMFT board member asked me if I would help out with Mentor Day, and the rest is history. :) When I graduated, I decided to run for an open board position because, as an emerging professional, I wanted to get connected within the professional community in Washington. And...I have! This transition and ending comes with mixed feelings; I will be grateful for the hours returned to my schedule but miss the enrichment that my involvement with WAMFT has brought. Even though I am ending my term as Board Member and Legislative Chair, I want to stay connected. I'll remain on the Legislative Committee for a while and hang out at upcoming WAMFT events.
What is next for you?
Once I get caught up on sleep :)...so much! Focusing on clinical work: increasing my client caseload, pursuing EMDR or other trauma-focused training, becoming a state and AAMFT-approved supervisor. Being the best mom I can be to my two teenagers and miniature goldendoodle. Creating new connections and relationships. Doing more of the active things that help me feel strong and joyful: skiing, surfing, and yoga. Writing: maybe a therapy blog? Last but not least, learning how to use my new Instant Pot!
Do you have any advice to share with our WAMFT community in taking their own next steps in their careers?
Trust your own inner voice and guidance--your body, emotions, intellect, and spirit each have important messages for you. Take the leap. If you find yourself in a place that doesn't fit, you can adjust--very little in life is final. Find your own sweet spot between challenge and ease. If you're struggling, talk about it with someone. Have a vital, full life outside of being a therapist.
Michele Sullivan (Treasurer & Finance Committee Chair)
What hats do you wear outside of being a WAMFT board member?
I have an insurance-based private practice on the Westshore of Lake Union specializing in treating single-incident traumas and complex PTSD. My spouse and I adopted a 3-year-old Pit Bull rescue in April, so I now wear the hat of a dog trainer in training. I must say, the hat fits me quite well.
What do you love most about being an LMFT?
I appreciate that my systemic training allows me to make an impact beyond the individual sitting in my office. Throughout my career thus far, I can see the impact of my services on couples, families, and the communities in which they live and work.
Where did you find your passion for getting involved with WAMFT?
When I attended SPU's MFT Program in 2005 - 2007, I was fortunate to have faculty actively involved in AAMFT/WAMFT. My experiences as a student and pre-clinical member of AAMFT/WAMFT were inspirational and provided me with exceptional mentors that became (and still are) my professional family. In 2018, when I relocated back to the Seattle area from the Snoqualmie Valley, I knew volunteering with WAMFT would be a great way to reconnect. The personal and direct encouragement of Claudia Grauf-Grounds, Tess Wiggins-Goodfellow, Becky Cobb, Kimberly Slage, Laura Wallace, and Ethan Schwab shifted my interest from volunteer committee involvement to applying for a board position to running for the position of Treasurer.
What is next for you?
On a playful note -- my practice website! It has been very humorous these last three years to put so many hours into WAMFT's website and still have a one-page website for my practice. I am excited to resume offering consult/training groups in narrative therapy. I don't regret narrowing my focus to WAMFT and in-depth learning of EMDR & CIMBS during my board term. Still, I miss immersing myself in predominantly post-modern, social constructionist conversations. I will continue offering my skills and knowledge to WAMFT as a Past Treasurer (more of a behind-the-scenes consultant role).
Do you have any advice to share with our WAMFT community in taking their own next steps in their careers? Network, network, and then network again! This profession can be incredibly isolating if you let it. Please don't be afraid to ask for an outside opinion. Or if you are scared, please take yourself by the hand or hug yourself and ask anyway. And be persistent, even if you have to ask more than once. I would not be where I am professionally or personally if it weren't for all our fellow MFTs that had caught me when I stumbled, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with me when I was fighting injustice, and played with me when I needed to embrace parts of my identity outside of that of a giver/helper. I will use this platform to shout out Lynn Smythe, Kurt Johns, and Sean Orpen (and many others!).