• OAMFT Dissolution

    We wish to inform you that the OAMFT will be dissolving by the end of the year. The special resolution meeting resulted in dissolution with 39 out of 45 professional members voting in favour, surpassing the two- third majority required for dissolution.

    DISSOLUTION FAQs

    For your information, please read below about major themes discussed in the special resolution meeting.

    All remaining finances will be used to continue the incredible legacy that OAMFT started 50 years ago. Funds will be put towards further education in the field of Couple and Family Therapy in Ontario, in the form of two $1500 scholarships annually. AAMFT will manage distribution of these funds to Ontario students until the fund is depleted.

    The CCFT designation will no longer be recognized. Individuals with a clinical fellow designation with AAMFT can use the designation CF (Clinical Felow) instead.

    Please also note that McFarlan Rowlands Insurance Brokers will still be honouring discounted liability insurance for all Canadian AAMFT members. Current members can contact Heather Gimson by the New Year to discuss options further: hgimson@mcfr.ca.

    Please be patient with us as we navigate this dissolution process. We are here to support any questions or concerns you may have. Please send all inquiries to our admin team.

    Who We Are and What We Do

    The Ontario Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (OAMFT) is the professional association for the field of Marriage and Family Therapy in Ontario. We represent the most highly trained and qualified systemic therapists in Ontario who have specialized education and training in working with individuals, couples, and families. OAMFT is committed in supporting diversity, practicing inclusivity, and advocating for equity amongst our members, clients, and communities.

    Learn More

    The OAMFT welcomes you to attend our hybrid AGM & Farewell Conference!

    Date: Saturday, October 5th, 2024

    AGM: 9AM to 10AM (EST) (for current OAMFT members only)

    Conference: 10AM to 4PM (EST)

    Where: Hybrid Zoom and in person at Tyndale University 3377 Bayview Ave. Toronto, ON, Canada M2M 3S4

    Registration for the in-person event is now closed, but virtual registration remains open!

     

    AGM and Conference Schedule

    Starting at 9AM, we will be hosting our 2024 AGM for OAMFT members only. Light refreshments will be served.

    At 10AM Andrea Warnick, RN, MA, RP will be presenting on “The End of an Era: Navigating Organizational and Personal Goodbyes” Please learn more below.

    Lunch will be provided at noon.

    At 1PM, Pete Sandoval, LPC, MA, RP (Qualifying) will be presenting on “Vagus Nerve Regulation: Working Grief and Trauma out of the Body”. Please learn more below.

    At 2PM, we will take some time to honour and reflect on the milestones of OAMFT over the years, and past Presidents will be saying a few words.

    The conference will finish with time for networking and end at 4PM.

    Throughout the day there will be opportunities for the following:

    – Theoretical Understanding

    – Applications and Skillful Practice

    – Networking with Peers

    *NOTE: Only participants viewing the conference live on Zoom or in person are eligible to receive their 3.0 Hours Continuing Education Credits.*

    “The End of an Era: Navigating Organizational and Personal Goodbyes” – Andrea Warnick, RN, MA, RP

    Time: 10:00AM to 12:00PM(EST)

    Session description:

    Andrea is a Registered Psychotherapist and Registered Nurse whose passion lies in helping individuals, families and communities support people of all ages who are grieving a significant loss in their lives. With years of nursing and counselling experience both in Canada and abroad and a Masters degree in Thanatology Andrea brings to her work a rare mixture of medical and psychosocial expertise as well as personal experience navigating organizational goodbyes. Throughout this presentation Andrea will weave together grief literacy concepts with practical strategies that can be used to support participants as well as their clients through organizational grief and other significant life transitions. Space will be created to reflect on the impact that OAMFT has had on the lives and careers of its members, to process the goodbye, and to get curious about what the future holds.

    About Our Speaker Andrea Warnick, RN, MA, RP:

    Andrea is a Registered Psychotherapist and Registered Nurse whose passion lies in helping individuals, families and communities support people of all ages who are grieving an illness or death in their lives. With years of nursing and counselling experience both in Canada and abroad and a Masters degree in Thanatology (the study of dying and death) Andrea brings to her work a rare mixture of medical and psychosocial expertise. Andrea developed and teaches the 5 Day Certificate Program in Children’s Grief and Bereavement at SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health. She was also the lead content developer for KidsGrief.ca and KidsGrief for Educators. Once a month Andrea hosts a free monthly forum through Canadian Virtual Hospice, KidsGrief Q&A, where she responds to questions from families and professionals from across the country about supporting grieving children and youth. Andrea lives in Guelph, Ontario, from where she and Colleen Mousseau lead AWC Grief Support, a group practice of over 30 therapists who provide grief therapy across Ontario and grief consultation and education across Canada.

    Vagus Nerve Regulation: Working Grief and Trauma out of the Body” – Pete Sandoval, LPC, MA, RP(Qualifying)

    Time: 1:00PM to 2:00PM(EST)

    Session description:

    This presentation is an interactive exploration of how we experience emotional regulation in our body through stillness, movement, and the five senses. Interactive exercises will be done to explore these different areas, followed by a brief review of Polyvagal theory and a discussion of the embodied experience of emotional regulation. 

    From that foundation, we will explore how to utilize somatic awareness with the Polyvagal theory to support regulation thus offering a potential pathway for working through individual grief. These understandings will then be extended into the clinical practice, building capacity for both self and client care. A few regulatory exercises to support clinicians and clients will be offered for consideration.

    About Our Speaker Pete Sandoval, LPC, MA, RP (Qualifying):

    Pete Sandoval is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) and currently holds a license in the US as a Licensed Professional Counselor (Missouri). He earned his Master’s Degree in Community Counseling from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. He is also recognized as a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) by the National Board of Certified Counselors (US) and is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP).

    Pete specializes in working with adults with trauma issues. His clinical trauma experience includes developmental/attachment trauma, physical and/or sexual abuse, medical trauma, chronic pain/illness, and single incident trauma. He is trained in EMDR, a Master Certified Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) clinician, and is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP). A member of the CCPA and registered with the CRPO, Pete is originally from the US, and has 11 years of clinical psychotherapy experience from both non-profit agency and private practice. Pete is now located in Kitchener-Waterloo, and practices throughout Ontario at the practice Grand River Healing.

    Transforming the Ripple Effects of Intergenerational Trauma with Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) Webinar

    Date: Friday, September 27th, 2024
    Time: 12 – 1:30PM (EST)
    Where: Zoom

    Presented by: Leanne Campbell, PhD.

    *Live participants are eligible to earn 1.5 CEU*

    Purpose:

    The purpose of this webinar is to introduce participants to EFIT, Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy as it applies to those struggling with the echoes of trauma, with a focus on intergenerational trauma.

    Session Description:

    In this webinar, participants will be introduced to the transformative power and potency of emotion in impacting the ripple effects of intergenerational trauma.  Attachment science and an Experiential Humanistic approach offer a map that simplifies how we view and frame personal and relational trauma, and how we intervene across the three-stage therapy process.  The ‘experiential process-based assessment’ offers the therapist a window into the context in which clients live and have lived, including the intergenerational context, and helps chart the therapy course toward a felt sense of security with self and others – the pathway to symptom resolution and the antidote to trauma.

    Speaker Bio

    Leanne Campbell, PhD, is an international speaker, writer, trainer, and codeveloper of EFT-related educational programs and materials. She’s coauthor, with Susan Johnson, of the first basic EFIT text, A Primer for Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT): Cultivating Growth and Fitness in Every Client and is co-author of Becoming an Emotionally Focused Therapist: The Workbook.