Last year we surveyed our "Making Maine Connections" eNewsletter Readers and asked a few short questions that helped us plan our successful 2011 Annual Conference.  Your comments expressed interest in Gottman Method Therapy and we got "An Introduction to GMT" with Dr. Joan Hoffman.

Let us know what you want this November.  Follow this link to a very brief survey and help us get started on the planning!

MEAMFT Conference Planning Online Survey 2012

In 2011 the AAMFT Membership voted to approve new membership categories that will be rolled out in 2012.  These new categories are intended to make membership in AAMFT more inclusive to other mental health professionals practicing family therapy.  More information about membership, and how other licensed mental health professionals with education and practice experience in family therapy can join, will become available in upcoming months.  MEAMFT will keep our MFT Members and "Friends" informed as the roll out occurs.  MEAMFT hopes that our current MFT Members and our "Friends" can benefit from this collaboration.  We hope that our current "Friends" will seek membership in AAMFT and through that membership become New Members in MEAMFT.

MEMBERS ~ The AAMFT Code of Ethics are being revised to reflect these new membership changes.  Your Opinion Matters.  Several AAMFT members have expressed concern about the wording of these changes and the long reaching effects that these changes in the code may have on the profession of Marriage and Family Therapy.  It is most important that you ACT NOW.  Your opinion is being collected by the AAMFT Board until January 31, 2012.  More information is available to Members by accessing the AAMFT Community.  Please take a moment to go to the AAMFT Community Web Page  LOGIN as a Member using your membership ID & password.  After you are logged in, come back to this email and  "click this link for summary" on the AAMFT website. Then go to the bottom of that summary page and "click" the blue print "Code of Ethics: Proposed Revisions" and you'll get the pdf of the document.  If you want to engage in discussion in the AAMFT Community, "click this link to participate" (you must be logged in).  If you want more insight into the concerns expressed by other AAMFT Members, while logged into the AAMFT Community, "click this link FMI" for a Member's blog posting which includes a letter sent to the AAMFT Board from past AAMFT Presidents outlining their concerns.  Members interested in voicing their opinion to the AAMFT Board can do that by following the email link available in the summary link, community participation link, and the FMI link above.

The MEAMFT Board realizes that this takes time and effort on your part, the Members, to login to the AAMFT Community as a Member, review the proposed changes, review what others are saying, and potentially email the AAMFT Board with your own opinions.  The MEAMFT Board values your opinion, the profession of Marriage and Family Therapy, and the inclusion of other licensed professionals practicing family therapy within the AAMFT. 

With your interest in mind, on Friday, January 13, 2012, the MEAMFT Board of Directors voted in support of the points raised by the AAMFT Past Presidents. 

Thank you to our Members for giving these proposed AAMFT Ethic Code revisions your consideration.

SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder is fairly common in northern latitudes.  Do you consider SAD when you work with your clients?  People with SAD have many of the signs of the normal signs of depression including: 

Here's a few web resources for your review:

WebMD has a good article with an overview of the disorder, diagnosis and treatment options. 

Yahoo Health has a Seasonal Affective Disorder Health Video that gives a good overview of the disorder and treatment options.

Sharecare.com share links to what the Cleveland Clinic, the Honor Society of Nursing, New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Dr. Jill Grimes is saying about SAD.  They also address a list of related questions and topics.