I am a huge fan of systemic thinking and the ability of systemic thinkers to make a difference around the world. One of the foci of AAMFT this year has been to prioritize Eminent Influence. This idea is that we continue to elevate our standing in the world of mental health, and to use our prominent status to expand our influence, both within the United States and globally. We are making progress towards these goals, and I will highlight a few examples below.
Position Statements: You may be aware that AAMFT recently released a position statement on gun violence. Gun violence is a problem that has touched all our lives in some way. Sadly, it is another polarized issue with solutions hotly debated with little real progress made. It is my hope that key stakeholders will be influenced by our message of looking at gun violence through a systemic lens, strengthening relationships and connections between people, reducing bullying and loneliness, investing in early intervention and prevention, and taking a multi-pronged approach to diminishing gun violence. When we experienced a tragic gun violence incident at my university, Michigan State, one of the things that stood out to me was how quickly a tragedy turned into polarization, blaming, and finger-pointing, and how little coming together and connection occurred. While some measures were implemented, such as more cameras on campus and improved door locking, solutions addressing the root cause of the problem were lacking or not adopted. Systemic thinkers are experts at depolarizing situations and in bringing people together to solve problems, and topics like gun violence desperately need systemic solutions. The world would benefit from having more systemic thinkers at the table when it comes to these polarized topics. It is not only our thinking that helps move people towards solutions, but it is also our actions in the here-and-now. For example, it would help to have systemic interventionists engaged in think tanks aimed at solving social problems. We are skilled at keeping individuals engaged on the right topics, and we move solutions forward through simple but powerful skills such as reframing. I can think of countless times in the clinical spaces where I have been able to keep family members engaged in dialogue around very difficult topics, simply because I was able to shift the dynamics within their system through validation, listening, and providing plausible reframes. In this way, the meanings behind their polarizations shifted so that they were able to listen and come up with effective resolutions to their problems. We need to collectively continue to work in larger spaces to help bring reasonable solutions to difficult topics.
AAMFT will be putting out more of these position statements in the months to come. Our goal is to expand our influence through providing new ways of thinking about topics, especially where the prioritizing of relationships and connection would help, rather than resorting to solutions that privilege isolation and individualism.
Portability: Another way in which we have been increasing our influence in the US is through expanding the ability of MFTs to practice across state lines. This barrier has been a limitation for therapists and clients who would benefit from having access across state borders. The Access MFTs initiative has the goal of making all states portability-friendly. “A state is considered portability-friendly if it allows an MFT with a license in good standing from another jurisdiction to meet requirements for licensure by endorsement without unnecessary barriers” (Access MFTs website). Portability represents some of the most important work done by AAMFT on behalf of our profession, and in a few years, we have had great success in expanding provider access in 17 states. Four states obtained portability status in 2026 (Rhode Island was the latest), and we will add more states next year. Even though it costs money to have these sustained efforts across multiple states, expanding our influence by providing greater access to the work of MFTs will pay large dividends over time. Essentially, if you are licensed in one state, you will be able to be licensed in another state with little red tape.
Expanding our Global Influence: We have also made great strides in expanding our global influence. We want to attract global members and influence family therapy around the world. Recently, I had the honor of representing AAMFT at the Asian Family Therapy Conference in South Korea, and family therapy continues to grow in Asia. This conference was one of the best I have attended with fantastic speakers and thought-provoking discussions.
AAMFT recently launched a new membership dues structure aligned with the World Bank country income classifications. This change has the explicit goal of expanding access to membership by creating a more equitable dues model that reflects global economic differences and supports greater participation from professionals around the world.
Last year we had a Global Summit in Nairobi, Kenya that brought together speakers from Kenya, other African countries, and several other countries including the US and Canada. The second Global Summit will be in India in November this year. The goal of our global summits is to partner with local communities to generate enthusiasm for the field and to help local communities have access to systemic therapies. The Systemic Family Therapy Association – Kenya is a great example of an organization that has been strengthened through our collaboration. We are looking to go to Türkiye next year for the 2027 Global Summit.
Advocacy: AAMFT is the only organization in the world that is aggressively engaged in advocacy efforts for our profession. Our profession is continually under attack by numerous threats. It is not only our profession that is under attack, but also the rights of our clients to receive ethical care. While our advocacy efforts cost a great deal, we have made great progress in recent years in the advocacy arena. For example, in 2017, we won a lawsuit against the Texas Medical Association (TMA), which threatened to significantly water down our work. In 2022, we won inclusion as Medicare providers, with full implementation occurring in 2024. This was a full-court press advocacy effort that lasted decades! Most recently, we joined as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Department of Education. The aim of this lawsuit is to remove the classification of the MFT degree as non-professional. This classification restricts the amount of loans that students can take out to fund their degrees and represents a significant barrier to their education. We have had some initial positive outcomes on this lawsuit, and it is our hope that we will prevail. This type of legislation poses a grave threat to the ability of prospective MFTs, in that they will have difficulties in fully funding their education, something all of us have had to do to get our qualifications. There have been other threats, including to the Minority Fellowship Program, which continues to survive despite these challenges. I am afraid that there will be more threats and challenges to our work, and AAMFT staff are continually responding to threats. For example, in Michigan, my home state, Blue Cross Blue Shield changed its billing policies to not allow providers with limited licenses to be reimbursed, even if they are under supervision. This makes getting licensed a much bigger barrier to MFTs in Michigan. AAMFT has joined a group that is actively working to oppose this threat to the livelihood of new professionals in this state. The role of AAMFT in providing legal defense and advocacy for our field cannot be overstated. If AAMFT does not do this work, we are unclear who will step up.
In closing, I want to emphasize that all the above costs a great deal of money. Even though AAMFT has done well financially through wise stewardship of our limited resources, we continually need more to continue to be on the offensive when it comes to fighting the threats to our profession. I want to keep my challenge at the forefront that I put out last year—for each therapist to donate the proceeds from one therapy hour to the advancement of our field. Donate here to extremely important efforts like the Practice Protection Fund or to Portability efforts. These resources go directly towards helping our advocacy work, both in the US and internationally. The math is compelling. If 30,000 LMFTs gave $150 a year to advocacy efforts, we would have an additional $4.5 million that would be impactful in continuing to expand our advocacy efforts. This is a small donation that can have a large impact. You can also get involved with your state’s Family Team or improve your advocacy leadership by completing a certificate in Advocacy.
Thank you!
