East Bay CAMFT upcoming events

Meditation In The Woods at Redwood Regional Park (Sunday, October 04, 2026)

Sun, 04 Oct 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Enact some self-care and meet EB CAMFT members by joining us for meditation in Redwood Regional Park.

Craig Toonder is coordinating this event. Please email him at ctoondermft@gmail.com with any questions about this event.

Logistics:

The meet up time will be 9:30am in the parking lot.
At 9:45am we will take a short 0.2 mile (4 min) hike from the parking lot to a grove of redwood trees next to Oakland Pal Camp.
Once we settle in, there will be a short introduction and then a 30-minute sitting meditation.
After the meditation we will have an optional “tea time” to socialize and get to know one another.
- After tea time, if people want to take a short hike, that will be an option for that as well.

What to bring:

Clothes - Bring layers with you because the Redwoods often have microclimates.
If there is fog the trees will drip water. So please bring a raincoat and warm clothes!
Bring something to sit on - blanket, tarp, zafu, kneeling bench, camping chair, etc.
If you want to stay for tea, the tea party is a “tea-pot-pot-luck-party”. Please bring your own mug, if you can, and tea to share, if you have a thermos. If you are a coffee drinker, feel free to bring that instead. If you only have a travel mug, you are welcome to bring tea for one.
Craig has two thermoses and will be bringing two types of tea. He also has 6 camping mugs. If you have extra travel or camping mugs, please bring them if you are comfortable sharing.

IMPORTANT WARNING
We have been having issues with Maps sending people to the wrong location. Prior to the event, please ensure that Maps is sending you to the parking lot 170 feet from the Chabot Space Center, and that the parking lot is between Oakland Pal Camp and Chabot. Both of these locations are on Google Maps.

Craig’s cell phone does not get service in the parking lot, so you will not the able to call him the day of the event.

Parking Fee: Free

Restrooms: There is a restroom at Redwood Bowl Picnic Spot 0.2 mile (4 min) away from where we are meditating.

Google Maps to the Parking Lot:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Redwood+Bowl+Staging+Area/@37.8167712,-122.1807599,18z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x808f87d7549c84c5:0xc6cbcd732657c5e0!8m2!3d37.8167699!4d-122.1799944!16s%2Fg%2F11bycfd3dt?entry=ttu

Written Directions:
From 24: Take 13 S. towards Hayward. Take the Joaquin Miller Rd/Lincoln Ave exit. Turn left onto Monterey Blvd. Turn left onto Joaquin Miller Rd. Turn left onto Skyline Blvd.

From 580 E: Take the Fruitvale Ave exit toward Coolidge Avenue. Continue onto Harold St. Turn left onto Champion St. Continue onto Lincoln Ave. Continue on Joaquin Miller Rd. Turn left onto Skyline Blvd.

From 13 N: Take the Joaquin Miller Rd exit toward Lincoln Avenue. Turn right onto Joaquin Miller Rd. Turn left onto Skyline Blvd.

Virtual Therapist Networking Lunch (Tuesday, October 06, 2026)

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 20:00:00 GMT

Other business owners are welcome!
Attorneys, coaches, nutritionists, etc.

Let’s connect, collaborate, and support each other! Join us for a relaxed virtual networking lunch with therapists and helping professionals across California. Feel free to eat during this event.

Connect and meet your peers.

Guests are welcome, too!

Zoom Link (no password needed):
Frances's Zoom Room

Questions?
Send a PM or text 510-424-2548 or

e-mail francesjonestherapy@gmail.com.

✨ Come meet new colleagues, share resources,
and expand your network!

Grief Medicine: Tending our Sorrows in Chaotic Times (Saturday, October 17, 2026)

Sat, 17 Oct 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Presented by Amy Hyun Swart, LMFT

6 CE credits. A light breakfast and lunch will be served.

Last day to register: October 10

In this experiential workshop, the presenter guides clinicians through an integrative exploration of grief - both personal and collective - drawing on somatic therapy, expressive arts therapy, and a social justice framework. Participants will examine how modern culture's left-brain dominance and grief-phobic tendencies can inhibit the natural grieving process. They will develop a richer understanding of the six core forms of heartache that underlie most manifestations of grief. Through hands-on exercises, embodied practice, and ritual, clinicians will build useful relational, somatic, and expressive arts skills to work effectively with grieving individuals and groups.

The workshop is designed to expand clinicians' practical toolkit and deepen their capacity to sit with grief - both in the therapy room and in their own lives. Participants will leave with concrete, applicable techniques: expressive arts interventions for individual work, somatic approaches to grief processing, and facilitation strategies for communal grief settings. By the end of the training, clinicians will be able to articulate the clinical rationale for grief-informed, body-based practice and will feel more confident and resourced as grief facilitators.

Presentation Goals

Understand why doing our own grief work as therapists benefits our clients

Learn about how the window of tolerance and somatic therapy apply to grief work

Learn somatic approaches to working with grief

Understand a variety of emotions woven into grief and learn exposure therapy techniques for companionship with grief

Learn the difference between grief and traumatic grief

Learn the importance of somatic awareness and examining the power (and detriment) of story telling in working with traumatic loss

Address social justice, collective/world grief, the value of grieving from an activism standpoint and cultural competency in grief.

Participate in a grief ritual to experience the power of being with grief in a group setting

Measurable objectives

Identify six core forms of heartache that underlie most manifestations of grief

Apply two somatic interventions for grief

Apply two techniques to facilitate grief in a communal setting

About the Presenter

Amy Hyun Swart, LMFT is a somatic and expressive arts-based grief and trauma therapist, group facilitator, educator, author, and visual artist. For over a decade, she has offered individual grief therapy, grief groups, gatherings, rituals, and trainings - both locally and virtually with clients around the globe. She has been under 1:1 mentorship with Francis Weller since 2017 until his retirement.

She is the illustrator of the children's book "Where is My Daddy" and a contributing writer to the anthology "The World Walks with You in Therapy".

Amy came to this work through her own experience of traumatic loss at an early age, and deeply believes in the transformational and healing power of group work - especially in these divisive and uncertain times. To learn more, visit amyswart.com, griefmedicine.love, or Instagram @griefmedicine.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Licensed psychologists, licensed social workers, licensed professional counselors, licensed marriage & family therapists, and pre-licensed professionals.

CE Credit Certificates

The course meets the qualifications for 6 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

East Bay Chapter of CAMFT is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (Provider #52488) to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. East Bay Chapter of CAMFT maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.

Note: Certificates of Completion will be awarded to participants who attend the entire workshop and complete the course evaluation.

Consider Joining East Bay CAMFT

We invite non-members to consider joining East Bay CAMFT.
Member pricing:
Licensed Membership/Community Partner Fee: $75/annually
Pre-Licensed Associate/Student/Retired Membership Fee: $50/annually

EVENT POLICIES

3000 Hour Club Meeting - In Person (Sunday, October 18, 2026)

Sun, 18 Oct 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Pre-licensed (associates and students in MFT and related programs) clinicians are invited to join the monthly 3000 hour networking group. Come share information about licensure processes, job opportunities, upcoming trainings, and more. This event is led by Pre-licensure Director Tanya Jacobs.

We look forward to seeing you!

Let's Go Hiking: Last Hiking Collab w/San Francisco and Marin CAMFT (Saturday, October 24, 2026)

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Please join us as EBCAMFT, Marin CAMFT, and SFCAMFT come together to enact some self care. Enjoy the beauty of the Bay and network with therapists across the bridge.

Join us on a loop through the Presidio! San Francisco CAMFT and Marin CAMFT members will join us on this collaboration. We will meet and start our hike at the Presidio Wall Playground Park. Look for the SFCAMFT banner. The hike includes the Ecology Trail, Mountain Lake, Cemetery and Golden Gate Bridge Overlook, Inspiration Point, and El Polin Spring.

There's usually plenty of free parking in the Presidio Heights neighborhood. If you prefer paid parking, there is parking available at the Presidio Golf Course.

Distance: 3.4 miles
Elevation: 463 ft
Dogs: allowed

Map of hike:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Mbp6YpAAnYEo4NcRA

Let's Go Hiking: Reihnhardt Regional Redwoods (Sunday, October 25, 2026)

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Enact some self-care and meet EB CAMFT members by joining us on a hike!

We will meet at 9:30am and the hike will begin at 9:45am. Cassandra Millspaugh is coordinating this event. Please email us at ebcamft@gmail.com with any questions. For day of hike issues or problems, please call Cassandra Millspaugh AMFT at 510-469-0729. (NOTE: there is little to no cell service, so if you are running late or can’t come please let me know beforehand if possible).

Meeting Place
We will meet at the last parking lot, Canyon Meadow Staging Area. (There are several lots if this one is full you can park at one of the prior lots and walk over)

Trail Options

Dogs are allowed on leash.
This is a 4 -4.5 loop with aprox. 450 ft of elevation. This is considered a moderate hike, there are some steep sections going up but the downhill is more gradual due to switchbacks. Please bring good shoes and poles if you use them.
Custom Loop Trail - Stream, Orchard, French, Chown, Bridle Trail
Estimated distance: 4-4.5 450ft elevation
Allow for 25 minutes/mile.

For Trail Map
https://www.ebparks.org/sites/default/files/maps/R%20Redwood_2020-9-15-1.pdf

Parking fee: none

Trailhead Directions

The trailhead (Canyon Meadow Staging Area) Stream trail is at the last parking lot (after you pass pay station (no fee required) at park entrance of Redwood Gate for Reihnhardt Regional Redwoods. Pass the fee kiosk and meet at last parking lot (there are other parking lots if this one is full).

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qDewipmUxydXjFtu6

Join us on the trail!

Therapist Peer Networking Group (Monday, October 26, 2026)

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Please join us as Natasha Griffin leads our
monthly networking group.

Connect and meet your peers.

Guests are welcome, too!

We'll see you there!

Treating Binge Eating with Self-Compassion: A Trauma Informed Approach (Saturday, November 07, 2026)

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Presented by Erica Thomas, Licensed MFT #77166

2 CE credits. This event will be recorded and made available to registrants for one year. If you cannot attend the event live, you can watch the recording and take a test to receive the 2 CE credits.

Last day to register: Friday, November 6, 2026

Treating Binge Eating with Self-Compassion: A Trauma-Informed Approach is a practical, research-informed training designed to help licensed therapists effectively address binge eating through the lens of self-compassion.

Grounded in the work of Kristin Neff, Paul Gilbert, and trauma-informed care, this workshop reframes binge eating as a meaningful coping strategy rooted in emotional pain and shame. Participants will learn self-compassion–based interventions to help clients move beyond cycles of self-criticism and secrecy toward greater emotional regulation, inner safety, and lasting healing.

This beginning-to-intermediate level training is ideal for clinicians working with disordered eating, chronic dieting, body image distress, or trauma-related emotional dysregulation. Through case examples, guided practices, and experiential exercises, participants will gain skills for introducing self-compassion in ways that honor clients’ protective strategies while gently expanding new ways of relating to food, body, and self.

The training also emphasizes therapist self-reflection, supporting clinicians in maintaining a compassionate stance when encountering stuckness, resistance, or countertransference. Attendees will leave with practical tools and language they can immediately apply to help clients reduce shame and cultivate a more compassionate relationship with themselves.

Presentation Goals

1. This training will provide therapists with a trauma-informed framework for treating binge eating using self-compassion-based interventions.
2. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how binge eating functions as an emotional coping strategy.
3. Participants will learn practical tools to help clients reduce shame, regulate emotions, and build a kinder relationship with food and body.

Measurable objectives

1. Describe at least three ways that trauma can contribute to the development and maintenance of binge eating behaviors.
2. Identify at least three self-compassion-based interventions that can be integrated into clinical work with clients struggling with binge eating.
3. Explain how self-compassion can reduce shame and self-criticism in clients with disordered eating.
4. Apply at least two trauma-informed strategies for introducing self-compassion practices to clients who use food as an emotional coping tool.
5. Describe at least two ways self-compassion practices can be adapted to support clients from diverse cultural, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds in the treatment of binge eating.

About the Presenter

Erica Thomas, MA, LMFT has over 15 years of experience supporting clients in healing from trauma, emotional eating, and disordered eating. She specializes in helping clients develop a more compassionate relationship with food and body, drawing from her training with Dr. Kristin Neff and her background in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Erica maintains a private practice in Rohnert Park and Lafayette, CA, and offers coaching and an online course to support individuals struggling with emotional eating. Her work blends evidence-based practices with deep empathy and a belief that healing begins with kindness toward ourselves.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Licensed psychologists, licensed social workers, licensed professional counselors, licensed marriage & family therapists, and pre-licensed professionals.

CE Credit Certificates

The course meets the qualifications for 2 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

Note: Certificates of Completion will be awarded to participants who attend the entire workshop and complete the course evaluation.

Consider Joining East Bay CAMFT

We invite non-members to consider joining East Bay CAMFT.
Member pricing:
Licensed Membership/Community Partner Fee: $75/annually
Pre-Licensed Associate/Student/Retired Membership Fee: $50/annually

EVENT POLICIES

3000 Hour Club Meeting (Tuesday, November 17, 2026)

Wed, 18 Nov 2026 03:00:00 GMT

We look forward to seeing you!

Therapist Peer Networking Group (Monday, November 23, 2026)

Tue, 24 Nov 2026 03:00:00 GMT

Please join us as Natasha Griffin leads our
monthly networking group.

Connect and meet your peers.

Guests are welcome, too!

We'll see you there!

EB CAMFT Volunteer Signups (Thursday, December 31, 2026)

Thu, 31 Dec 2026 08:00:00 GMT

EAST BAY CAMFT invites our members to sign up to volunteer to help with events, committees, or other volunteer opportunities!

Please register to add your name to our list of volunteers for EB CAMFT activities.

This is a great opportunity to get more involved with your chapter, connect with other therapists, give back to your profession, and make new friends by helping on an occasional or a regular basis with chapter activities and needs! You an select the category you might be interested in, and you will be contacted by a Board member when an opportunity arises.

Volunteer Categories are:

1. Help organize or work at an In-person event(s)

2. Volunteer for an EB CAMFT Committee

3. Volunteer for either of the above options

4. Volunteer for other occasional jobs

For more information contact: Sandy at admin@ebcamft.org.

East Bay CAMFT upcoming events

Meditation In The Woods at Redwood Regional Park (Sunday, October 04, 2026)

Enact some self-care and meet EB CAMFT members by joining us for meditation in Redwood Regional Park.

Virtual Therapist Networking Lunch (Tuesday, October 06, 2026)

Other business owners are welcome! Attorneys, coaches, nutritionists, etc.

Connect and meet your peers.

✨ Come meet new colleagues, share resources, and expand your network!

Grief Medicine: Tending our Sorrows in Chaotic Times (Saturday, October 17, 2026)

Presented by Amy Hyun Swart, LMFT

Presentation Goals

Measurable objectives

About the Presenter

CE Credit Certificates

Consider Joining East Bay CAMFT

3000 Hour Club Meeting - In Person (Sunday, October 18, 2026)

We look forward to seeing you!

Let's Go Hiking: Last Hiking Collab w/San Francisco and Marin CAMFT (Saturday, October 24, 2026)

Let's Go Hiking: Reihnhardt Regional Redwoods (Sunday, October 25, 2026)

Enact some self-care and meet EB CAMFT members by joining us on a hike!

Therapist Peer Networking Group (Monday, October 26, 2026)

Please join us as Natasha Griffin leads our monthly networking group.

We'll see you there!

Treating Binge Eating with Self-Compassion: A Trauma Informed Approach (Saturday, November 07, 2026)

Presented by Erica Thomas, Licensed MFT #77166

Presentation Goals

Measurable objectives

About the Presenter

CE Credit Certificates

Consider Joining East Bay CAMFT

3000 Hour Club Meeting (Tuesday, November 17, 2026)

We look forward to seeing you!

Therapist Peer Networking Group (Monday, November 23, 2026)

Please join us as Natasha Griffin leads our monthly networking group.

We'll see you there!

EB CAMFT Volunteer Signups (Thursday, December 31, 2026)

EAST BAY CAMFT invites our members to sign up to volunteer to help with events, committees, or other volunteer opportunities!

Other business owners are welcome!
Attorneys, coaches, nutritionists, etc.

✨ Come meet new colleagues, share resources,
and expand your network!

Please join us as Natasha Griffin leads our
monthly networking group.

Please join us as Natasha Griffin leads our
monthly networking group.