Virginia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

12/22/2025

Registration is now open for the 2026 Society for S*x Therapy and Research (SSTAR) annual meeting! This year's theme is "S*xuality in Connection: A Systemic Perspective" and early bird prices are available through March 1st, 2026.
For more information and registration, visit

S*xuality in Connection: A Systemic PerspectiveThe conference will explore how sexuality is shaped by interpersonal dynamics, relational contexts, broader systemic influences, and technology. Emphasizing the integration of cutting-edge research with clinical applications, we will highlight how polit...

12/22/2025

The 2026 “Benchmarking Telehealth Usage in Virginia” survey is open now through January 30, 2026! If you use telehealth to offer therapy to your clients, make sure to participate in this anonymous survey from the Virginia Telehealth Network. More information about the survey is available here:

As part of ongoing efforts to monitor the impact of telehealth on Virginia’s patients and providers, the Virginia Telehealth Network (VTN) conducts a periodic “Benchmarking Telehealth Usage in Virginia” survey of actively licensed health care providers across the Commonwealth. This research ef...

12/17/2025

What have you been working on lately? VAMFT is seeking presenters for next year, especially in February and April. Reach out to get involved -- We can't wait to learn from you!

12/15/2025

Quick read to stay informed!!

New borrowing caps for federal graduate student loans are scheduled to take effect in July 2026. Read our one-pager at the link below to learn how this will impact MFTs.
https://plus.aamft.org/one-pager-federal-graduate-student-loan-changes-impacting-mfts/

12/08/2025

Still time to register for the Palaver this Friday! Come connect with the VAMFT community as we discuss how to engage with our clients' and our own stressors this holiday season. 1.5 CEUs included! Register at https://vamft.wildapricot.org/events

📣 Registration is now OPEN for the next VAMFT Quarterly Palaver Discussion!

⛄Topic: Navigating the Holidays: Perspectives for Our Clients and Their Therapists
📆Friday, December 12, 2025| 12:00–1:30 PM
💻Live Online Event

We’re into the winter holiday season, a time that many religions/cultures hold celebrations that call for family gatherings to mark a shared occasion.
What issues are clients facing, relationally and individually?
- Stress – arguing?
- Trauma?
- Substance use disorder?
- Changing family constellations: post-partner/parent loss through death/divorce
- Special needs of family members: neurodevelopmental challenges; allergies; health; aging; dementia

We will review relevant literature, and discuss:
• Approaches and interventions you find most helpful (Boundary-setting, mindfulness, parts work, anger management)
• Self-management as we meet clients’ needs: Scheduling during the holidays; setting aside time for yourself and your needs (too many hours? urgent appointments? boundaries?)
Goals of this workshop:
• Review and discuss the research on the meaning of “holidays” and the literature addressing family process during the holidays;
• Consider the impact of family members’ various challenges on family gatherings and celebrations and how to help clients with anticipated stress;
• Therapist self-management: how do we attend to our own holiday plans/stressors as we help our clients? Empathy and processing versus countertransference? Meeting scheduling demands versus self-care?

✅ Free 1.5 CEUs for VAMFT Members!

Register online - You must be logged in to your account to register, as this event is Members Only!
🔗 https://vamft.wildapricot.org/events

Not a member yet? Join us today and start receiving member benefits:
🔗https://vamft.wildapricot.org/join

❓Questions? Reach out to information@vamft.net

See you there!

12/03/2025

🌟 This Giving Tuesday, help strengthen Virginia families and the people who support them!
🌟 Today, we’re inviting our community to come together in support of the Virginia Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (VAMFT). As a nonprofit organization, we at VAMFT are committed to advocating for Marriage and Family Therapists and expanding access to mental health care across our Commonwealth. 💙

VAMFT works year-round to:
✨ Champion laws and regulations that strengthen the profession of Marriage & Family Therapy
✨ Collaborate with state boards to expand access to quality mental health care for ALL Virginians
✨ Ensure MFTs are recognized as vital behavioral health providers
✨ Foster a compassionate, inclusive community where individuals, couples, and families can truly thrive

Our mission is only possible through membership and generous donations from people like you. Your support helps both our advocacy efforts and to build a stronger network of ethical, skilled MFTs who are dedicated to improving the quality of relationships and family life throughout Virginia. 🏡💛

🙏 If VAMFT’s work has touched your life—or if you believe in the power of strong families and accessible mental health care—please consider making a Giving Tuesday contribution today. Every gift, big or small, makes a meaningful impact.

👉 Donate today and help us continue this essential work. https://vamft.wildapricot.org/Donate
💛 Thank you for standing with us, supporting our profession, and uplifting Virginia families!

12/01/2025

Each month, we're highlighting one of our incredible VAMFT members! Reach out if you’d like to be featured or to nominate someone else!

Amy Reamer, LMFT, RPT-S is the Founder & Executive Director of Heart & Mind Therapy, a neuroscience-informed group practice serving children, teens, adults, and families across Central Virginia. A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Play Therapist–Supervisor, Amy specializes in developmental trauma, adoption, infant & early childhood mental health, and Polyvagal-informed play therapy. In 2021, she was recognized for her innovative contributions to trauma-informed, brain-aligned clinical practice as Virginia’s Play Therapist of the Year.

Amy is known for developing Safe & Sound in the Sand, a 12-session intervention that blends SSP with Sand Tray therapy to support nonverbal processing, regulation, and emotional healing. Amy trains clinicians in integrating nervous-system-focused work into therapy and oversees a thriving residency & supervision program for future LMFT, LPC, and LCSWs at Heart & Mind Therapy. She is committed to shaping the next generation of trauma-informed clinicians in Virginia.

She is the author of Toby the Tiger Tamer, a children’s book that helps kids, caregivers, and professionals understand the brain-body experience of dysregulation through playful metaphors. Amy also created the Tame Your Tiger™ Workbook, a brain-based framework for building regulation skills used in homes, clinical, school, and community settings.

Amy co-hosts the Regulation Revolution Podcast, where she explores emotional regulation, trauma recovery, and practical applications of neuroscience with fellow professionals, caregivers, and thought leaders. As a trainer and speaker she presents workshops on Polyvagal Theory, trauma-informed play therapy, and developmentally grounded interventions, including at the Fred Rogers Institute Education Conference. She is pursuing a PhD in Infant and Early Childhood Development at Fielding Graduate Institute.

Website: www.heartmindrva.com & www.regulationregulation.com

11/30/2025

📣 Registration is now OPEN for the next VAMFT workshop!
📍 Topic: Burnout: Exploration and Prevention for a Healthier New Year – Presented by Luc Watelet, LPC
📅 Friday, January 23, 2026| 1:00–3:00 PM
💻 Live Online Event – Recording will be available for those who can’t make it!

Burnout occurs when our stress levels move too high. A little stress is motivating. Beyond a certain threshold the opposite happens. Symptoms include: irritability, fatigue, lack of motivation, cynicism, and isolation. At the extreme it could lead to su***de. Burnout can affect all aspects of life: loss of interest in work, relationships, hobbies, etc. A systemic approach to burnout looks at the work environment. There can also be an individual responsibility: Part of the problem can come from the fact that many love helping others but are not very good at taking care of themselves, they are good at giving to others but not so much at receiving help. We’ll look at what is at the core of burnout and how to overcome it.

Workshop Goals:
1) To understand that burnout comes from disregarding warning signs: We are not just robots. The motto: “Mind over matter!” can go too far.
2) To see ourselves as human beings: Warning signs are important in getting to know who we are. There is gold hidden inside our burnout!
3) Learning to live in harmony with self: developing a healthy inner government.
4) Ultimately: rediscovering the freedom to be who we are in the world!

Two CEs are available with discounted rates for VAMFT members. Visit https://vamft.wildapricot.org/events to register.

Not a member yet? You’re missing out on discounted CEUs! Join us today: https://vamft.wildapricot.org/join

See you there!

11/18/2025

📣 Registration is now OPEN for the next VAMFT Quarterly Palaver Discussion!

⛄Topic: Navigating the Holidays: Perspectives for Our Clients and Their Therapists
📆Friday, December 12, 2025| 12:00–1:30 PM
💻Live Online Event

We’re into the winter holiday season, a time that many religions/cultures hold celebrations that call for family gatherings to mark a shared occasion.
What issues are clients facing, relationally and individually?
- Stress – arguing?
- Trauma?
- Substance use disorder?
- Changing family constellations: post-partner/parent loss through death/divorce
- Special needs of family members: neurodevelopmental challenges; allergies; health; aging; dementia

We will review relevant literature, and discuss:
• Approaches and interventions you find most helpful (Boundary-setting, mindfulness, parts work, anger management)
• Self-management as we meet clients’ needs: Scheduling during the holidays; setting aside time for yourself and your needs (too many hours? urgent appointments? boundaries?)
Goals of this workshop:
• Review and discuss the research on the meaning of “holidays” and the literature addressing family process during the holidays;
• Consider the impact of family members’ various challenges on family gatherings and celebrations and how to help clients with anticipated stress;
• Therapist self-management: how do we attend to our own holiday plans/stressors as we help our clients? Empathy and processing versus countertransference? Meeting scheduling demands versus self-care?

✅ Free 1.5 CEUs for VAMFT Members!

Register online - You must be logged in to your account to register, as this event is Members Only!
🔗 https://vamft.wildapricot.org/events

Not a member yet? Join us today and start receiving member benefits:
🔗https://vamft.wildapricot.org/join

❓Questions? Reach out to information@vamft.net

See you there!

11/13/2025

Free event! For those of you who work with military and veteran families, the Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University will be hosting The Thompson Forum in Arlington VA (and virtually!) on December 9th. Registration is required. More information about the Thompson Forum is available here: https://www.mfri.purdue.edu/2025-thompson-award-finalists/

We're thrilled to announce the five finalists for this year's Thompson Award! 🌟

Each finalist has been selected for their significant contributions to military and veteran family research. One of these five finalists will receive the Thompson Award, which recognizes the most important and innovative research studies on military and veteran families published in the prior year. 💡

💻Learn more about this year's finalists: https://ow.ly/pemr50XpHMx

11/06/2025

See you all tomorrow!

📣 Registration is now OPEN for the next VAMFT workshop!
📍 Topic: Working with Elderly Clients
📅 Friday, November 7, 2025| 1:00–3:00 PM
💻 Live Online Event – Recording will be available for those who can’t make it!

In this workshop, we will explore the common and unique experiences of an aging population in the therapeutic setting. As we discover myths, explore stage of life concerns, and work through particular challenges, we will deepen our understanding of how to care for clients who are navigating this phase of life.Workshop participants will:
1. Challenge common myths around aging.
2. Consider biopsychosocial aspects that impact therapy in an aging population.
3. Explore self-of-the-therapist attitudes as they pertain to aging in clients and self.

Two CEs are available with discounted rates for VAMFT members. Visit https://vamft.wildapricot.org/events to register. See you there!

11/06/2025

Today is National Stress Awareness Day, part of the International Stress Management Association (ISMA) Stress Awareness Week! This year ISMA's theme is "Optimising Employee Wellbeing through Strategic Stress Management"!

Many of us work with clients who are experiencing severe stress to the point of “burn-out.” The World Health Organization defines burn-out as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed – Read more here: https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases

It's a vicious cycle of unsupportive systems placing unfair demands on employees, leaving employees with limited time and energy to refill their physical and emotional tanks, leading to decreased effectiveness at work…The cycle continues. What do you do to support clients through burnout as a systemic therapist?

Too many of us are already aware: Therapists are at risk for burn-out, too! This meta-analysis (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212657022000253) explores the “severe professional and personal impact that burnout can have on therapists”. The authors of this article (https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpst0000261) explore how therapist burn-out can become an ethical concern, with research findings around the effectiveness of combination of individual and systemic strategies – and they even propose a model to prevent burn-out!

If you’re in a leadership position with therapists as employees (or interns, or residents, or independent contractors) how do you support effective stress-management for your team? How do you address common systemic workplace issues in your business structure? Does your workplace allow therapists to achieve the work-life balance they’re encouraging in clients? Let us know in the comments!