GATHER AND LEARN OPPORTUNITIES
Activity: Scenic Hike at Hidden Falls Regional Park Location: 7587 Mears Place, Auburn, CA Date & Time: Friday, August 15, 2025 | 7:30 AM
Join us for a refreshing 3 to 5-mile hike through the beautiful rolling hills of Hidden Falls Regional Park. We will meet in the main parking lot at 7:30 AM and begin the hike shortly after.
This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with colleagues and peers in a relaxed, outdoor setting. Children and guests are welcome, as long as they are comfortable hiking 3 to 5 miles on moderate terrain.
Light refreshments will be provided at the conclusion of the hike. We look forward to seeing you there!
Contact: Diane Kato 916-316-5532 dkatolmft@gmail.com
Overview of Presentation:
Nature immersion is a deeply healing, transformative experience for many of us. Recent studies affirm this, showing that mindful time spent outdoors can profoundly increase our well-being. There are physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual benefits to time spent in nature. It slows us down, returns us to the present moment, soothes our nervous system, shifts our perspective, and connects us to something larger than our individual selves.
Ecotherapy is a process of healing and transformation through connection with the natural world. Although it is usually done outdoors, Ecotherapy can also be brought inside the counseling office in a variety of ways. Through experiential, metaphorical, and conceptual ways, nature can inform and guide therapy sessions, sometimes with surprising synchronicities. Being outdoors in nature offers us unique insights, growth, and renewal that aren’t available inside the four walls of our offices or online.
Join us in an afternoon of Ecotherapy, where you will experience these gifts of “nature as the co-therapist”, supporting your journey of healing and growth, and learn applications for clients in your own therapy practice, both indoors and outside.
Presentation Goals:
The goal of this program is for participants to be able to understand what Ecotherapy is, its benefits to clients, appropriate client populations to practice ecotherapy with, how to create a meaningful Ecotherapy experience, safety and legal concerns with Ecotherapy, and practical applications of Ecotherapy techniques indoors and outdoors. Experiential exercises in nature (from each participant’s remote location) will be the focal point of this workshop.
Measurable objectives:
At the end of the presentation, attendees will be able to:
1. Name at least 3 benefits of Ecotherapy
2. Explain the difference between "Walk and Talk" therapy and Ecotherapy
3. Identify safety considerations for outdoor practice of Ecotherapy
4. Conceptualize at least 2 indoor Ecotherapy practices
5. Know how to structure an Ecotherapy session in nature and identify at least 2 outdoor Ecotherapy practices
Speaker Bio:
Rev. Connie L. Habash, MA, LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, ecotherapist, yoga & meditation teacher, interfaith minister, and author of Awakening from Anxiety: A Spiritual Guide to Living a More Calm, Confident, and Courageous Life.
Over the last 31 years, she has helped thousands of students and clients overcome stress, anxiety, depression, and spiritually awaken. Rev. Connie is passionate about deepening personal growth and spirituality through nature. She creates a safe, heart-centered, nurturing space to awaken, grow, and serve the planet in her online community, Awakening Women of the Earth (AWE), as well as her other online programs, in-person retreats, workshops, private practice, and ecotherapy sessions in the San Francisco Bay Area. Discover more at her website: https://www.AwakeningSelf.com/
Webinar Description:
Working with minors requires an understanding of the laws and ethical standards that pertain to minor consent and the authority that minors, and/or others, have over the minor’s clinical information. Additionally, working with minors may involve the need to interact and share information with third parties. During this three (3) hour presentation, CAMFT Staff Attorney Alain Montgomery will review California minor consent laws and common issues related to the confidentiality of the minor’s healthcare information.
Educational Goals:
Participants will gain a better understanding of the applicable laws and the CAMFT ethical standards that relate to minor consent, the release of a minor’s health care information, and conflict of interest issues related to the treatment of minors. As a result of the workshop, participants will be better equipped to make informed and legally and ethically sound decisions when working with minors.
Learning Objectives:
TO REGISTER: https://www.camft.org/le-webinars
Event: Networking Lunch
Location: Old Town Pizza (Upstairs Patio)
510 High Street, Auburn, CA 95603
Date & Time: Saturday, October 4, 2025 • 12:00 PM
Join us for a casual and enjoyable networking event over lunch at Old Town Pizza! Take the opportunity to mingle with peers, exchange ideas, and make new connections—all in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.
Details:
Who’s Invited: Professionals from all backgrounds who’d love to expand their network or catch up with colleagues.
We look forward to seeing you there—come for the food, stay for the connections!
Presenter: Sara Jasper, JD, CAMFT Staff Attorney
California’s Medi-Cal system is complex and ever-changing. During this three-hour presentation, CAMFT Staff Attorney, Sara Jasper, will provide an overview of the Medi-Cal Behavioral Health system, including information about CalAIM and BH-Connect. Ms. Jasper will review Medi-Cal’s requirements for telehealth services, provider addresses and how providers who offer “remote-only” services can apply for an exemption from Medi-Cal’s place of business requirements. Ms. Jasper will offer practice tips and resources Medi-Cal providers may use to strengthen their recordkeeping practices in anticipation of audits. Finally, Ms. Jasper will offer general resources to support providers as they navigate the Medi-Cal system, including resources for those providing care to dual eligible patients and caregivers.
Participants will review the pathways to behavioral health care services within the Medi-Cal system. Participants will learn about the laws and policies that pertain to their work within the Medi-Cal system. As a result of the workshop, participants will be able to identify the requirements for rendering telehealth services and recordkeeping. The tips and resources provided will prepare and assist Medi-Cal providers with responding to audit requests. Providers will also be empowered by receiving resources they can use when addressing more complex issues such as billing for services rendered to dual eligibles or caregivers.
"Sierra Foothills CAMFT" is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization. PO Box 6891, Auburn CA 95604
Contact: admin@sierrafhcamft.org
Address: PO Box 6891, Auburn CA. 95604
