News

Community Notes As we look back over this past, most difficult year, it is gratifying to see that while it has been a time of many challenges, it has been a time of opportunity as well.

Community Notes As we look ahead to our Raising Healthy Families Community Education Series, we are very pleased to offer such an exciting line-up of expert presentations on matters of importance to families and community members.

Community Notes When we say that Community Institute for Psychotherapy holds the “safety-net” for Marin, what do we mean?

2020 Community Education Events Announced We look forward to our third annual Raising Health Families Community Education Series taking place in March 2020. Once again co-hosted by the Marin County Office of Education, the three evening events will be held at the San Rafael Community Center. All events are free, but attendees must register at…

A Busy Year: Looking Back on 2018 Mental health continues to be a major issue in our community, as it is throughout California and the nation. At CIP we are seeing increasing demand for services for more severe cases.

Community Notes In recent months, the impact of mental health and illness has sparked a national dialogue. We at CIP welcome the opportunity to underscore the essential message that underlies CIP’s mission.

2019 Raising Healthy Families Topics Announced This coming spring, CIP and the Marin Office of Education will co-host our second Raising Healthy Families community education program. Presentations by noted Bay Area experts will offer tools and strategies to empower parents, educators, and other community members to help raise children who are curious, compassionate, and resilient.

How do we go about creating an inclusive community where differ- ences are valued amd respected? How can we respond to our children with intention and compassion? What can we do to keep children safe and connected in this digital age?

In the schools, we see unprecedented levels of serious mental disorders, including cutting and other self-harming behaviors. The schools with which we work have turned to us with new urgency, requesting increased services for students in school. This is a priority for CIP in 2018.

On March 3, 2018, CIP will present Raising Healthy Families: Connection, Compassion, and Community, a day-long conference for parents, educators, professionals, and other community members. Co-hosted by the Marin County Office of Education, the event will bring together experts from throughout the Bay Area to address some of the critical challenges facing our families today.

Guest speaker Mary Jane Burke, Marin County Superintendent of Schools, spoke movingly about the importance of mental health services for families and individuals, from both her personal and professional experience. As Superintendent of Schools Mary Jane has been an outspoken advocate for preventative and counseling services in the schools, such as those provided by CIP…

For those dealing with the pain and distress of poor mental health, the path to healing may seem impossibly long. Yet a single, courageous step—a call to Community Institute for Psychotherapy—begins that life-changing journey.

In this issue of Community Notes, we are very pleased to introduce five new members of the CIP community: Administrative Manager Juli Walsh; Assistant Clinical Directors Galia Schechter, PsyD, and Alex Thomas, LMFT; Director of Schools Project Sue Kessner, MS, LPCC; and Director of CIP’s Eating Disorders Program, Nicole Laby, LMFT.

CIP Board and staff attending the 23rd Annual Heart of Marin Awards Thursday, January 7, 2016, could not have been more proud and delighted when it was announced that CIP Board President Lynn Lent had won the “Excellence in Board Leadership” Award from the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership (CVNL).

When we say that CIP is a “safety net” for our community, what do we mean? CIP is here to help. Each year our quality, comprehensive mental health services enable hundreds of families and individuals to overcome problems and regain the ability to enjoy full and meaningful lives. Our doors are open to all. With…

What does it take to make sure there are quality, accessible services available to enable troubled families to end conflict, struggling students to focus and learn, and adults to overcome challenges and enjoy productive, fulfilling lives? The answer: “A community that cares!”

When difficult questions arise, Marin families and individuals in need turn to CIP for answers. It seems my husband and I never stop arguing. Why can’t we talk to each other anymore? Suddenly my 10-year-old is acting out and misbehaving. What’s going on with him?

We are pleased to announce openings for new clients interested in short- and long-term counseling and psychotherapy, thorough assessment, adult support and therapy groups, and psychological testing. Our comprehensive services for couples, individuals, and families are available on a sliding scale fee basis. Private insurance, MHHS Medi-Cal and Partnership Health Plan/Beacon are accepted.

It was a Loving Spoonfuls first! Two returning challengers, chef Aaron Wright of The Tavern at Lark Creek and David Haydon of Il Davide Restaurant, came away with the first place awards in both the People’s Choice Awards and the Expert Judges’ Awards for their superlative entries in the soup, appetizer, and dessert categories!

Your gift can make the difference . . . Dear Friend, We are excited to share with you the many accomplishments* made possible through the support of community members like you. This past year, because of that support, CIP has been here to help hundreds of families, couples, children and adults experiencing psychological and emotional…

At the start of the training year, CIP has openings for new clients interested in short- and long-term counseling and psychotherapy, adult support and therapy groups, and psychological testing. Our comprehensive services for couples, individuals, and families are available on a sliding scale fee basis; private insurance and Medi-Cal are accepted. Counseling is provided by…

On a bright and sunny afternoon, more than 300 foodies, friends and families flocked to the Mill Valley Community Center to enjoy CIP’s third annual Loving Spoonfuls:

Day after day, CIP clinical staff carry out some of the most important work imaginable: replacing emotional pain and distress with healing and hope, changing lives for the better, and making a lasting difference that ripples outward into homes, classrooms, workplaces, and beyond.

In this newsletter we are pleased to introduce two outstanding clinicians to the CIP community, Mark Edwards, MS, LMFT, Assistant Clinical Directory, and Anne Khalifeh, PsyD, Director of our Eating Disorders Program.

Sabrina Guthrie is the newest member of the CIP Board. Without wasting any time, Sabrina volunteered to serve as chair of CIP’s Annual Giving campaign. Many readers will recognize her name as the author of the spring appeal letter, requesting support for CIP’s counseling services in the schools.

CIP’s Second Annual Loving Spoonfuls: Marin’s Soup and Dessert — and Appetizer — Challenge drew enthusiastic food lovers of all ages to the Mill Valley Community Center on Saturday, January 28, in a delicious celebration of Marin’s vibrant culinary talent. This year’s challengers included 14 of Marin’s finest restaurants and three businesses who between them…

We are pleased to announce openings for new clients interested in short- and long-term counseling and psychotherapy, adult support and therapy groups, and psychological testing. Our comprehensive services for couples, individuals, and families are available on a sliding scale fee basis; Victim’s Witness and Medi-Cal are accepted. We work with depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, dual…

On a bright day in January, 13 restaurants and corporate contenders served up their best recipes for CIP’s First Annual Loving Spoonfuls, Marin’s Soup and Dessert Challenge fund raising benefit. It is with great pleasure that we announce the release of our ebook recipe collection, available in PDF, MobiPocket (Kindle), and ePub formats ($10 suggested…

AND THE WINNERS ARE . . . The competition was fierce and the outcomes surprising at CIP’s first annual Loving Spoonfuls: Marin’s Soup and Dessert Challenge fund raiser held January 22. Fourteen restaurants and two corporate participants vied to offer their best—much to the delight of attendees, who sampled and cast their votes in the…

You won’t want to miss this fun and scrumptious CIP fund raising event in which restaurants, service groups, clubs, and corporations will chop and dice their way to compete in the first annual LOVING SPOONFULS, MARIN’S SOUP AND DESSERT CHALLENGE on Saturday, January 22, from 12 noon to 3 PM at the Mill Valley Community…

Roll up! Roll up! Come join the fun and get back! as CIP’s 16th annual benefit celebration, Ticket to Ride, takes you back to the innocence of bygone days, for a fun evening with a Beatles twist on Saturday, May 15, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm at the gorgeous hilltop setting of Unitarian Universalist Congregation…

On Saturday, November 7, 2009, CIP on behalf of the Marin Mental Health Alliance will present “Raising Healthy Teens: Overcoming the Mental Health Challenges of the Transition to Adulthood,” an all-day conference on mental health issues relevant to teens for families, other consumers, educators, and mental health professionals.

Grab your hat and your favorite dance partner and head on out to CIP’s fabulous Rock’n Rodeo fund raising event on May 2, 2009, from 4 to 8 pm. Novato’s Inn Marin will be the perfect setting to enjoy an evening of western-themed entertainment. Dig into a fabulous BBQ prepared by Rickey’s Restaurant and complemented…

What if you could bring together a family torn apart by tragic loss? Or help a single mother overcome a childhood scarred by violence to become the nurturing parent she so wants to be? What if you could guide a teen struggling to find his way in an environment where drugs and truancy are “cool?”

Our 2008-2009 line-up of Seminars for Professionals, Study Groups, and Classes offers an exciting range of topics by outstanding clinicians, including attachment, divorce, neuroscience, internal family systems, Narrative-flavored therapy, and more. See full descriptions on pages 4-6 in this newsletter.

Fasten your seatbelts for a great night out at CIP’s Rock’n Rendezvous on Saturday, May 3, from 6:00 to 9:30 pm. Put on your high-heeled sneakers and bebop on over to Checkers, Marin’s Exclusive Destination.

A CIP intern-therapist recalled the day the taxi driver picked him up at 330 Lincoln in San Rafael and asked if he worked at CIP. When he replied yes, the driver told him, “You guys helped me!”

It’s here! You’ll find this year’s line-up of our Seminars for Professionals, Study Groups, and Classes previewed on pages 4-6 of this newsletter. Demand will be high for these events, so be sure to sign up early!

You won’t want to miss a moment of CIP’s Thirteenth Annual Extraordinary Evening with the Arts! Our fun-filled program of music, fine food and wine, and auction excitement begins promptly at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday April 4 at the newly renovated Osher Marin JCC in San Rafael.

People come to therapy at CIP for many reasons, but what they want is very simple: to make tomorrow better than today. Tamara, mother of two, wants to begin a new life, free of abuse and fear. At CIP, she is learning how to heal, how to be there for her children, and how to…

Our 2006-2007 line-up of Seminars for Professionals, Study Groups, and Classes offers an exciting range of topics presented by outstanding clinicians.

CIP’s Professional Development program, which aims to enhance professional development and create a vibrant and supportive network of professionals, is beginning its second year. Bay Area mental health professionals, registered interns, and students can partake in this exciting endeavor by becoming nonvoting members of CIP.

Widely known as the “Bad Boys of A Capella,” acclaimed vocal ensemble The EDLOS will headline CIP’s tenth annual Extraordinary Evening with the Arts on Sunday, May 2. Also appearing will be bestselling author and motivational speaker Francine Ward and ABC7’s Spencer Christian as Master of Ceremonies. Delicious food, wine tasting, delightful live and silent…