Board of Directors |
President Shawn LaRe' Brinkley, LMFT 818.285.8037
Shawn LaRe’ says her clinical experience and advanced training has allowed her to share, through speaking, training, and presentation, what she has learned with professional audiences throughout California as well as globally. She further indicates, “at “Living Loved” we pride ourselves in delivering client-centered therapeutic services and continuing to enhance our knowledge, keeping up with the latest developments in the psychological field. A non-traditional practice, Shawn LaRe’ and her team use art, music, mindfulness, energy healing, and live by a code of practicing cultural humility in the work. In 2022, Shawn LaRe’ was able to travel to Trinidad and Tobago to deliver her first TEDx Talk, entitled, “When the Fairytale Fades.” Her visual podcast, “B.O.S.S. TALK: Bold One-of-a-Kind Sensational Superstars airs on Facebook, Linkedin, and YouTube, Wednesdays at 6:00 pm PST. Past President Gina Balit, LMFT, ATR 818.533.1897
Gina is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Art Therapist. She works in a private practice setting in Woodland Hills, CA. Gina has a deep and life-long love and passion for children and art. She specializes in working with young children of divorce and abuse/domestic violence helping them heal from fear of abandonment in particular, but also trauma, anxiety, depression, and anger. She is bilingual in Armenian (western and eastern dialects) and is passionate about helping her community. She has extensive experience in school-based settings, as well as agencies, shelters, transitional homes, and group practice settings, running individual sessions as well as group sessions such as support, educational, parenting, emotional management, life skills, and art therapy groups. She has also worked with autistic children and has provided home-based Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). She has Domestic Violence and Grief and Loss certifications as well as trained in the Trauma Resiliency Model. Gina is also a graphic designer and a "techie" who is passionate about providing freelance marketing/advertising and bookkeeping services. She values being in leadership positions such as supporting other chapters like LA-CAMFT as their Co-Admin and SGV-CAMFT as their Web Admin, as well as being a Clinical Supervisor for the Free Clinic of Simi Valley. She holds a Bachelors degree from Cal State Northridge in Child and Adolescent Development with a minor in Graphic Design and a Masters degree in Psychology: Marriage and Family Therapy/Art Therapy. She is a forever coffee, blue, and Disney lover.
President Elect Daniel Hermosillo, LMFT 818.744.9551 Daniel provides psychotherapy to teenagers, men and veterans experiencing male issues, relational problems, trauma and depression. Women are also supported by having reparative experiences with a male therapist to overcome anxiety, depression, and trauma. The goal of therapy with me is to instill in you confidence, responsibility, autonomy, and empowerment to assist you in improving your quality of life and confronting the challenges life throws at you. Individual, couples and family therapy is provided through in-person or telehealth sessions in Encino, CA & Sherman Oaks CA. Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Niousha Solemani, AMFT 818.390.0123
In her clinical practice, Niousha demonstrates a keen interest in the complexities of romantic and family relationships, acculturation, cultural awareness, sexual health, anxiety, and depression. Her commitment to fostering healthy connections and aiding individuals in navigating various life challenges is evident in her approach to therapy. Beyond her professional pursuits, Niousha finds fulfillment and balance in hobbies such as solving puzzles, enjoying comedy, experimenting in the kitchen, and immersing herself in podcasts. This multifaceted engagement mirrors her holistic perspective on well-being, emphasizing the integration of personal interests with the profound impact of mental health practices. VP of Programs Jennifer Calderon, LMFT, LPCC 818.639.2213
In addition to serving on the SFV-CAMFT Board, Jennifer has supported the State-level CAMFT organization as a member of the Continuing Education Provider Approval Committee since 2017, and as a member of the CAMFT Certified Supervisor Program Committee since 2019. Since 2020, she has served on the board of Allied Cultures, a nonprofit organization that champions cross-cultural humanitarian initiatives centered around education, hygiene, & direct aid. In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family, and participating in self-care activities including horticulture, photography, traveling, and attending live music concerts. VP of Membership Akane Takijiri, LMFT 818.447.9393
Akane is in private practice is in Valley Village and Beverly Hills. She offers in-person therapy and telehealth. She was supervised by a psychoanalyst for five years prior to becoming licensed and she is a psychodynamic therapist today. Akane is bilingual in Japanese and she is passionate about serving immigrants and BIPOC communities. She is also passionate about providing neurodiversity affirming care. Akane is neurodivergent herself and she is a proud parent of a neurodivergent child. She is active and involved in neurodivergent community. On her days off, Akane loves to take her son and his buddies to community outings and have some alone time in warm bubble bath. VP of Marketing & Communication Walker Reade, LMFT, LPCC 818.815.7951
Secretary Stephanie Gonzalez, AMFT 626.373.0871
Specializing in working with interracial couples, Stephanie brings a nuanced and sensitive approach to help navigate challenges related to blending families and cultures. Simultaneously, they focus on working with individuals seeking vitality in their life, employing therapeutic techniques ranging from behavioral models to attachment-based approaches such as ACT, EFT, IFS, and Gottman Method. In addition to their clinical practice, Stephanie serves as an Adjunct Faculty Member at Pepperdine University, GSEP, and the University of La Verne in their Clinical Psychology programs. This dual role underscores Stephanie’s commitment to providing impactful therapy to clients and contributing to the education and development of future mental health professionals. With a comprehensive background in psychology and a mission to empower the next generation of therapists, Stephanie continues to make meaningful strides in the field. Pre-Licensed Rep Sandy Rose, AMFT 210.373.3969
Her path to becoming a therapist was not immediately evident, as she originally earned degrees in the field of education, then jumped into the entertainment industry, then transitioned into the world of entrepreneurship and fitness, and finally pursued her interest in psychology. Today, she is passionate about relationships, sexual wellness, emotions, and authentic self-expression. In her spare time she likes to walk around her neighborhood, play board games, and dance. She is more than happy to chat with any pre-licensed members who are looking for support! Member at Large (Hiking SIG Chair) David Eshleman, LMFT 310.906.0030
David Eshleman holds a Masters of Art in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University and is currently in private practice in Sherman Oaks, seeing clients both remotely and in person. David has a level one training in Individual Emotion Focused Therapy as well as a keen interest in Jungian and Archetypal psychology. He is also a student of philosophy, spirituality and mindfulness, integrating eastern and western perspectives in his therapeutic work. He focuses on helping his clients gain deeper awareness to reduce their anxiety and suffering, grow in relationship with themselves and others, explore values, meaning and purpose and, ultimately, to “Find Balance” in their lives. Member at Large (Web Admin) Virginia "Ginny" Lincoln, LMFT 818.383.2727
Virginia holds a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management System Analysis. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business while working full time for Litton Industries / Northrup-Grumann as a Software Engineer. However, her sojourn in software didn’t start with Litton. When she was the ripe old age of 19, she secured a full-time position with Rocketdyne as a ‘Data Reduction Clerk’; that is of course, after passing ‘the’ rigorous math test (at the time she didn’t know it was suppose to be a difficult test to pass). She ended up being part of the organization (at Rocketdyne) that would develop, test and deliver the Rocket engines that would ‘land Man on the Moon.’ At first, when ‘data’ was collected, they would perform All ‘the’ calculations by ‘hand’ to report ‘the’ engine(s) performance. Then, in the mid 1960’s (Rocketdyne) acquired the second IBM 7094 to be produced and she was asked if she could ‘learn’ what a computer was and program it in ‘the’ language (assembly) of the computer. Again, she didn’t know she couldn’t learn ‘the’ machine and programmed many (as compared to today’s computers) computers — developing computer code and logic in the infancy of computers. When she left Rocketdyne in the late 1960’s, she found employment with Litton Industries as a Programmer (that’s what Software Engineer’s were call at the time). She stayed with Litton / Northrup-Grumann until my retirement in 2006. She worked on many projects while at Litton / Northrup-Grumann. Some of the projects even took me to foreign countries. She worked on a N.A.T.O. project which took me to Brussels, Belgium in 1989 and in 1999 she moved to Huntsville, Alabama (yes, she considered this a foreign country, too) working on a Missile defense contract. She returned to southern California in 2002 and worked on a project that took me to Egypt (yes, and visited the King Tut exhibit while she was there). Interesting note: while doing work on the military base in Egypt, she was ‘the only’ women that had ever breeched the All male environment of their military base. In 2006, the thought occurred to her, . . . “what am I going to do for the rest of my life (that is 'when I retire')?” She decided to return to school and earned an M.A. in Psychology from Phillips Graduate Institute, where she did some my traineeship and intern hours. Virginia also, completed some of her trainee and intern hours with the Valley Trauma Center (now called Strength United) and San Fernando Valley Counseling Center. While at the Valley Trauma Center, she specialized in caring for clients that had suffered Sexual Assault. After graduating from Phillips, she decided to continue her education and enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Pacifica Graduate Institute. She completed 2 years of their program and started her work on a Dissertation called “Born Soul Mates” — a project ‘looking at and analyzing’ what it means to be a ‘fraternal (dizygotic) twin.’ Virginia is currently in private practice in Granada Hills / Mission Hills specializing in recovery from Sexual Assault (of a women, children and men), any aspect of twining — being raised by someone who is a twin, being a twin themselves or struggling with raising twins and lastly, elder counseling (either the senior themselves and / or the children — very much bewildered by what to do with their senior and sometimes ailing parents). For elder counseling, she makes house calls (that means going to the seniors home, convalescent care or rehabilitation facility). Virginia’s other volunteer duties:
Virginia looks forward to seeing her 2 grown children and any or All of her 6 Grand-children (1 — 23-year-old (graduated last year with a double major - Neuroscience and Psychology), 1 — 22-year-old (graduated this year (2024) as a Math major and continuing her education with a MS in Electrical Engineering), 3 — 20-years-old (yes, one set of fraternal twins - Majors are Environmental Science, Marine Biology and English) and 1 — 18-year-old (will start this fall as a Psychology major at Virginia Institute of Technology (VIT)). Member at Large (Sponsorship Chair) Shari Manculich, LMFT 818.694.3936
Additionally, Shari has a private practice with Association of Behavioral Health Specialists where she works with Victims of Crime and Kaiser mental health referrals. Additionally, Shari works as a Staff Clinician and Supervisor to an Associate at Early Life Child Psychology and Education Center. Shari's modalities are primarily Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Family Systems Therapy. In her spare time, Shari enjoys running, Zumba dance fitness, and has recently started practicing Yoga. Shari resides with her husband Mark, their Golden Doodle Zuko and their domestic, short-haired tabby cat, Shiloh. |