President's Message — Mishka Clavijo Kimball, LMFT, CAMC

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Dear Members,

As I woke up this morning and went outside my room, I felt incredibly grateful to be standing in front of the beautiful ocean in Cancun, Mexico. The sun glistened in the blue water, palm trees danced with the wind, and the breeze carried with it the smell of the beach. I came here with my husband to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary, and what an amazing way to celebrate love and life. If you’ve been to Mexico, you know what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t, I hope you can one day experience its beauty.

It’s fitting to be visiting this country at this time, as we are also celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. As a Latina raised in Guatemala, Central America, the month of September has always been very important to me and my community. It is one of joy and pride for celebrating our countries’ independence and cultures. September 15 marks the Independence of Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Salvador, and Nicaragua from Spain. “Mexico, Chile, and Belize became independent on September 16, 18, and 21 from Spain and the United Kingdom, respectively” – (Jonathan Borge and Samantha Vincenty, OprahDaily.com).

To all the amazing Latinx and Hispanic members of SFV-CAMFT, my Board of directors and I celebrate this special month with you. We thank you for sharing your time with us at our monthly meetings, for reading our newsletters, and for being valued members. Continuing to celebrate and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion is one of our main goals. As President, this has been one of my central efforts during 2021, as it was my previous year as President-Elect and Co-Chair of the Diversity Committee.

I’d like to give a special shoutout to Shawn LaRé Brinkley and Tiffanie Turner for spearheading the Diversity Committee this year and for doing such a great job. Thank you, ladies, you are appreciated!

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month, Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana!

Thank you for reading/Gracias por leer!

 
Mishka Clavijo Kimball
President  
sfvcamftpre@gmail.com

Mishka Clavijo Kimball, LMFT, CAMC, is president of SFV-CAMFT. She is a bilingual, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, in private practice in Sherman Oaks and Woodland Hills. She enjoys working with adolescents, young adults, families, couples and Latinx clients. She has treated mood disorders, relationship conflict, grief, anxiety, trauma, and other disorders. She utilizes Cognitive Behavioral therapy integrated with a client-centered approach that focuses on body, mind, and spirit. Mishka is also a Certified Anger Management Counselor.