The Ventura County Chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (VC-CAMFT) is a non-profit organization of mental health professionals (https://vc-camft.org/about-us/) .  We were honored to be featured in their latest newsletter.  The full-page "Spotlight" article focused on the services we offer, particularly during this time of physical distancing.  Also highlighted is a summary and "unpacking" of the recent "Neurobiology of Trauma Healing" webinar from our very own Co-Owner Susan Richter, LMFT, CEDS.  

Surgery Redesigned produced this helpful flow chart to envision the process of becoming anti-racist. We thank them for producing this graphic and for making it available for sharing.

Anti-Racism Resources Document to Share with Family and Friends
This document is intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work. If you haven’t engaged in anti-racism work in the past, start now. Feel free to circulate this document on social media and with your friends, family, and colleagues.

Me and White Supremacy: A 28-Day Challenge to Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor
by Layla Saad


Thousands of people from around the world were galvanized by the #meandwhitesupremacy challenge, examining and owning responsibility for the ways in which they uphold white supremacy. Over 80,000 people downloaded her guide to the movement, Me and White Supremacy Workbook in the space of just six months. And now, that guide is a published book.

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism 
by Robin J. DiAngelo
The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality.

75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
An insightful article on the Medium platform which outlines helpful steps that each person can take to steer our lives and our world toward racial justice. 

​Dear Friends,

We join George Floyd’s family, friends, and community in mourning his death at the hands of the police. We also remember Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Michael Brown and the countless other people of color whose lives were brutally taken by the violence resulting from centuries of systematic racism and oppression.
We, at The New Beginnings Center, are grateful for the thousands of people from every facet of society who have marched in the streets and called for an end to the scourge of institutional racism.  We join our voices with other justice seekers in demanding that those in power recognize in real, visible and demonstrable ways, that Black Lives Matter.  It is our deep hope that the current voices of protest will not fade with the news cycle and that meaningful and lasting change results from this overdue national dialogue.  
It is in a time such as this, that each of us are called to use our voices, resourcefulness and creativity in order to create a more just and equitable world. None of us alone have the knowledge, experience and resources to end centuries of racism or heal the pain and trauma that has resulted from the hate, prejudice and white privilege woven through our governmental and societal structures.  It is going to take all of us speaking out, listening up, advocating, creating and joining together to pave a future that closes the racial divide and heals the wounds of oppression.
​
Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University, Dr. Cornel West said,
“None of us alone can save the nation or the world. But each of us can make a positive difference if we commit ourselves to do so.”

We have used this concept as the framework for our discussion about how we can be of service during this extraordinary time:

1. We ask ourselves, “How do we stand up for what matters by broadcasting curiosity and connection?”
   
2. We acknowledge that we do not have the answers, but seek out being proactive, starting conversations about privilege, white fragility, systemic racism and oppression, so we may learn from each other.
   
3. We commit to our clients and our community to provide resources and explore avenues of collaboration that promote the healing of divisions and fostering more informed conversations.
   

Many of you joined us for our “Healing for Well-Being” webinar series which focused on healing the trauma of mind, heart and body which is resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. While this previous series concentrated on individual healing, we recognize that now is the time for communal healing. Our individual experiences and perspectives play an important role, but the nature of societal injustice requires us to work together on healing wounds that extend beyond ourselves.  We are placing the finishing touches on a new webinar series “Healing for Well-Being: All of Us. Together.”  and are preparing to launch in early July. 


With deep sorrow for the injustice that has been, determination for a present full of voice and action, and commitment to a more loving and just future,
~The New Beginnings Center Staff