December 3, 2009

Each year the Central Florida Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (CFAMFT) awards a scholarship to a deserving graduate student. This scholarship is known as the Gery J. Woltering Memorial Scholarship. The Gery J. Woltering Memorial Scholarship Award was named in honor of one of CFAMFT’s former members. Gery Woltering was an esteemed member of the marriage and family therapy community and CFAMFT. Each year his memory is honored when Mrs. Dorothy Woltering returns to award the Gery J. Woltering Memorial Scholarship at our annual holiday breakfast.

Students must be enrolled in a full-time graduate program in marriage and family therapy or a mental health counseling program with a systemic orientation. The essay must be written to reflect the student’s reasons for wanting to become a therapist with a systemic focus. The announcement of the essay competition is mailed out to all graduate programs at the start of the fall semester. Essays are reviewed by a committee of CFAMFT members. Once a decision is made, the recipient is notified, as he or she must be present at the holiday breakfast in order to be appropriately honored.

Maxi McKee was CFAMFT's 2009 recipient of the Gery J. Woltering Scholarship Award.  She is a student (MFT/MHC) at Barry University and is the current president of the Barry University Counseling Association of Orlando.  Her essay was deemed worthy as she wrote about how her desire to become a therapist was influenced by her familial background, which only deepened her understanding of family systems theory.  An excerpt from her essay reads: "I want to be a therapist for so many reasons. I have always wondered why people that grew up in the same family could take different paths in life and turn out so different.  I now know the answer. No two perceptions of reality are the same. Reality is socially and linguistically constructed.  We all have individual, subjective experiences as well as our own worldviews and ways of coping with life events. I would like to take my life experiences, education and training to help families reauthor their lives according to their values."

Submitted by:
Lyris Bacchus Steuber, LMFT

The Nicole P. Ganguzza Foundation, Inc. was founded in August 2008 as a means to carry out the vision and dreams of an extraordinary woman and student member of CFAMFT, **Nicole P. Ganguzza**. The foundation's mission is to support the mental health of the Central Florida community by funding educational and therapeutic services to individuals, families, and couples who would otherwise be unable to afford such services. To learn more about the foundation and how you can use your skills to support our efforts, please visit our website at **www.npgfoundation.com**.

		In honor of his dedication to children and families in Florida, Senator Daniel Webster, was awarded CFAMFT's 2006 Legislative Award.  CFAMFT thanks him for his commitment to advancing legislation that promotes the safety and well-being of families as well as legislation that supports the profession of Marriage & Family Therapists.
from left to right: Steve Livingston (AAMFT past President) Victoria Bonelli (CFAMFT President, 2008) Daniel Webster (Senator) Lyris Steuber (CFAMFT Legislative Liaison, 2008)