Frequently Asked Questions
What is GAMHPA?
What is the mission of GAMHPA?
Does GAMHPA make referrals?
Who runs the Association?
Who can join?
How is GAMHPA different?
Who can benefit from membership?
What are the benefits of membership?
How do I join?
What is GAMHPA?
- The Glendale Area Mental Health Professionals Association ("GAMHPA") is an association of mental health professionals in our community. GAMHPA was founded in 1992 by a few local area clinicians in private practice.
What is the mission of GAMHPA?
- The mission of GAMHPA is to advance professional development through networking and continuing education and to promote public awareness about mental health. GAMHPA embraces principles of being democratic, egalitarian, and inclusive wherever possible.
Does GAMHPA make referrals?
- The association is an interest group only, does not provide referrals to the community, and does not credential its members in any way. GAMHPA is not a profit-making organization.
Who runs the Association?
- The association is lead by a volunteer board of directors who are guided by a set of bylaws. A number of committees coordinate functions of the association, including a membership committee, editorial committee, and program committee.
Who can join?
- Membership is open to anyone. For a membership application form, click here. The natural geographical catchment area of GAMHPA includes not only Glendale, but also Burbank, western Pasadena, La Canada, La Crescenta, Silverlake, and Los Feliz. Annually our membership typically exceeds over 100 individuals and organizations. Our directory and newsletter are circulated to over 800 mental health professionals in the community.
How is GAMHPA different?
- GAMHPA is different because it is interdisciplinary. GAMHPA integrates all the mental health disciplines in one organization. Full membership is offered equally to psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and psychiatric nurses.
- GAMHPA brings together interrelated disciplines that hold complimentary perspectives and espouse common objectives. This approach more accurately reflects the natural patterns of professional practice and referral in our community than regional professional societies or guilds.
Who can benefit from membership?
- Mental health professionals of all disciplines, students and interns in graduate school in training to become licensed mental health professionals, clinics and hospitals that offer mental health services, and professionals in allied fields can all benefit from membership. Both established and newly-licensed clinicians can benefit.
- GAMHPA offers the potential for accelerating and enhancing the natural process of practice development for clinicians by creating promotional opportunities and broadening a referral base. The organization can decrease professional isolation by introducing colleagues to each other in the local professional community. GAMHPA can keep clinicians more informed about current and local business and professional issues in the field of mental health through its established channels of communication.
What are the benefits of membership?
- New members can publish a brief summary of their professional background in the newsletter.
- Opportunity to present a talk to colleagues on a topic of your choice as an advertised program event.
- Opportunity to publish articles on professional topics in the newsletter, subject to editorial review.
- Free classified and discounted display ad rates.
- Circulation of your promotional fliers bundled with the newsletter at discounted cost.
- Entry in a bimonthly drawing for free newsletter insert advertising.
- Listing in the annual members directory, which is posted on the internet and distributed to potential referral sources in the community.
- Mailing labels of local mental health professionals for your own professional mailings at discounted rates.
- Opportunity to enroll in GAMHPA's Internet discussion group.
- Reduced rates for continuing education.
- Posting of your professional website URL on our member website page and in our newsletter.
- Members are also entitled to other benefits equally made available to non-members (to encourage their recruitment as well), including a free bi-monthly newsletter, free attendance at periodic speaker's seminars, and opportunities to connect with colleagues at periodic networking luncheons.
How do I join?
- The application process is straightforward. Click HERE to go to our members page to join.
- Submit the application form completed, along with a copy of your current professional license (for Full Members only), and a check for annual dues.
- GAMHPA remains an affordable association for mental health professionals. Full Member dues (licensed professional) are $60 per year. Associate Member dues (unlicensed individual) are $35 per year. Organizations that join are $125 per year.