Her daughter was born mid-way through graduate school. In New England, while raising her children, Pat worked as a psych hospital administrator, political consultant, and educational researcher at the Center for Evaluation and Research at Rhode Island College. She also served as a school board member of the Providence, Rhode Island School System.
After moving to Florida in 1981, she worked as a psychotherapist and career counselor before opening her private practice in marriage and family therapy. She closed her practice in 1989 to pursue a doctorate in family therapy from Nova Southeastern University. After graduation, she was hired by NSU in 1993 as a faculty member and as the founding director of the Institute for Family Business, an educational program for families in business together. She directed the Institute for 3 years and stayed on as its advisor until it closed in 1998. To keep the program alive, she volunteers her time as the director of the Family Business Resource Center at Nova Southeastern University. In addition, she served as Director of the Family Therapy Masters Program at NSU for three years and led the Program into reaccredidation status by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
As an associate professor of family therapy and family business, many of her family business research, writing, and presentations have addressed copreneurs, gender issues, and relationship problems. Her other academic interests include systems theory and postmodern ideas in therapy, especially narrative ideas and the use of personal self disclosure.
Her professional affiliations include: clinical member and approved supervisor of AAMFT (American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy), Fellow Status in FFI (Family Firm Institute), and member of AFTA (American Family Therapy Association). She is also licensed in the state of Florida as a family therapist and mental health counselor.
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