A Note of Gratitude and Our Vision for the Near Future — from Stan and Tracey Tatkin
We’ve known for a long time about the many benefits of cultivating a sense of gratitude: more joy, less stress, better health.
So when anxiety started to bubble up earlier this year, it seemed like an especially good time to begin a more intentional practice of flexing those gratitude muscles. Since then, we’ve made a habit of writing down what we are grateful for each day.
Even though life has been stressful and unpredictable, we’ve found a lot to appreciate. To start, we are truly thankful for our PACT community. This year especially, we found that we’re all in this together.
Silver Linings in 2020
Yes, there have been silver linings.
When we moved suddenly to offer training online earlier this year instead of the in-person training we had planned, we were scrambling to figure things out. Not only did we quickly learn about the usefulness of online training, we learned how resilient and supportive and dedicated our PACT community really is.
You stuck with us. We learned together. And we thank you for your perseverance and commitment to continue your professional education. We also thank you for helping us improve and create an online training that’s effective, engaging, dynamic, and fun — a true reflection of PACT couple therapy itself.
Here’s another silver lining. While we’ve had less travel and more time at home, we've been able to dive deep and get creative in our engagement with our community. We have enjoyed connecting and learning with you in new ways through events like PACTflix Movie Nights and Case Analysis Labs.
After months in survival mode – finding Zoom logins, determining the ins and outs of telehealth, stockpiling hand sanitizer — we’ve found (here it comes…) our new normal.
We’ve settled a bit. Our fight-or-flight response has subsided. As we adjust to a new normal, we still have feelings of loss and worry. Loss of familiarity and safety. But gratitude is a powerful antidote. It helps us move forward.
And we’re excited for what’s in store.
Looking Ahead to 2021
Next year, the PACT Institute is going global with our Level 1 and Level 2 Online Trainings. Bringing PACT to every corner of the world has been a dream of ours since we started the PACT Institute, and we’re thrilled you’re here for it.
We’ve expanded the trainings and reworked them to make the most of the online format. We’ve improved the pacing of the training based on your feedback — no more screen fatigue!
While we’d still like to meet in person when it’s safe for everyone to travel and gather in groups, we’ve come to realize how effective and valuable online training can be.
Beyond that, a new Level 3 training is underway, and we’re already in the early stages of planning for a PACT Certification course.
More Diversity Moving Forward
We know that when couples are healthy and secure, our communities are mentally, economically, and socially stronger. And we believe that mental health care for all communities and professional training for all clinicians can be more accessible and inclusive.
To play a part in reaching these goals, we have resolved to increase the number of clinicians from underrepresented and diverse groups in PACT training. We are working to ensure that PACT therapists reflect the diversity of our society.
Next year, we are especially excited to offer as many as 80 scholarships for PACT 2021 training to:
- Therapists from underrepresented and diverse groups
- Social workers who work for city, county, or state agencies
- Therapists who work with the military, front line workers, first responders, and public school teachers
- Therapists experiencing financial hardship
Through these scholarships and other efforts, we hope to affect lasting and meaningful change — for our colleagues and the couples and families we work with.
Thank you for being a part of our community and helping to make the PACT Institute the supportive, vibrant, and extraordinary place that it is. We feel truly blessed and grateful.
Stan and Tracey
