PACT Executive Director Looks Back, Looks Ahead!

Dear PACT Community,

Happy 2024! As we enter the new year, I’m excited to take this opportunity to look back and reflect on what the PACT Institute has accomplished and to let you know about this year’s plans for continuous growth and improvement – ours and yours!

Looking Back: We’ve Learned and Grown Together

• PACT Level 3. We offered the new and improved PACT Level 3 training for advanced PACT clinicians, and forty clinicians completed the rigorous training, enabling them to develop a more complete command of advanced PACT skills. We’re proud of all of our Level 3 graduates!
• PACT Certification. We created a pathway for PACT certification. Two separate cohorts, a total of twenty-two clinicians, were invited to attend and achieved this highest level of PACT training, conferring the distinct title of PACT Certified Therapist. 
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). We’ve included DEI training as a required component for successful completion of PACT certification, so that future leaders in the PACT community will have the tools to create an inclusive and equitable environment in training and in the therapy room. 
• PACT Outcome Study. We continued to conduct the PACT Outcome Study, which measures the effectiveness of the PACT model in a quantitative study of couple therapy outcomes. A dedicated group of PACT clinicians provides ongoing research expertise and support to the project. 
• New PACT Faculty. We expanded the PACT faculty and named eight new faculty members in both teaching and research positions. 

I can’t look back without acknowledging Dr. Hans Stahlschmidt and Dr. Patricia Hart for their contributions to the Institute. We’re grateful that Hans and Patricia will continue to play key roles in teaching PACT training and helping to mentor outstanding PACT therapists along with all of our new faculty members in 2024. 

Looking Ahead: What’s Next?

• New Learning Opportunities. The addition of new PACT faculty members and newly-minted PACT Certified Therapists means new opportunities for you, including:
• More instructors with PACT expertise willing to share their passion, fresh perspectives, and knowledge on specific topics relevant to couple therapy.
• Stan will have time to develop and teach more advanced and more specialized workshops beyond Levels 1 and 2.  

• PACT+ Alumni Membership. PACT+ is a new monthly subscription. PACT alumni members can now enjoy at least three occasions every month to join LIVE online learning opportunities directly with Stan, PACT faculty, and other renowned experts and specialists. You’ll be able to ask Stan your burning questions during Live Q&As, receive support and feedback in peer groups, and get help with difficult cases in Case Analysis Labs led by PACT experts – all open to PACT+ Alumni Members every month. 
• FREE training materials and videos for all PACT alumni. Consult the manual, rewatch the videos, and review PACT assessment and intervention techniques in your portal whenever you want. Whether you’re a current or future PACT alum, you’ll now receive free and continuous access to all of the rich training resources that were part of your PACT training. Yes, we’re passionate about your learning – and committed to it!
• Masterclass with Stan. Stan is excited to host a second in-person masterclass for a small group of advanced PACT practitioners, in which he’ll show videos of his work with difficult couples and workshop cases. Watch your monthly PACT emails. Dates and details are coming soon! 
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Still a work in progress. While we keep DEI at the forefront in all of our trainings and in organizational and staff development, we will continue to be deliberate in our efforts to create a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable culture at the PACT Institute, and we appreciate learning from you, our community.

We want to help prepare, equip, and support you to become the best couple therapist you can be. We look forward to learning and growing with you in the year ahead and beyond!

Warmly, 

Beverly Baker, MBA
Executive Director 
The PACT Institute