Welcoming Two New Voices to the PACT Faculty: Morgan Hart & Lilian Borges

By Hans Stahlschmidt, PhD
PACT Dean of Students and Faculty, Senior Core Faculty

We appreciate moments that signal growth and momentum within the PACT community, and welcoming new faculty is certainly one of them. This year, we’re thrilled to welcome two new clinicians into our faculty: Morgan Hart, MSW, LCSW, and Lilian Borges, MA, LPC.

Both bring decades of experience, a profound respect for secure‑functioning principles, and a shared passion for helping couples thrive. A notable theme in both stories is the thoughtful way each integrates PACT principles into their clinical work and their own relationships.

Morgan Hart: Creativity, Attunement, and the Art of Deep Change

Morgan’s journey into PACT began early in her career, and she still speaks of it with genuine gratitude. With more than 20 years of clinical experience, she brings a rare blend of emotional attunement, creativity, and grounded clarity to her work with couples.

Originally trained as an actor, Morgan was drawn naturally into psychotherapy by her early immersion in human story and emotional expression. That early training shows up everywhere in her clinical presence: the way she tracks micro‑expressions, the way she creates imaginative therapeutic spaces, the way she helps couples step into new relational roles with courage and curiosity.

Over the years, Morgan has worked across a wide spectrum of settings — from private practice to 15 years in a Level 1 trauma center — supporting individuals, couples, families, and adolescents. As a PACT Certified clinician, Morgan integrates DEFT, crisis intervention, and affect‑based approaches, with special interests in sleep disorders and chronic illness.

Ask Morgan what PACT means to her, and she’ll tell you it changed not only her clinical work but her personal life as well. “Working with PACT principles and applying this knowledge to my own primary relationships has enhanced my personal life,” she says. “I feel supported by the PACT community… I am honored to be part of this secure‑functioning organization.”

As she steps into her new role teaching PACT Level 1, Morgan brings not only skill but a deep belief in the transformative power of this model. “PACT provides a deep and solid framework for couple therapy,” she adds, “and once a clinician becomes skilled in the model, there is ample opportunity for creativity and to make it your own.”

Morgan is passionate about expanding the field of couples therapy, advocating for greater integration of mind‑body research into mental health.

When not in the therapy room or classroom, Morgan enjoys yoga, spending time in nature, watching the sunset, singing in a choir, and spending time with her family and dog.

Lilian Borges: Multicultural Wisdom and the Power of Experiential Healing

Lilian’s path to PACT is shaped by her multicultural background and her love of language: Portuguese, Spanish, and English. With more than 30 years of clinical experience, she brings a global sensibility to her work with individuals and couples, helping them navigate the complexities of identity, culture, and connection with nuance and compassion.

A PACT Certified clinician, Lilian is among the very few internationally who integrate Ericksonian hypnosis into relational work. For more than two decades, she has taught hypnosis nationally and internationally, helping clinicians guide clients toward their highest, most integrated selves — a blend that aligns beautifully with PACT’s experiential framework.

In her Arizona practice, Lilian blends PACT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, mindfulness, and strategic therapy to treat a broad spectrum of concerns, including anxiety and mood disorders, trauma, relationship difficulties, chronic pain, and medical issues. She also co-hosts the popular podcast Modern Couples with Rick Miller, LICSW, where she brings clarity and compassionate insight to the challenges of intimate partnerships.

For Lilian, PACT has been both professionally transformative and personally meaningful. “Every level of PACT training has helped me grow as a couple therapist and as a person,” she explains. “It was the only couples therapy training that left me feeling competent to treat any case.”

She also values the societal impact of secure‑functioning relationships. “The couple is the basic unit of the fabric of our society. When a couple is healthy, the families are healthy. Ultimately, we are creating a better future for our children to live in,” she continues.

Passionate about helping couples be their best in relationships, Lilian’s approach with couples is experiential, dynamic, and deeply human. She helps couples reconnect with their higher selves. And she brings that same energy to her work with students.

She says, “PACT training is an opportunity to take inventory of who you are as a couple therapist — strengths and weaknesses — and use the support to become your best!”

We are thrilled to welcome Morgan and Lilian — and excited for the clinicians who will learn from their wisdom, creativity, and wholehearted dedication to secure‑functioning relationships.