About

Patricia A. O’Gorman, Ph.D. is a trauma and addiction psychologist, life coach, international speaker, a best-selling author. She specializes in the intersection of trauma and addiction, and how this may affect the personal recovery journey.   

Patricia is a licensed psychologist in New York, maintaining her private practice virtually. Her approach weaves together the discovery and development of inner resources, strategies for using resilience consciously, understanding personal communication styles, and nurturing self-compassion, and optimism.

She is skilled in understanding and treating PTSD, and mood disorders having significant experience with those impacted by the intergenerational addiction of family members and how this may affect close relationships, parenting, self-concept, success at work, and personal drug and alcohol use.   

She has worked extensively with women, adolescents, and veterans, and been a consultant to adolescent, and veteran substance abuse and mental health treatment programs, and child welfare programs. 

Dr O’Gorman utilizes an evidence-based and integrated approach to clinical treatment drawing elements from motivational and somatic interventions, mindfulness, all within a strength-based approach. 

She has held senior non-profit and governmental management positions and led national efforts to address the prevention of addiction. She also serves on several boards of directors addressing the needs of children, is on the board of the Trauma Special Interest Group of the NYS Psychological Association, and the Sober St. Patrick’s Foundation. Patricia co-chairs The American Psychological Association Workgroup on Covid, Healthcare and Addiction.

Contact me, and together we’ll craft a plan for you, your employees, or patients to develop resilience consciously, with self-compassion and motivation to live a well-deserved and joyful life. 

Education

Ph.D. — Fordham University, School Psychology

M.S. — City College of New York, School Psychology

B.A. — City College of New York, Major Psychology, Minor Education

Advisory and Board Memberships

Current

Founder and Advisory Board Member, National Association for Children of Alcoholics

Co-chair, American Psychological Association Workgroup on Covid, Healthcare and Addiction

Trauma Special Interest Group, New York State Psychological Association

Chair Advisory Board, Horses Healing Hearts (Delray Beach, Florida)

Secretary, Sober St. Patrick’s Day Foundation, (New York, NY) 

Vice President, Saranac Lake Youth Center (Saranac Lake, NY)

Advisory and Board Memberships

Previous

Academic Leadership Charter School (New York City)

Guest House Institute

NYS Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NYSCASA)

Founding Vice-president, National Association for Children of Alcoholics 

Professional Assistance Committee, NYS Department of Education.

Co-Chair Clinical Work group, NYS Co-Occurring Disorders Task Force Subcommittee on Youth and Adolescents

Wellcare Mental Health Advisory Board

Treasurer, Psychological Association of North East New York

Advisory Board member and special consultant to the Information Exchange on the Young Adult Chronic

Transition Taskforce, President Jimmy Carter

Professional Positions

Consulting Psychologist: Private practice 1981 to present. 

  • Random House Children’s Books, expert reader 2020

  • St. Joe’s Addiction Treatment and Recovery Centers for the Veterans Residential Treatment Center for PTSD and Addiction, 2015-2022

  • Rose Hill, Adolescent Residential Addiction Treatment Center, a 90-day program

  • Paul Smiths College 2017, 2018

  • Began the capitol district’s first mental health group private 1984 – 1997

Senior Management: substance abuse prevention and treatment, mental health, child welfare, and crime victims.  

  • Director of Division of Prevention of National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in Rockville, MD 1979-1981: Initiated the development of novel approaches and Replication Projects, the beginning of evidence-based programming. Moved NIAAA into a focus on community based research for determining best approaches for preventing alcohol abuse and alcoholism by focusing on specific behavior of high-risk groups and targeted media campaigns.  

  • Founding Director of Department of Prevention and Education for National Council on Alcoholism, national office, now the National Council on Alcoholism  and Drug Dependence (NCADD) in New York, NY 1974-1979: Developed this new department creating a focus on primary prevention, targeting high risk groups, utilizing education, and policy initiatives delivered nationally and through 225 local agencies. 

  • Executive Director, Interim for The Reach Center in Hudson, NY, 2009: Serving victims of crime and abuse.  Saved an essential community resource with excellent services by merging into larger agency transferring staff and state contracts. 

  • Director of Mental Health Services/Clinical Director/ Chief Psychologist/Training Director of Pre-Doctoral Psychology Internship Program for Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth, Canaan, NY, a residential treatment program for youth with social, emotional and behavioral disorders serving up to 300 youth a day 1981-1984, 1997-2008. 


Consultant Children’s Village; Mental Health Association of Columbia and Green Counties; Hallym University, Korea; Government of the State of Israel; Center for Substance Abuse Prevention; Aleutian Pribilof Island Association; White Bison.

Media Spokesperson: Girl Power!; Leggs Panty Hose campaign; Frequent guest appearance on national and local radio and TV program such as Good Morning America and The Today Show. Regional expert on children following 9-11 for CBS local affiliate—several appearances. Expert panelist on CSAT's web video on Mutual Support Groups. local PBS affiliates on aging, boys, and addiction, toxic ‘girly thought’s, PBS Keeping Kids Healthy. Articles and quotes have appeared in: Psychology Today, The Hill, Shape, Glamour. Huffington Post, Prevention, Inc, Chicago Tribune, Counselor Magazine, Publishers Weekly.

Faculty Member:  Guest School Faculty for over twenty-five years at numerous institutions and at Summer Schools of Addiction Studies.  Adjunct Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, SUNY-Albany; NOVA SE University, Masters in Applied Addiction Studies, Clinical Instructor, New York University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, City University of New York, Graduate and Undergraduate Education and Psychology.

Speaking
Engagements

Partial list- for full is please contact me

Middle East Psychological Association
Florida Nurses Association – Intervention Project for Nurses
National Association for Children of Alcoholics
Hallym University of Graduate Studies, Seoul, Korea
Government of the State of Israel
White Bison
Harvard Medical School
Child Welfare League of America 
US Journal Training
Schools of Addiction Studies from Alaska – New York
Esalen Institute
The Omega Institute