Experience

In addition to working in private practice with adults and children, I have provided therapy in a variety of diverse settings:

 

UCSD Family Medicine

• Provided therapy to adults, couples, and families as part of a patient centered healthcare team at UCSD medical clinics

• Collaborated with physicians to provide integrated care for clients

• Treated issues such as depression, anxiety, panic, marital discord, family functioning, and trauma

 

UCSD Pediatrics

• Provided therapy to toddlers, school aged children, and adolescents

• Collaborated with pediatricians to provide integrated care for families

• Treated issues such as ADHD, Autistic Spectrum disorders, behavioral difficulties, childhood depression and anxiety, abuse, and trauma

 

Newton Center for Affect Regulation

• Provided dyadic therapy to mothers and their infants/toddlers. In this type of therapy, the therapist helps the mother with emotional issues (depression, anxiety, trauma) while simultaneously helping the mother reduce the impact of these issues on her young child. Collaborated with social workers and psychiatrists to optimize client's treatment and outcomes.

• Facilitated a weekly psychoeducation and training group for mothers and young children focusing on increasing attunement and sensitivity to foster a strengthened attachment relationship

 

St. Vincent de Paul Village

• Worked with adults, couples, and children in this residential facility for homeless families

• Provided therapy to address PTSD, abuse, depression, anxiety, and attachment security issues

• Collaborated with social workers, childcare providers, and psychiatrists to optimize family treatment and outcomes

 

Training

 

Integrative Regulation Therapy (iRT)

Certified in iRT, a nine-month course provided by the Newton Center for Affect Regulation that provides clinicians with the ability to integrate recent research from the fields of neuroscience, biology, and attachment theory to increase the quality of therapy provided to clients.

 

Play Therapy

Experienced Play Therapist, having completed child play therapy courses required by the Association for Play Therapy (APT) to become certified. Completed coursework includes:

 

• Diagnosis and assessment through play therapy

• The power of play

• Structured play therapy

• Child centered play therapy

• Filial play therapy

• Cognitive behavioral play therapy

• Psychodynamic play therapy

• Toys and their uses

• Play therapy in school settings

• Helping children during separation and divorce

• Legal and ethical aspects of play therapy

• Supervision of play therapy

• Play therapy for attachment disorders

• Parent child Interaction therapy

• Sandplay therapy

• Gestalt play therapy

• Integrative play therapy

• Play therapy to increase emotion regulation

• Theraplay

 

UCLA Interpersonal Neurobiology Conference

Attended this annual 3 day conference which brings together leading researchers who share their knowledge about recent developments in the areas of neuroscience, biology and attachment

 

• 2014: Affect Regulation and Healing of Self

• 2015: Play, Creativity, Mindfulness, and Neuroscience in Psychotherapy

• 2016: The Cultural Lens in Psychotherapy

 

Psychology of Boys at Risk: Indicators from 0 – 5

Attended this 2015 conference presented by the Infant Mental Health Journal and the Santa Fe Boys Education Foundation

 

Education

 

I have a master's degree in Marital and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego. I returned to graduate school and entered the therapy profession mid-life, after having spent several years in the management consulting profession working for international professional service firms. I have found my work as a therapist to be deeply rewarding. Being able to blend my experience as a former business professional, a mother, and a family therapist has enabled me to bring a diverse set of experiences to my work with clients.

 

Publications

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Patterson, J., Vakili, S., Richmond, E., & Abu-Hassan, H. (2020). Experiencing Gender and Culture Differences in Global Healthcare Settings: American Students Providing Therapy in Jordan. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy. 

 

Patterson, J., Edwards, T. M., Vakili, S., & Abu-Hassan, H.  Access to Family-Based Mental Health Services in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.  In K. S. Wampler, M. Rastogi, and R. Singh (Eds). The handbook of systemic family therapy: Systemic family therapy and global health issues.  Hoboken, NJ:  John Wiley & Sons.

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Patterson, J., Vakili, S., Abu-Hassan, H., & King, A. (2017). Family Focused Care for Refugees and Displaced Populations: Global Opportunities for Family Therapists. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. Received honorable mention award, JMFT in-house article of the year competition.

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Patterson, J., Edwards, T. M., & Vakili, S. (2017). Global Mental Health: A Call for Increased Action and Awareness for Family Therapists. Family Process, 57, 70-82.

 

Patterson, J., & Vakili, S. (2014). Relationships, Environment, and the Brain: How Emerging Research is Changing What We Know about the Impact of Families on Human Development. Family Process, 53(1), 22-32.

 

Edwards, T. M., Patterson, J., Scherger, J., Vakili, S. (2013). Policy and practice: A primer on the past, present, and future of healthcare reform in the United States. In J. Hodgson, A. Lamson, T. Mendenhall, & R. Crane (Eds). Medical family therapy: Advanced applications. New York: Springer.

 

Edwards, T., Patterson, J., Vakili, S., & Scherger, J. (2012). Healthcare Policy in the United States: A Primer for Medical Family Therapists. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 34(2), 217-227.

Professional Organizations

 

American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

Clinical Fellow

 

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

Clinical Member