PACT Faculty Hans and Patricia Excited to Help Teach Level 2 This Fall

In the fall of 2009, several fellow clinician colleagues of Patricia Hart, PhD, and Hans Stahlschmidt, PhD, told them that they were “very excited about this interesting guy” who had a new model of couple therapy, and they invited Hans and Patricia to hear him speak.

So when Stan Tatkin came to Berkeley to talk about a Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy (PACT), Hans and Patricia were there to listen.

Now, after 15 years of learning and practicing PACT, Patricia and Hans say that becoming PACT therapists has radically improved their respective practices and also strengthened their marriage. Hans and Patricia have been together for 35 years!

After co-teaching and supporting students to succeed in PACT Level 1, they are both taking on teaching Module 2 of PACT Level 2: Working with Difficult Couples this fall. Next year, they will teach all of Level 2 while Stan focuses on developing and teaching new PACT programs. We are thrilled to have Hans and Patricia take the reins in 2025, and advanced students will benefit from their expertise.

What is it about PACT that is so exciting and important? We asked Hans and Patricia – as experienced PACT therapists and beloved PACT faculty – to share what they love about the model and why they’re excited to step into their new role as Level 2 instructors.

What draws you to the PACT model?

Patricia: First of all, to my knowledge, PACT is the first and still the only model of couple therapy that offers a comprehensive conceptual framework of what a durable, well-functioning relationship is. It answers the question of what qualities and attributes are needed to meet the growing, changing needs of two people in order to develop and sustain a relationship that can hold them, nourish them, and support the life they build together for the long term. PACT provides a road map to us as therapists and to our couples as well. It makes a difference. 

A number of other aspects of PACT have made it my therapeutic home — the understanding that we repurpose our early attachments in romantic relationships, the understanding of attachment and attachment strategies, and the understanding of object relations and personality theory, interweaving and tailoring interventions for use within the PACT framework.

Hans: From the very beginning, I was captivated by PACT’s underlying care concept of a successful couple relationship. This care model challenges us all to make strong commitments and the effort of a full self to create a safe and fulfilling relationship. At that time 15 years ago, the PACT model was still in its early stages, but the process of its development drew me in. It reflected the reality of relationships, couple therapy, and our identity as therapists, that we, too, are always growing and becoming.

Another aspect that draws me into working in this paradigm is that the self of the therapist does not have to be hidden. Instead, it is an important and highly effective instrument for helping couples grow. In this way, I can be engaged, transparent, and real. As couples need to be inspired, so do PACT therapists and their students.

How has PACT changed your practice?

Patricia and Hans: Prior to PACT training we were both dissatisfied with what we were able to accomplish with the couples in our respective practices. Although we were often able to make good progress during sessions – helping couples understand their negative processes, develop better understanding of themselves and their partners, and often leave the session feeling relieved and more connected – we felt the limits of what we could do. Because sometime in the next week, one of the partners would trigger the other, and they were back in their old cycle. 

With PACT, we watch the relationship in real time where negative and destructive interactions can be seen, understood, and remedied. Couples can see what they do that does not work and find out and practice what does, a central part of the efficacy of this model. 

The somatic experience of injury and repair, empathic connection, and learning to manage the partner in ways that facilitate the relationship mean that real change can happen. Couples are able to improve their ability to co-regulate and take that mutual care home with them. When they are triggered, because they have experienced PACT in session, they more often know what to do to get the relationship back on track, even outside of our offices. 

What excites you about teaching part of PACT Level 2? 

Patricia: Teaching when you feel passionate about the subject matter is a great privilege. I am excited to teach Level 2 because I look forward to working with students on developing and deepening their skills to treat a wider array of challenges that couples face. I also look forward to focusing on the challenges of PACT work with more serious psychopathology and making that accessible for students. 

Hans: Seeing students light up, taking in new ideas, developing their own ideas, and being inspired to experiment with new approaches in their office are, for me, wonderful experiences and rewards for my own efforts. To be of use, to help students develop and succeed, to see students becoming passionate about their work are among the highest professional and personal rewards.