Author Archives: Patricia O'Gorman, PhD

About Patricia O'Gorman, PhD

Patricia A. O'Gorman, Ph.D., is a psychologist in private practice. She is noted for her work on women, trauma, and substance abuse and for her warm, inspiring, and amusing presentations that make complex issues accessible and even fun. She has served as a consultant to organizations across the country in preventative and clinical strategic planning. Dr. O'Gorman is a cofounder of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics, and she has held positions ranging from director of a rape crisis center to clinical director of a child welfare agency, and director of the division of prevention for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). She is a veteran of numerous television appearances, including Good Morning America, Today, and AM Sunday and is the author of eight books including: The Girly Thoughts 10 Day Detox Plan (2014), The Resilient Woman: Mastering the 7 Steps to Personal Power (2013), and Healing Trauma Through Self-Parenting (2012) 12 Steps to Self-Parenting.

When Your Anger, Not Your Girly Thoughts, Can Be Your Friend

March 12th, 2015 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Uncategorized - (Comments Off on When Your Anger, Not Your Girly Thoughts, Can Be Your Friend)

So often we feel it is not good to be angry—particularly at work, where we’ll be seen and judged. We fear our anger is unbecoming, and that if we let ourselves get angry, we won’t be liked or that we’ll be labeled the dreaded “B-word.” Instead, we tell ourselves we should be pleasing, approachable, not …
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Detoxing from Valentine’s Day

February 20th, 2015 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Body Image | Girly Thoughts | Health & Wellness | Relationships | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on Detoxing from Valentine’s Day)

He loves me, he loves me not? The bigger question is: Why do I care so much?   Well the BIG Day—Valentine’s Day—has come and gone. This day of tension, caused by the painful and anxious feelings produced by your girly thoughts telling you that your lovability is going to be demonstrated by what your …
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Enjoying Your Light by Not Listening to Your Girly Thoughts on Valentine’s Day

February 12th, 2015 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Body Image | Girly Thoughts | Health & Wellness | Relationships | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on Enjoying Your Light by Not Listening to Your Girly Thoughts on Valentine’s Day)

There is a crack in everything . . . that’s how the light gets in. —Leonard Cohen   There is something about a holiday—and Valentine’s Day in particular—that makes us focus even more than usual on what we see as our faults. It must be the connection between our powerful, emotional needs for love and the …
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Enjoying Valentine’s Day by Not Indulging Your Girly Thoughts

February 10th, 2015 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Uncategorized - (Comments Off on Enjoying Valentine’s Day by Not Indulging Your Girly Thoughts)

 “How do you spell ‘love’?” – Piglet “You don’t spell it . . . you feel it.” – Pooh —A.A. Milne, Winnie The Pooh   Perhaps no other holiday creates as much tension as Valentine’s Day. This is the day of love, of being loved, and of receiving gifts; all of which say that all …
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How to Know if Your Girly Thoughts Are Holding You Back at Work: 6 Easy Steps

February 9th, 2015 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Girly Thoughts | Health & Wellness | Women's Issues | Workplace Issues - (Comments Off on How to Know if Your Girly Thoughts Are Holding You Back at Work: 6 Easy Steps)

When you hold yourself back, when you don’t assert the power of your position, share your information, offer your opinion, there is a price to be paid—and it is either paid in real time with negative consequences or paid down the line in a failure to really succeed.       Are You Holding Yourself …
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A New You in the New Year—Free from Girly Thoughts

February 6th, 2015 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Body Image | Girly Thoughts | Health & Wellness | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on A New You in the New Year—Free from Girly Thoughts)

Above all, be the heroine in your own life. —Nora Ephron   You’re well into the New Year, and your resolutions probably included losing a few of those holiday pounds, right? If you’re like most of us, that particular resolution is a real stumbling block, and failing to realize it is an incredible stressor.   …
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Give from Your Heart, Not Your Girly Thoughts

December 5th, 2014 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Girly Thoughts | Parenting | Relationships | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on Give from Your Heart, Not Your Girly Thoughts)

’Tis the season, with lots of expectations of what you should do, how you should look, and what you should give when gifting. No wonder your girly thoughts, that toxic self-talk that tells you what to do while simultaneously telling you you’re not doing it correctly, have a field day here. In my latest book, …
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Help Your Daughter Measure Her True Self-Worth in 4 Easy Steps

December 4th, 2014 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Adolescents | Adolescents' Issues | Body Image | Girly Thoughts | Parenting | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on Help Your Daughter Measure Her True Self-Worth in 4 Easy Steps)

Remember how awkward it felt to be a teen? Remember what it was like to worry each night when you went to bed if you would recognize the you who woke up in the morning? Budding breasts, growth spurts, and those terrible pimples were all potential minefields. I know I can still feel how my …
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How Your Girly Thoughts™ Increase Your Holiday Stress

November 18th, 2014 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Body Image | Family Issues | Girly Thoughts | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on How Your Girly Thoughts™ Increase Your Holiday Stress)

By Patricia O’Gorman, PhD Author of The Girly Thoughts 10-Day Detox Plan: The Resilient Woman’s Guide to Saying NO to Negative Self-Talk and YES to Personal Power  (published on 10.28.14) — a fun book about a serious topic     The Resilient Woman: Mastering the 7 Steps to Personal Power (2013)       Healing Trauma Through Self-Parenting—The Codependency Connection (2012)   …
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