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.

How Your girly thoughts Make You Ask– Am I Pretty Enough?

August 19th, 2014 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Adolescents | Adolescents' Issues | Body Image | Girly Thoughts | Parenting | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on How Your girly thoughts Make You Ask– Am I Pretty Enough?)

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 (publication date 10.28.14)         The Resilient Woman: Mastering the 7 Steps to Personal Power (2013)         Healing Trauma Through Self-Parenting—The Codependency Connection (2012)         …
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Getting Married? Don’t Say I Do to Your Girly Thoughts

August 14th, 2014 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Body Image | Family Issues | Girly Thoughts | Relationships | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on Getting Married? Don’t Say I Do to Your Girly Thoughts)

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 (publication date 10.28.14)       The Resilient Woman: Mastering the 7 Steps to Personal Power (2013)     Healing Trauma Through Self-Parenting—The Codependency Connection          (2012)   …
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Is This Love?—No, It’s a Girly Thought!

August 7th, 2014 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Girly Thoughts | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on Is This Love?—No, It’s a Girly Thought!)

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 (publication date 10.28.14)     The Resilient Woman: Mastering the 7 Steps to Personal Power (2013)         So Ray Rice says he’s sorry, and it’s all okay? Not …
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Is Disney Succumbing to Girly Thoughts?

April 10th, 2014 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Adolescents | Body Image | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on Is Disney Succumbing to Girly Thoughts?)

Disney is an iconic producer of many of the stories that make up the stuff of childhood. But have you ever stopped to consider the impact those gorgeous, svelte princesses have on the developing attitudes of young girls? Whether you’re of the generation that embraced old-school princesses like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, or the …
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“Don’t Be So Bossy!” – Have You Internalized Early Girly Thoughts?

March 14th, 2014 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Adolescents | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on “Don’t Be So Bossy!” – Have You Internalized Early Girly Thoughts?)

As a young girl, you received many messages about who you were and how you should act. Some of these messages may have been very subtle, such as the looks you received when you reached for an extra piece of cake. Those glares told you loud and clear that you were not doing what was …
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A Valentine’s Gift for You

February 13th, 2014 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Relationships | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on A Valentine’s Gift for You)

“How do you spell ‘love’?” – Piglet “You don’t spell it . . . you feel it.” – Pooh — A.A. Milne, “Winnie The Pooh” You were raised on tales of Prince Charming coming to your rescue and thereby proving his undying love. You’ve seen numerous movies and read many books where strong, feisty women are …
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Setting Examples for Our Daughters: What Mothers Teach Their Daughters About Girly Thoughts

January 17th, 2014 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Adolescents | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on Setting Examples for Our Daughters: What Mothers Teach Their Daughters About Girly Thoughts)

We say one picture is worth a thousand words. If that is so, then one video must be worth many more. Out of the Mouths of Babes I encourage you to watch the video below (sent to me by a reader) of a participant at the Barnard College poetry slam. In it, a young woman …
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A Precious Gift for You, for The Holidays: Connecting to YOU!

December 23rd, 2013 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Women's Issues - (Comments Off on A Precious Gift for You, for The Holidays: Connecting to YOU!)

We all love receiving presents. They are tokens of friendship: the cookies you bake and give to neighbors; tokens of caring, such as the book of poetry you give to your boyfriend. In some ways, presents signify our worthiness, as in being the worthy recipient of gifts from others: the locket your husband gives you, …
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What Are Girly Thoughts? Your daughter is a girl, so isn’t she supposed to be thinking thoughts like a girl?  Yes, but not these thoughts.  Girly thoughts is the subtle conditioning that begins in girlhood and continues throughout life that results in women feeling less than. These are the thoughts that tell us how we …
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