Dr. Wendy Palmer Patterson, PhD, LCSW, LMFT

Experience and Expertise:

Dr. Wendy Palmer Patterson has been working with couples and families since 1971. Her experience spans both the public and private sectors, and she has been in private practice in Atlanta since 1981, specializing in couples, families, and groups. She is a respected trainer of marital and family therapists, as well as a supervisor and consultant.

Wendy has been an Imago Clinical Faculty member since 1996 and has delivered seminars for professional, religious, and business organizations. Her training and experience include:

• Structural and Strategic family therapy
• Systemic therapy
• Transactional Analysis
• Gestalt therapy
• Pesos Borden System Psychomotor therapy
• Sexual and physical abuse
• Addiction recovery and treatment
• Group psychotherapy
• Parenting
• Women’s empowerment
• Sexuality

Introduction to Imago:

Wendy’s introduction to Imago came through her partner, Bob, who brought the book, Getting the Love You Want, to her attention during a couple’s retreat they were conducting in the 1980s. In 1989, Bob suggested they get certified in this new discipline, marking the beginning of their journey with Imago.

They attended their first workshop with Pat Love, followed by training with Harville Hendrix in New York. Wendy found the weekend with Pat to be more beneficial for their marriage than years of couples therapy. Although initially somewhat skeptical due to her extensive training with other prominent figures in the field, she was impressed by her initial training with Harville.

Wendy suggested incorporating elements like bodywork, abuse, violence, and Transactional Analysis into the Imago training. Harville agreed, provided she completed the training and became proficient in it before suggesting changes. Wendy embraced the challenge and found the work beneficial for her marriage.

Contributions to Imago:

Wendy and Bob were invited to become Workshop Presenters after completing their clinical training. While Bob pursued the Workshop Presenter training, Wendy adapted their couple’s retreat to incorporate GLYW workshops. She later joined Bob and had a significant experience in the Workshop Presenters course.

In the late 1990s, Atlanta Imago therapists sought a Faculty presence in the Southeast, and Wendy became a Faculty candidate. She organized the first clinical training in Atlanta, bringing together Bruce Crapuchettes and Maya Kollman. She became a certified Imago Faculty member in 1996.

Atlanta has played a significant role in the Imago community, hosting three International Imago Conferences. Bob has been instrumental in organizing these conferences since 1993. Wendy highlights the 2001 conference in Atlanta, which took place shortly after 9/11, as a testament to the healing power of community.

Current Practice and Contributions:

Wendy continues to live and work in Atlanta, where she has always maintained a home office for her private practice. Her practice focuses on families and couples, and she has been a trainer, supervisor, and consultant since 1973.

Wendy and Bob are celebrating over 40 years of marriage and have two children, Taylor and Leif, who are both Imago trained.

Wendy’s specific contributions to Imago include emphasizing:

• Sender Responsibility
• Levels of Validation (5)
• Contracting
• CPR training (Compassion, Power, and Respect)
• Community Dialogue
• Despair to Repair
• Forgiveness
• Couples in Business
• Psychomotor and Imago
• The Relational Self
• Cultural expansion to include power imbalances (violence and abuse)
• Tenses as focus
• Intention vs. Impact
• Frozen Power Struggles

Wendy has a systemic approach to her work and has integrated Imago theory and practice into business consultation and team building for over 30 years. She is also committed to group work and is currently pursuing a PhD from Daybreak University, focusing her research on the application of Imago in different cultures, drawing from her international teaching experiences.