Patricia Gilbaugh, PhD, LISW

About Patricia

Dr. Gilbaugh's minor at Mount Mercy College was in photography. She continues to photograph people as a hobby and a source of relieving stress. Her passion for black-and-white photography earned her several awards for amateur competitions. She took her own wedding pictures, and has taken several teens' senior pictures. Due to her love of the ocean and nature, her favorite times are when she can photograph nature. Just "being"is her favorite thing to do. She loves spending time with her family, and she lives for road trips with her sister! She also enjoys traveling to new places, and hopes to travel to all 92 countries in her lifetime. She hopes to travel in ways that allow her to immerse herself in different cultures. Her lifelong dream is to facilitate the organizing of a therapy team to respond to natural disasters to help children cope with the devastating trauma of losing their homes and families.

Training

Patricia is trained in all play therapy techniques, including non-directive, filial, sand tray, and Theraplay ®. She completed her certification course work at MNU under the supervision of Dr. Marlo Winstead. Patricia’s specialty area is treatment of trauma, reactive attachment disorder, and childhood developmental disorders. Patricia has developed a strength in understanding brain development and human growth. Patricia’s training has included numerous years studying the effects of drugs, alcohol, and trauma on the developing brain of a child. Patricia is also trained as a forensic social worker and is a consultant to several law enforcement agencies in Iowa. She is an experienced social worker, therapist, trainer, and organizational consultant. She is a highly trained crisis counselor, and typically responds to such crises as natural disasters, school crisis intervention, sudden deaths, and violent crimes.

Education

Ph.D - Social Work, University of Iowa

MSW - Social Work, University of Iowa

MPP - Public Policy, University of Northern Iowa

BA - Criminal Justice Administration & Psychology, Mt. Mercy College

License and Certifications

Patti is a Licensed Independent Social Worker

Patti will receive her certification as a registered play therapist in May, 2011.

Availability

Due to the high volume of consultation work, Dr. Gilbaugh carries only 10 patients on her caseload at a time.