Patricia Hagerbaumer, MA, NBCC
Introducing Dogwood Studio’s newest team member, Patricia Hagerbaumer! Patricia holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry, Master’s of Arts in Counseling, and a certification from the National Board of Certified Counselors. She was previously licensed in Illinois as a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. At the Evanston Vet Center, Department of Veteran Affairs, she served as the Sexual Trauma Counselor, Readjustment Counseling Therapist, Women Veteran Coordinator, and the Clinical Coordinator.
Her expertise as a therapist was working with individuals who had experienced severe abuse and neglect beginning in early childhood. Patricia found the traditional forms of therapy to be slow and painful for her clients. She began using mindfulness to help them stay in the present moment. This decreased their anxiety and dissociation. These men and women began to appreciate and understand what it took for them just to survive. Now they could use these same strengths and skills to live full, rich, joyful lives. The profound growth that Patricia witnessed within her clients led to her desire to share these tools with people whose lives are limited by anxiety and depression.
Patricia retired from the Vet Center in 2015. She raised six children and has seven grandchildren. She recently relocated from her long-term home in Illinois to Chapel Hill to be closer to her grandchildren. Patricia enjoys Habitat for Humanity, hiking, traveling, yoga, quilting, and attending meditation retreats.
Through her Mindfulness Meditation classes and workshops, Patricia will provide a comforting space for students to practice being completely present in the moment with a nonjudgmental attitude. She will guide students to notice their breath, bodies, and thoughts. They will also learn how our minds can be our worst enemies but also our greatest assets. Patricia hopes that this approach will help her students to become more alive, peaceful, and compassionate to themselves and others.