I'm Jami
I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Santa Barbara, CA.
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I’m a Certified PACT Couples Therapist and Original Core Faculty of The PACT Institute.
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In 2001, while in graduate school, I had the good fortune to meet Dr. Stan Tatkin, Founder of PACT. At that time, his model was just taking shape, and it inspired me immediately — not only as a rigorous, multifaceted model rooted in neuroscience, attachment theory, and biology, but also as a humane, non-pathologizing, and deeply redemptive approach to working with couples.
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I went on to train with Stan for more than 15 years after graduate school, eventually becoming part of a select group of therapists passionately involved in the model’s advancement. In 2015, we became the first Certified PACT Therapists and the first trained teachers of the model.
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Over the years, I’ve also explored and trained in other couples therapy approaches, including Gottman, EFT, and RLT, learning something valuable from each. Still, PACT remains the most comprehensive model I know and the foundation of my work.
A Personal Note
​My husband and I have been together for 37 years and are currently in the thick of raising two great teenagers.
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I know deep in my bones that partnership is both beautiful and demanding. It takes two people who are willing to face themselves and each other honestly and keep showing up with loving effort to help each other through change, conflict, loss, and the ordinary ups and downs of life.
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​My understanding of couples work isn’t just intellectual — it’s felt, lived, and humbling in my own relationship. All of this makes me a more attuned and effective therapist.
​MY EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
BS Business Finance, SDSU
MA Clinical Psychology, Antioch University
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (#44885)
Original Core Faculty at The PACT Institute
Certified PACT Couples Therapist
MY PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
The PACT Institute
California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists (CAMFT)
Santa Barbara Chapter of CAMFT