PACT (Pre/Post Adoption Consulting and Training)

PACT (Pre/Post Adoption Consulting and Training) Consulting, Therapy (individual and couples) and Training
also professional and parent coaching

Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao, Ed.D., LCSW, LMFT, was the Founder and CEO of Center for Family Connections, Inc. (CFFC, 1995-2012) in Cambridge and New York, Founder and Director of Riverside After Adoption Consulting and Training (AACT, 2012 to 2015), PACT (Pre/Post Adoption Consulting and Training, 1982-present), and Pavao Consulting and Coaching. Dr. Pavao has done extensive training, both nationally and internationally. She is a lecturer in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and she has consulted to various public and private child welfare agencies, adoption agencies, schools, and community groups, as well as probate and family court judges, lawyers, and clergy. Additionally, she has worked closely with individuals and families touched by adoption, foster care, and other complex blended family constructions. She has developed models for treatment and for training using her systemic, intergenerational, and developmental framework, The Normative Crises in the Development of the Adoptive Family, and her book, The Family of Adoption (Beacon Press), has received high acclaim. Dr. Pavao has received many awards and honors, including the Children’s Bureau/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Adoption Excellence Award for Family Contribution (2003) and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption award for Angels in Adoption (2000).

No place for hate. No place for hate speech
12/15/2025

No place for hate.
No place for hate speech

12/15/2025
ATTENTION TO ALL PARENTS WHO NEED TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT SANTA Son: “Dad, I think I'm old enough now. Is there a Santa ...
12/12/2025

ATTENTION TO ALL PARENTS
WHO NEED TO TELL THE TRUTH
ABOUT SANTA

Son:
“Dad, I think I'm old enough now. Is there a Santa Claus?."

Dad:
“Ok, I agree that your old enough.
But before I tell you, I have a
question for you.
You see, the “truth” is a dangerous gift. Once you know something, you can't unknow it.
Once you know the truth about Santa Claus, you will never again understand and relate to him as you do now.
So my question is:
Are you sure you want to know?"
Brief pause...

Son: "Yes, I want to know"
Dad: "Ok, I'll tell you:
Yes there is a Santa Claus"
Son: "Really?"

Dad: Yes, really, but he's not an old man with a beard in a red suit.
That's just what we tell kids.
You see, kids are too young to understand the true nature of Santa Claus, so we explain it to them in a way that they can understand.
The truth about Santa Claus is that he's not a person at all; he's an idea.
Think of all those presents Santa gave you over the years.
I actually bought those myself.
I watched you open them.
And did it bother me that you didn't thank me?
Of course not!
In fact it gave me great pleasure.

You see, Santa Claus is THE IDEA OF GIVING FOR THE SAKE OF GIVING, without thought of thanks or acknowledgement.
When I saw that woman collapse on the subway last week and called for help, I knew that she'd never know that it was me that summoned the ambulance.
I was being Santa Claus when I did that."
Son: "Oh."
Dad: "So now that you know, you're part of it.
You have to be Santa Claus too now. That means you can never tell a young kid the secret, and you have to help us select Santa presents for them, and most important, you have to look for opportunities to help people.
Got it?"

Help each other this Christmas and...be kind 🎄

Great solstice read
12/11/2025

Great solstice read

https://conta.cc/4ixMXCE
12/09/2025

https://conta.cc/4ixMXCE

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A couple of Openings…
12/09/2025

A couple of Openings…

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5 Watson Road (@Concord Ave)
Belmont, MA
02478

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm

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