PAIRS Founding Visionaries

Virginia Satir (1916–1988)
Often revered as the “mother of family therapy,” Virginia Satir’s groundbreaking work emphasized the central role of communication, self-worth, and emotional expression in healthy family systems. Her deeply humanistic, experiential approach inspired PAIRS' focus on emotional safety, empathy, and authentic connection. Satir’s Five Freedoms and transformative work with family sculpting laid the emotional and philosophical groundwork for much of PAIRS’ relational methodology.

Lori Heyman Gordon, Ph.D. (1929-2019)

Lori Gordon founded PAIRS in 1975 out of a personal quest to understand what makes love last. A passionate innovator and teacher, she created the first comprehensive, experiential relationship skills training program used in graduate education. Drawing from her collaboration with pioneers such as Satir and Casriel, Lori developed powerful tools and frameworks that remain at the heart of PAIRS. Her vision was simple yet profound: to make skills for sustaining love accessible to all.

Daniel Casriel, MD (1924–1983)
A psychiatrist and visionary in the field of emotional reeducation, Dr. Daniel Casriel introduced the concept of bonding as a basic human need. His pioneering work on emotional expression, regression therapy, and the biology of connection transformed understandings of addiction, personality development, and healing. Casriel’s methods for helping people reconnect with their feelings and unmet needs continue to influence PAIRS’ emphasis on emotional release, bonding, and authentic intimacy.