Business Network Breakfast - April 25
“Wellness at Work”
Speaker: Pat Dever
Community Counselor at Salesianum School
Friday, April 25, 2025
7:37 AM - 9:00 AM
The Union League at Torresdale
3801 Grant Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19114
**WALK-INS ARE WELCOME** Preregistration is preferred but please feel free to walk-in and/or bring a guest! If you have trouble registering or have any questions, please email info@oblates.org.
The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Business Network is proud to welcome Pat Dever, Community Counselor at Salesianum School, to the Networking Breakfast on October 18, 2024.
The free event starts with continental breakfast and networking at 7:37 AM (that’s when Fr. Guerin began his meetings, but you can come earlier if you’d like).
Pat’s presentation, including a Q&A, begins at 8:00 AM. The Program concludes at 9:00 AM. Dress code is smart casual.
About the Speaker:
Pat Dever is currently the Community Counselor at Salesianum School where he has worked for 25 years as a teacher, multi-sport coach, and counselor. He recently helped dedicate the new Salesian Wellness Center, a vision he has championed for many years, that would be a dedicated safe place for students and members of the community to seek support in facing mental health challenges. Pat has been helping Salesianum students, parents, teachers and staff navigate mental health challenges and concerns for the last 15 years. He has also been working part-time in private practice since 2021, helping teens to adults work through mental health challenges.
Prior to his work at Salesianum, Pat worked as a teacher and coach at Northeast Catholic High School for 2 years. His journey at North was both unique and life-altering. Hired first as a long-term sub in social studies, Pat was moved into the religion department as a full-time teacher at the semester’s break due to unforeseen circumstances or as he believes divine intervention. Although unrecognized and undiagnosed at the time, Pat silently suffered from both anxiety and depression and used alcohol to help ease his discomfort and discontent within himself. While at North, he heard a young graduate share part of his recovery journey and Pat’s thoughts unraveled about his life and where it was going. After a very rough alcohol-fueled run through March, he asked God on Easter Sunday morning on April 4th, 1999 to help him be normal. His prayer was answered and his journey into recovery slowly began to unfold.
Pat sought treatment at a local rehab through outpatient counseling with the support and encouragement of his then girlfriend, now wife, and family. Through this intensive work, he was able to recognize that this discomfort and discontent within himself was both anxiety and depression and that it started in high school. The alcohol use was self-medication which eventually led to abuse and addiction. He started working a 12-step recovery program and has been sober for over half his life now. He has been to thousands of meetings to help himself and others on this beautiful spiritual journey. Pat eventually left North and headed down to Salesianum, his alma mater, for his dream job of teaching and coaching. He then started a master’s program in Community Counseling, now Mental Health Counseling, to help all those students who might feel as he did in high school. He graduated in 2009 to become a Nationally Certified Counselor and started his counseling work at Salesianum.
Pat has been married to his college sweetheart, Adrienne, for 24 years and they have one son, Richard who is currently attending Penn State University and also studying to be a counselor. He is a proud Delco guy and resides in Aston after growing up in Boothwyn. He loves to hang with his family and they love the shore, Disney, and travelling. He loves his Grateful Dead music and attending live concerts with his wife and son. He enjoys playing golf and secretly enjoys taking care of the lawn. His life is beyond his wildest dreams.
