In 1997, the national office of the PAIRS Foundation awarded certification to Ellen Purcell to be a PAIRS Master Teacher. PAIRS (the Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills) is an internationally-renowned solution-oriented, highly experiential program to learn in a classroom setting how to have a mastery of relationship skills.
The Master Teacher designation is given to those PAIRS Instructors who have shown excellence in presentation and mastery of the program material. From a field of thousands of trained professionals, fewer than 25 instructors from the entire PAIRS Foundation's network have received this level of certification. Ellen has taught PAIRS classes for 20 years with her husband, Chuck Purcell. Participants enjoy learning the skills needed to create and sustain happy relationships from a couple who model the concepts in a powerfully authentic way.
Additionally, as a PAIRS Trainer, Ellen has trained professionals around the country to conduct PAIRS classes. She served as Director of the PAIRS Foundation, as well as Executive Director of the PEERS program -- an adaptation of the communication portion of the PAIRS classes for middle and high school youth.
As a PAIRS leader, Ellen has lectured at George Mason University, James Madison University and George Washington University, and has presented workshops, television and radio shows. There have been several articles in newspapers and magazines about her work with PAIRS, including a front-page article in the Washington Post.