Dr. Philippa M. COUGHLAN

COUGHLAN, Dr. Philippa M. Dr. Philippa Mathieu Coughlan, 75, a clinical psychologist, the founder and for 40 years the Director of the Office of Behavioral Health for Students at Wesleyan University, passed away peacefully at Middlesex Hospital in Connecticut, on (March 17, 2011). She was a resident of Middletown, Connecticut, and had a home in Newport, Rhode Island. Philippa was born in Boston, Massachusetts, graduated from Boston University, where she was President of the Newman Society for three years, and received a Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she worked with Carl Rogers. At Wisconsin, she was a principal in the post-Vatican II transformation of the University Catholic Center. In addition to her long professional career at Wesleyan, Philippa taught in the Psychiatry Department of the Yale School of Medicine, served for eight years as Chair of the Connecticut State Board of Mental Health and was a Governor's Appointee to the Community Health Strategy Board. In her youth Philippa was an accomplished figure skater with the Skating Club of Boston and later a respected judge for the US Figure Skating Association. She was a pioneer in the field of behavioral health for college students and spent a lifetime making a positive difference in young people's lives. Philippa was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, and she was a generous friend. She is survived by her husband, Neil and son, John; daughter-in-law, Karen and grandson, Patrick (to whom she is "Pippa"); brother-in-law, Paul; sister-in-law, Tina; nieces, Nicole and Monica. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, March 21 at Corpus Christi Church, 529 West 121st Street, New York City, preceded at 9:30 a.m. by a viewing in the church. There will be a noon reception for friends and family at the New York Athletic Club, 180 Central Park South. Philippa will be buried in a private family service at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Valhalla, New York.