She's back.

A true renaissance woman, Dr. Priscilla Partridge de Garcia has excelled in so many areas it is hard to quantify.

A noted clinical psychologist, she also is an avocational artist, an author and a pioneer in the area of helping women in particular excel in their lives.

She has returned to Ventura County to assume the psychology practice she kept up for the past seven years commuting from Nashville, Tenn.

A native Californian, she recently moved back to the area to offer workshops in positive thinking, launch a career re-entry center, continue her art avocation and update her book, "Guilt-Proof Parenting," among other efforts.

"I am really excited to be back," said the mother of five and grandmother of nine, who lives in Camarillo.

"I missed the genteelness of Ventura County, the realness of our people, and the giving and supporting spirit we have for our communities," she said. "I also missed the diversity, beauty and energy of Southern Californians."

Partridge de Garcia has an office upstairs at the Historic Love House in Ventura — at Spa by Diane Loring Inc. — where she will be more available to see patients of her clinical psychology practice as well as begin seeing new patients, said Loring, owner and president of the full-service spa and salon, art gallery and leasing space for private businesses.

Long history in county

"What this means is that Dr. Partridge de Garcia will be ever more present to continue our business relationship, always considering what we can bring to this community, working together," said Loring, adding that Partridge de Garcia also will be the featured artist at the Historic Love House, taking the entire upstairs hallway and her office to showcase her paintings.

"Dr. Partridge de Garcia has given so much to this community over the years, it will be good to have her back home on a daily basis," Loring said.

"She is a dynamic, driving force and has been missed."

Partridge de Garcia's long history in Ventura County includes holding various positions on the board of Casa Pacifica, a home for abused, neglected and emotionally disturbed children.

She is well-known for her work while serving as the former executive vice president of the Oxnard College Foundation and her involvement with such other Ventura County nonprofits as United Way and Tres Condados Girl Scouts.

She was founder of the Alliance for the Arts, chaired Women's Days for the Ventura County Community College District from 1975 to 2000, was founder and charter member of the Ventura County Professional Women's Network, founder of both Destino and the Women's Fund for the Ventura County Community Foundation and co-founder of both the Ventura County Diversity Board and Ventura County Leadership Academy.

Creating re-entry center

Now that she's back, she plans to play a pivotal role as Loring enters the planning stages of creating a re-entry center at the Historic Love House with a goal to help people through life changes and transitions.

A counselor at Ventura College for 10 years, Partridge de Garcia helped establish the Women's Re-entry Center that offered counseling, clothing exchange, mentors, books and support for women at Ventura College.

"It will provide workshops on getting your life together, yoga, art and drawing; individual therapy, coaching and mentoring; massage and exercise; money management and career counseling; journaling and writing; and how to create the you that you want to be," Partridge de Garcia said. "It will do as the re-entry centers that I have run in the past. It will change women and men who choose to attend and make them better citizens, community volunteers and people."

One of her visions in Ventura County is to call back the hundreds of re-entry women and men and ask them to help with establishing a mini re-entry at the Historic Love House.

"I know that the three community colleges have cut back their funds and programs in this area; I know that all of us as we are in our adult transitions can use help," she said. "Maybe that could happen here again as people get themselves together after tragedies, divorces or the children leave."

Partridge de Garcia has contributed greatly to this community for years in many ways, Loring said, "always with the focus on helping people grow and make transitions through their lives in a positive way even when seemingly impossible, negative circumstances or obstacles could be perceived to be hindering, interfering or preventing them from that journey.

"She has changed many lives for the better over the years and has continued to offer herself in service, even keeping her promise to commute back and forth from Tennessee monthly for the past seven years," Loring said.

Born and raised in Southern California, Partridge de Garcia said everything changed for her when she received a full-tuition scholarship to University of Southern California.

"When I graduated, I wanted to be a therapist and went on to get my doctorate before I was 30," recalled Partridge de Garcia, whose role model was her grandfather, "who told me girls can do everything and anything."

While at USC, she was president of the Women's Association and was a member of one of the top sororities. By 21, she was a teacher at Thousand Oaks High, then went on to work as a counselor at Agoura High School.

"I ended up as a counselor at Oxnard College, then Ventura College, at each one running the re-entry center for people coming back to school," said Partridge de Garcia, who put on 43 women's days, many men's days and numerous political days.

Selling Tennessee home

Over the years, she has offered workshops, speeches and business consulting on stress, leadership and mental health throughout the United States and in two foreign countries. She also was co-founder of the American Association of University Women in Thousand Oaks and has received citations from local, state and national organizations, including the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce, which named her Educator of the Year.

She is now living with her husband, Pedro, who began a new job in July as executive in residence with the Rossier School of Education at USC. Formerly the director of schools of the Metro Nashville school system, he now teaches a class in human resources and works on projects with China and Vietnam.

"We are leasing a home until our Tennessee home sells," Partridge de Garcia said. "Then we will buy somewhere in Ventura County."

She is happy to be back.

"I love the Love House, and its atmosphere is so wonderful," Partridge de Garcia said. "It is bright, simple and passionate. It is about life and laughter and celebration."