About Us
The Founder
Patricia Crane Ennis, LMSW holds a Masters in Social Work from Syracuse University. She has worked in various family and marriage-related agencies in a variety of part time capacities for over twenty-two years. More recently she has done extensive research in the field of marriage skills and counseling. She and her husband have been married for over 45 years.
The Director
Andrea Buckley is the current Director of Third Option International, Inc. She has been assisting Pat Ennis as “Assistant to the Director,” and has recently been appointed to take over Pat’s responsibilities upon her retirement. Prior to becoming the Director, Andrea was previously serving as Senior Program Coordinator for the Good News Center, a Marriage and Family Center in Central New York. She helped found the Third Option Group in Utica and also the Syracuse/Utica Retrouvaille Community which have been active for the past 10 years. She and her husband Mike have been involved in marriage programs since 1976. “I have known and worked with Pat for 10 years and have great admiration for her dedication to helping marriages. Although she is retiring as Director, she is continuing to remain active with her local group in Syracuse. I am grateful for all her support, but especially for the gift of HOPE she has shared with all Third Option Groups everywhere. We wish you much joy in your retirement with your husband Brian, family and friends.”
Mission
Third Option International inspires and encourages people to build healthy relationships in their marriage, family, work place and community by accepting responsibility for their own thoughts, feelings, choices and behaviors.
Vision
We believe in God and his desire and power to heal marriages. We believe that people can and do change. Healthy relationships need work daily and asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. As a peer program we offer support by modeling relationship skills, sharing what we have learned, but not telling others what to do. We encourage and challenge growth but acknowledge that each person is ultimately responsible for his or her own life. We hope that our future will be one of better marriages, healthier families and stronger communities.
