Odd Jobs: Nadine Vaughan is a clinical psychologist and filmmaker

John Pemberton/The Times-Union

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By SARA CONRAD
The Times-Union

Nadine Vaughan is not only a movie producer in an age when men still dominate the film industry, she’s also an author and licensed clinical psychologist specializing in medical psychology and post-traumatic stress.

Through it all, the arts have always been a major draw.

“From the time I was big enough to do anything, I was attracted to the stage,” she said.

She remembers growing up in Tampa where her mother was a director of a playground; she would perform on the grounds at age 3, eager to be center stage.

In college, she was a fine arts major. When she decided to get married, she dropped out of college and had two children. She planned to go to law school from there, but decided instead to go into psychology, because she was interested in why people do what they do. That, she said, eventually helped with her writing.

In her 20s, she moved to California after going through a divorce.

She had earned her bachelor’s degree in criminology and master’s degree in mental health counseling from the University of South Florida. In California, she went on to earn her doctorate in psychology while also becoming involved in theater. She started practicing psychology during the day and was involved in theatre at night.

Vaughan eventually moved to Washington state, where she became involved in screenwriting and founded Living Theatre Company. At Living Theatre Company, she worked to help some actors to get in touch with emotions they may have been reluctant to confront and helped them let go of them as part of a theatrical performance.

From there she moved back to California and worked with a group of women who wanted to be film directors in Santa Barbara.

“Because most of the [film] industry is run by men … when women are just trying to do the thing they are trying to do, it’s good to have support from other women who are trying to deal with child care and those other things,” she said.
Family concerns caused Vaughan to move back to Florida, where she met and married Rick Traum, who has worked in the film industry for years. They live on Amelia Island.

Traum is also a producer, and he and Nadine worked together to help produce the feature film “The Touch.”

Since then, Vaughan has also written screenplays and novels and has produced and directed several shorts.

Growing up, Vaughan remembers that “The message for women was you can’t have a life after you’re married, and I never agreed to it or believed in it,” she said.

Now Vaughan has brought up four children and is continuing to pursue her passions of filmmaking and helping others through psychology. She and her husband are co-authoring a book, “Ten Days to Love,” about how they got together.

For more information, visit nadinevaughan.com.