In 2000, Patrician McCarthy founded The Mien Shiang Institute in Santa Monica, California.
The four branches of Taoist teachings and practices of The Mien Shiang Institute are Chinese Face Reading, Medical Facial Diagnosis, Taoist Five Element Theory, and Taoist Psychology.
Patrician was the first to translate the ancient art and science of Mien Shiang for the mainstream American public and is a renowned expert and practitioner of Taoist Psychology, the study of behavior and personality according to the Taoist Five Elements.

She has served on the faculties and boards of universities and colleges of Traditional Chinese (and Oriental) Medicine, and in conjunction with a prestigious University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, established the first medical certificate program in Mien Shiang.

For thirty years, Patrician has taught workshops, seminars, and retreats for individuals and groups, medical students, health practitioners, lawyers, Olympic athletes, and corporations including Google, Nivea, Procter & Gamble, Old Navy, Gap, Mattel, KPMG, Turner Broadcasting, and many other Fortune 500 companies.Patrician McCarthy has written extensively about Mien Shiang, the Taoist Five Elements, and Taoist Psychology. She has been featured in such diverse publications as The Huffington Post, Cincinnati Enquirer, Natural Health Magazine, Brigitte, and Woman’s World Magazine, and BusinessWeek.com; and she has presented at various forums such as 99u Conference, School of Visual Arts—Manhattan, IONS Conferences, Renaissance Weekends, and The Committee of 200.

She has written several books, most notably THE FACE READER: Discover Anyone’s True Personality through Taoist Chinese Face Reading originally published by Dutton 2007 and Plume 2008 and In Your Element: Taoist Psychology to be released in 2022.