In this episode Dr. Patti Talks with Ted Wiard, the founder of Golden Willow Grief Retreat Center in Taos, NM. Ted lost his brother, wife, two small children, and his mother-in-law all within a few years of each other. He found himself lost and unable to know how to fully be alive without them. Many years later he bought a property on piece of land in Taos, NM, and from there began his amazing work of healing people in grief. In our discussion we look at how our culture tries to dismiss grief and encourages people to "move on." Oftentimes, missing the crucial experience of mourning those we love to completion. Ted shares insights into how to help people grieve and how to tolerate pain order to become more fully alive.

Rev. Dr. Ted Wiard Ed.D. LPCC, CGC is from Taos, New Mexico where he has had many roles in his life and seems to continuously find new ways to help promote emotional healing. He is a licensed professional clinical counselor, certified grief counselor, ordained minister, and a NM certified educator. He is the co-author of Witnessing Ted: The Journey to Potential through Grief and Loss. Ted is the founder and Director of Golden Willow Counseling (a behavioral health agency), and Golden Willow Retreat (a non-profit emotional healing center focused on grief, loss, trauma, and recovery). He is the program director of the Southwestern College Trauma, Grief, and Renewal Certificate. He also maintains a private practice.

Rev. Dr. Wiard is sought out for public speaking all over the nation to discuss organizational change initiatives, emotional healing from loss, spirituality, and emotional sobriety, as well as issues pertaining to addiction and recovery. He has been seen on the Oprah Winfrey Network, as a guest on the Shania Twain: Why Not? series, as well as other documentaries focused on transformation through loss. The list goes on, so it is obvious that Ted passionately believes in the potential of the phenomenological transformational moment that every person owns the ability to experience and celebrate.

Dr. Wiard’s life experiences have helped guide and motivate his drive to be of professional service with his primary focus on emotional healing and recovery from loss, trauma and addiction. Ted’s losses led to a personal healing journey which included academic pursuits in which he became an ordained minister and then earned his master’s in counseling with an emphasis in Grief and Loss as well as completing the Grief Certificate program from Southwestern College. After many years working in the field of addiction, grief, trauma, and emotional healing, he went back to school to earn his doctorate in Organizational Leadership focusing on leadership behaviors in the midst of change. Ted’s passion and his personal and professional background gives others the opportunity to learn and implement emotional healing into their personal and professional lives.