Over the past couple of years it's been my pleasure to get to know Ms. Terry Wise, author of the book Waking Up: Climbing Through the Darkness. We met originally through an ex-student of mine (Dr. Betsy Glaser) who served as Ms. Wise's therapist for several years. This treatment (intense, powerful, and truly profound in its effects), focused on Ms. Wise's suicidal depression, serves as the foundation of this extraordinarily good book.
Last spring, Ms. Wise and Dr. Glaser presented their work together at a colloquium sponsored by the clinical psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. The very strong consensus among those who attended was that this was the single best colloquium event we'd had in at least a decade. Their wisdom, self-disclosure, and courage were so very moving to all of us. The journey that was described--tracing the frightening and harrowing course of Ms. Wise's depression following the death (ALS) of her husband--was made all the more vivid by details of their clinical work together and the unflinching honesty of both these presenters. It was so very "experience-near", so very emotional, and incredibly valuable. Their presentation was part theater (though, of course, incredibly real), part in-vivo therapy, part didactic, and part question-and-answer--every part, though, was intense and (cliche but true) unforgettable. We are so very pleased that Ms. Wise is "booked" to speak to us (clinical psychology students and faculty) again this spring.
Frankly, I hope she'll speak to our group every year. Ms. Wise is a very, very smart, psychologically astute, and very engaging and persuasive speaker. I can't imagine any mental health-related presentation to be more powerful or more memorable.
Barry A. Farber, Ph.D.
Columbia University, Teachers College
Professor; Director of Clinical Training
Program Coordinator, Clinical Psychology
