Terry Wise

After being widowed at 35 following her spouse's death from Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) and surviving a near-fatal suicide attempt, Terry Wise spent the next several years in treatment. A former trial attorney, Wise has since devoted her life to full-time writing and public speaking. She travels to over 50 cities a year as a keynote speaker, continuing education instructor, and workshop presenter, speaking to both the general public and professionals on topics related to depression, grief, long-term care-giving, suicide prevention, and the process of recovering emotional health.

Expounding upon a rare combination of personal experiences, Wise invites audiences behind the closed doors of a therapy office. Speaking from the rarely-heard perspective of the patient, she reveals powerful insights about the entire process of recovery – for listeners who sit on both sides of the couch. Whether it is to provide an inspirational message, augment the skills of health professionals, or help others navigate the road to emotional health, she reveals coping skills, pragmatic tools, and a gripping story of hope and personal triumph.

Wise is the author of Waking Up: Climbing Through the Darkness (with a foreword by Rabbi Harold S. Kushner, the best-selling author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People), a highly-acclaimed book that provides a roadmap for the restoration of emotional health. Waking Up is in use at numerous universities, including Columbia, Rutgers, Northeastern, St. Mary's, and Sacramento State, and has been endorsed by prominent experts in related fields. Waking Up has also been adopted for use in crisis centers and in the training materials for the Core Competency Curriculum developed by the American Association of Suicidology and Suicide Prevention Resource Center.

Wise is the recipient of a National Mental Health Award for "distinguished achievement and work that has had a major impact on the depression community." Chosen by an independent panel of mental health experts, this award is given to "an individual whose noteworthy public efforts have helped promote the understanding of depression and reduce the shame and guilt associated with the illness."

As a continuing education instructor for CMI Education Institute, an affiliate of the American Academy of Bereavement and the Center for Hospice & Palliative Care, Wise conducts nationwide training seminars for healthcare professionals and the general public. She serves on the board of the American Association of Suicidology and Families for Depression Awareness, and is a member of the Speakers' Bureau for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.

Wise's appearances have included Columbia University, the National ALS Association, American Association of Suicidology, National Center for Death Education, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Wellesley College, Harvard Medical School Psychiatric Facility at McLean Hospital, Foundation for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), American Psychiatric Nurse's Association, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Midwest Neurological Disorders Agencies Coalition (Alzheimer's, Stroke, Parkinson's, ALS, MS, Epilepsy, Brain Injury, Essential Tremor), as well as chaplaincy programs, high schools, universities, and community awareness events.