ISSTD is a warm and caring professional community, a community where members come together through a shared clinical interest, but often find friendship and a professional ‘family’ among each other. So it is with great sadness that we acknowledge three wonderful members who passed away this year. They were all women who were actively involved in ISSTD leadership as well as providing teaching, training, research and clinical work services across the globe. Vale Willa, Garrett and Tally. You will all be fondly remembered and sorely missed.
Willa Wertheimer
By Rick Hohfeler
Willa Wertheimer succumbed on December 3, 2023, to a 17-year long bout with cancer. Her loss is deeply felt by our community as we have experienced her impact in many ways. She was a member of the ISSTD Board of Directors for six years, taught courses in the PTP, presented at many of our conferences, and was a relentless spirit of goodwill and positivity for us all. Many of us remember her indomitable cheerfulness that was never contrived and was available to anyone who approached her.
She was also a therapist who cared for many severely traumatized people. A couple of months before her passing she had told me of having just terminated with her patients, commenting that she had cried more than they did. Willa’s concern for those she treated was always paramount for her.
Willa is survived by two sons and her husband, Ed Groenendal, with whom she shared her career as a partner in her practice as well as teaching and presenting. Ed’s heart is as wide and strong as Willa’s, and their professional as well as marital partnership was infectiously strong. Spending time with them was always a treat for me as it was for many of us. Her loss is felt by our society and by all of us who knew her.
Garrett Deckel
By Debbie Cohen
It is with great sadness we announce that our colleague, Garrett Marie Deckel, MD, PhD passed away unexpectedly on October 8, 2023. She was 56 years old and lived and practiced in New York City.
A stalwart member of ISSTD since 2014, Garrett volunteered for ISSTD; including the inception and organization of an inaugural Psychiatric Resident’s Track at ISSTD’s annual conference. Garrett also served on the ISSTD Conference Committee, was a Moderator for the ISSTD Book Club, and has presented at ISSTD Regional Seminars. She became a fellow of ISSTD in 2019.
Garrett was continually learning and advancing new and innovative treatments, particularly for people with complex PTSD and dissociative disorders. She was training in using Ketamine and psychedelics in psychotherapy, was a faculty member of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Psychiatry Department and has received numerous awards for her contributions to the field of psychotherapy.
Garrett is survived by her 10-year-old daughter Annika, and her husband Christian Becker, M.D., Ph.D.
You can view her memorial service here.
Tally Tripp
By Creative Arts Therapy SIG Members
Tally Tripp MA, MSW, LCSW, LICSW, ATR-BC, CTT, beloved and respected for her integrity, creativity, and adventurous spirit died December 6, 2023. She battled cancer since July.
Tally’s commitment to the ISSTD mission was unwavering, acting as a Board Director, previous Vice President, member of the leadership and membership committee, the UN committee, a contributor to the revision of the ISSTD Adult Guidelines for Treatment, and a faculty member. She has presented numerous workshops, talks, and papers at ISSTD conferences, was an ISSTD Fellow since 2017, is co-founder and was co-chair of the International Task Force and co-founder and previous Chair of the Creative Art’s Therapy Special Interest group. Tally was a frequent presenter at conferences and co-presented with several different CAT-SIG members at the ISSTD, including the lively Create and Connect events that the CAT-SIG, organized for several annual conferences.
Tally was committed to developing education about the healing power of the arts in trauma treatment. She will remain renowned in the international Creative Arts Therapy community along with the Trauma and Dissociation community for her many contributions, including the first full year course on trauma and art therapy treatment for graduate students at George Washington University, former director of the Art Therapy Clinic at George Washington University, faculty member for The Ferentz Institute in Maryland, Director of Training for the Common Threads Project in South Africa, and author of journal articles and chapters on the treatment of trauma and dissociation using the creative arts.
Tally is survived by her husband Mark Morrow and two daughters, Olivia and Camille Morrow. Tally’s family has invited all who wish to attend to a celebration of Tally’s life on the morning of April 13th, 2024, at the United Methodist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. The service will also be livestreamed.
Honoring ISSTD Members who Passed during 2023 at the Upcoming 2024 ISSTD Annual Conference
ISSTD is grateful for all the work and contributions our members have made to the organization and within the field of trauma and dissociation. Therefore, we would like to take a moment to honor all members who passed away in 2023 at the upcoming annual conference in Frisco, Texas. Please help us ensure no members are missed by filling out this form for any member you know of who passed away in 2023. Thank you for your help. If you have any questions, please email info@isst-d.org.