Growing Up (all through life) 

As a child, Judy (Watson) grew up in funeral homes. Whether she wanted to or not, she learned about death, loss, grief, and the healing comfort given by caring professionals.

As a young wife, Judy (Tiesel) grew up into the designated “pastor’s wife” in several congregations. Whether she wanted to or not, she learned about the deeply charged emotions that members invest in their congregation and clergy.

As a young professional, “Dr.” Judy (Watson Tiesel) had more growing up to do as she finished her doctorate, taught therapy students, and developed a clinical practice while juggling the demands of three kids. Her source of strength, encouragement and honest challenges through this phase was her husband, Reuel (“Rhoo-el”). Because her own marriage so galvanized her growth, she knew the potential of close relationships to both inflict the deepest pain and provide the most profound healing.

As a new widow, Judy suffered the other side of grief from what she had witnessed as a child, pastor’s wife, and therapist. She was on the receiving end of loving expressions of care, which eased the all-consuming pain of loss. A seed began to grow that the story of her marriage might inspire, challenge and stir others to greater intimacy.

As a new wife in a second marriage, Judy (Tiesel-Jensen) accepted another, different invitation to intimacy, discovering new crevices and clefts in herself as she ventured into a new relationship. Whether she wanted to or not, she discovered, happily, that she was not done growing up.

Professionally…

Judy pursued a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy to fulfill her long-held interest in couple relationships. From early in her first marriage, she and her late husband – also a licensed counselor – led parenting workshops, marriage enrichment retreats, and eventually saw couples together in counseling. She is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Psychologist Emeritus and holds professional memberships in the American Association of Marriage & Family Therapists (AAMFT), and EMDRIA (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing International Association). She was also among the first to get advanced training in Discernment Counseling.

Judy has been a therapist for over thirty years; her private practice in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area specialized in couple therapy and trauma. She taught marriage and family therapy students for over twenty years, was the lead researcher for the Minnesota Family Strengths Project, and has served on boards locally and nationally for family organizations. She received the Distinguished Service Award from the Minnesota Marriage & Family Therapy Association. She has published in the family area, spoken at local and national conferences, and has been a resource for media inquiries regarding couple relationships. 

Judy now is creatively retired and lives in Arkansas with her husband, Peter. Together they have eight children and fifteen grandchildren. She enjoys life on the river and watching pelicans from her writing desk.