October 2, 2001


TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN


This is a letter of reference for Dr Ray Gwilliam who was my son's therapist at Alldredge Academy during spring and summer of 2001

Dr Ray, as he is known affectionately by students and parents, is an experienced and versatile family therapist whom I came to know personally during my son's participation in the Semester Back program of Alldredge Academy in Davis, West Virginia. He led family therapy workshops in which I participated, he counseled my 17 year old son and he counseled me and my son together. In addition, he provided compassionate and supportive follow-up support for me, my son, and my family after my son had graduated from the program at Alldredge.

Dr. Ray is a creative workshop leader who knows how to help families in crisis wade through emotional complexities and begin to make room for clarity and effective communication, I observed him in a group with ten teenagers and their parents - single parents, divorced parents, married parents. Re moves with confidence, good humor, and creative techniques to assist families with struggling teens suffering from low self-esteem, substance abuse patterns, attention deficit issues, and adolescent confusion and defiance. He evokes trust very quickly in a group, helps people to address painful issues, and offers unconditional love and support He is a healing force.

My son came to Alldredge with oppositional defiance, low self-esteem, long pattern of substance abuse, and a history of negative behavior. He was headed nowhere I am grateful that he responded to the creative design of the Semester Back program and is now on track as a high school junior. Dr. Ray was instrumental in my son's healing process, sometimes working in his office talking and listening, sometimes in outdoor settings, sometimes through the use of symbols and metaphors which were very powerful for my son and for me. Late in our work with Dr. Ray, my son and I came unexpectedly to a point where our trust broke down suddenly, and I feared all was lost. Dr, Ray took us under his wing, counseled with each of us separately and then together, like a loving grandfather. We made a breakthrough with Dr. Ray's help, and the integrity of our relationship was restored. That moment was a springboard for us into a new level of honesty with each other.

As an educator myself; I have participated in numerous therapeutic and educational programs. As the former executive director of the North Carolina Outward Bound School, I have hired and worked with many dedicated and creative instructors, program directors, teachers, leaders Dr. Ray Gwilliam is a gifted therapist with extraordinary compassion and skill,
As Dr. Ray Gwilliam continues to use his experience and his gifts to serve families in need in home settings, in schools, in churches, and other settings - I can recommend him without reservation. He brings calm maturity, spiritual strength, and abundant good will to his work, and I believe a long career of service to families in need lies ahead for him. Those who call on him will experience a man who cares deeply and has prepared himself thoroughly to be a healing force. That is his calling.


Respectfully,


John C. Huie, Ph.D.
Director Environmental Leadership Center
Warren Wilson College
P.O. Box 9000
Asheville, NC 28815

H- 828 433 5372
W - 828 771 3780