Patrick V. Dean is the founder and director of the Wisconsin Grief Education Center, where he has spent 20 years assisting thousands of individuals and families with their grief journeys. Dean earned a Master's Degree in Education/Professional Development and received a certificate in Trauma Counseling from the University of Wisconsin. He received national certification in Thanatology*/Death, Dying, and Bereavement in 2004 from the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Dean is an instructor at Marquette University/ College of Nursing, teaching classes on grief, loss and healing. Dean also taught core courses for Marquette's Certificate In Grief Counseling as well as served on the Advisory board to guide the program. He has served as a Critical Incident Stress Debriefer (CISD) for police, fire, and emergency medical personnel and formerly served as a specialist with the district attorney’s Crisis Response Unit in Milwaukee, providing on-scene crisis intervention to families following homicide and other violent crime. Dean is co-author of the “Instructors Guide to Death and Dying” with Lynne DeSpelder and Al Strickland, and also collaborated with psychologist Alan Wolfelt, Ph.D., on “Healing the Bereaved Child”, providing hundreds of photographic portraits of kids to support Dr. Wolfelt’s text. Dean joined author Doug Smith for their just-released (2008) book entitled "The Tao of Grieving". Dean was also invited by Madison Magazine to photograph his mentor Elisabeth Kubler-Ross at her desert home in Arizona. As a consultant to the Boys and Girls Clubs, Dean created the first rapid response, crisis intervention “Green Team” in Milwaukee. Other training clients include the Milwaukee Police Department Training Academy, the Boys and Girls Clubs, parishes, hospice, universities and school systems.
In addition to his private practice, Patrick is the director of Grief Education Services for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Cemeteries, where he offers the bereaved one-to-one grief education and support groups. In conjunction with the Bereavement Ministry of the Archdiocese, Patrick also works with parishes to help establish grief support teams or to assist in guiding existing groups forward.
When not working with the bereaved, Patrick is an award-winning fine art photographer. To see more of this "second passion" please visit www.patrickdean.com
Dean earned a Master's Degree in Education/Professional Development and received a certificate in Trauma Counseling from the University of Wisconsin. He received national certification in Thanatology*/Death, Dying, and Bereavement in 2004 from the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Dean is an instructor at Marquette University/ College of Nursing, teaching classes on grief, loss and healing. Dean also taught core courses for Marquette's Certificate In Grief Counseling as well as served on the Advisory board to guide the program. He has served as a Critical Incident Stress Debriefer (CISD) for police, fire, and emergency medical personnel and formerly served as a specialist with the district attorney’s Crisis Response Unit in Milwaukee, providing on-scene crisis intervention to families following homicide and other violent crime. Dean is co-author of the “Instructors Guide to Death and Dying” with Lynne DeSpelder and Al Strickland, and also collaborated with psychologist Alan Wolfelt, Ph.D., on “Healing the Bereaved Child”, providing hundreds of photographic portraits of ki
ds to support Dr. Wolfelt’s text. Dean joined author Doug Smith for their just-released (2008) book entitled "The Tao of Grieving". Dean was also invited by Madison Magazine to photograph his mentor Elisabeth Kubler-Ross at her desert home in Arizona. As a consultant to the Boys and Girls Clubs, Dean created the first rapid response, crisis intervention “Green Team” in Milwaukee. Other training clients include the Milwaukee Police Department Training Academy, the Boys and Girls Clubs, parishes, hospice, universities and school systems.