Bud and Michele Baldwin, Emeritus Faculty

By Rachel Davey and Toby Macklin

We are delighted that Bud and Michele Baldwin have honoured The Haven by becoming members of its Emeritus Faculty.

Until now, the only other people holding this position are Ben Wong and Jock McKeen, The Haven’s founders. Later this month, Maria Gomori will also become a member of this distinguished group.

Bud and Michele’s contribution to The Haven has been considerable. Along with Maria Gomori, they were instrumental in bringing together and blending Ben and Jock’s work and that of Virginia Satir. For many years they led a PAIRS (Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skill) program at Haven called “If You Really Loved Me”. This played a vital part in exploring and teaching the practical application of Haven and Satir ideas in the lives of couples. Their work in this program has had a key influence on the Couples Alive series which is now flourishing here. Having been married with humour and joy for 53 years, Bud and Michele know what they’re talking about!

They first came to The Haven shortly after its founding, already deeply immersed in aspects of the human potential movement of the 60s and 70s, including workshops at Esalen.  Upon meeting Virginia Satir in 1969, they became her students, colleagues and friends, developing their interest and skills in Family Therapy. Michele came to The Haven as an intern (with Maria Gomori) on a training session held by Virginia Satir in 1984. It was February, and wet; there was building going on, trenches and mud everywhere. In the midst of some considerable chaos, Michele recalls Ben and Jock relaxing together at the end of the day, playing cards with Jock’s son Justin, as if there really was nothing else to worry about. She describes how one day Maria left a bag of laundry for her to do when her work day finished, and came home to find that Ben and Jock had already done it for her.

Bud and Michele have carried on this same spirit of caring at The Haven, as many people who have connected with them over the years will attest. We vividly recall Bud, this eminent, white-haired physician, bandaging our young daughter’s ankle after a fall, with consummate care, skill and consideration.

Bud and Michele always scheduled their couples’ program so that they could be at The Haven when their grandchildren were here in Kids in the Spotlight, so often three generations of Baldwins have been here together. Bud says, “I can’t imagine a better, more healthy and nurturing place than this …You don’t leave without being connected to people.” They continue to spend at least a part of July here every year.

For Bud and Michele the experience of community at The Haven is central. They have valued, and contributed enormously to, The Haven’s attentiveness to the whole human community … to children, teens, adults, parents, families.

The lists of both Bud and Michele’s academic and professional achievements are immense. Currently, Bud is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the University of Nevada School of Medicine; Scholar-In-Residence at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; Adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Northwestern University Medical School; and Adjunct Professor of Medical Education at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. During his academic career, he has lectured and provided leadership in the fields of higher education, health professions education, child development, psychology, dentistry, behavioral sciences, medical ethics, humanistic medicine, rural health and interdisciplinary education. He has published over 200 scientific articles and three books. He has received two honorary doctorates for his work. Bud currently serves as a Director on the Board of the Friends of Haven Foundation.

Michele is a former Fellow of the Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College and was an Associate Professor at the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Nevada. She has been certified by the Academy of Certified Social Workers and by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT), and is licensed in Illinois as a clinical social worker. She is an AAMFT approved supervisor, co-authored two books with Virginia Satir, and has written a number of articles for professional and lay journals. Since 1986, she has been a faculty member at the Family Institute at Northwestern University. She practices marriage and family therapy and is a Master Teacher of the PAIRS foundation. She is currently working on the third edition of The Use of Self in Therapy, which she originally co-edited with Virginia Satir.

We are honoured that Bud and Michele are now members of The Haven’s Emeritus Faculty and look forward to more summers spent in their company at The Haven.