About Becky Whetstone ...
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| Proud mom Becky Whetstone and her children, Benjamin and Casey. This photo was taken in Aug 2011 when Benjamin was on leave from the Marines before being deployed to Afghanistan. Unfortunately this is the last photo taken of Becky and both of her children, as Benjamin was killed in action on October 6th. He was a Marine sniper, and Casey works and designs jewelry and fashion. |
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Rest in Peace Beloved Son
Benjamin Whetstone Schmidt
Killed in action in Afghanistan. October 6, 2011
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| LCpl. Benjamin Whetstone Schmidt, USMC |
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| Becky Whetstone is an Arkansas native and has a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from St.
Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. She is a Licensed Professional
Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Texas, and an LMFT in Arkansas. Becky was born in El Dorado, Arkansas, and moved to Little Rock with her family when she was 10. She graduated from Parkview High School in 1976. In 1984 she moved to San Antonio where she lived and worked for 26 years. In December 2011 she and her daughter moved to Arkansas to be near family, and Becky opened her Little Rock practice in January 2012. Although Becky no longer accepts new clients in Texas, she still travels to San Antonio to see her remaining roster of clients, whom she loves working with.
Many
San Antonians are familiar with Becky's work as a journalist. (Yes, she
writes what is written on this site, and does all of the layout and
design.) Interested in relationships and psychological issues for as
long as she can remember, Becky's dream since childhood was to replace
famed advice columnist Ann Landers when the writer would eventually
retire. To prepare, Becky began to read about and study relationship
issues, beginning from childhood and even while going to school at the
George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
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| Casey Marie Whetstone Schmidt with Becky's mom (and her Grandma) on a recent visit to Arkansas. |
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| Becky & John Cheairs. |
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In 1980 Becky graduated with a BA in Journalism from GWU, and in 1984
moved to Texas and became a housewife and mother. In the early 1990's
she plunged into journalism when she interned at the San Antonio CBS
affiliate KENS TV as a medical reporter. Soon after she began freelancing for the San Antonio Express-News.
She was hired there in 1994 as a features writer, and in 1996 began
writing about relationships in a column that ran in the SA Life section
-- she was thinking, "Watch out Ann Landers!" While writing the column,
Becky created an area-wide phenomenon called the Singles Revolution
dedicated to professional singles who were seeking to have healthy
relationships. She convened get-togethers that backed up traffic in San
Antonio's Quarry shopping center, and facilitated a singles volunteer
force that cleaned up and remodeled a deteriorating playground at a
local San Antonio elementary school. While Becky spoke to singles about
how to have a better life, she also wrote about her own life as a single
mother, and about the lives of many south Texans -- married, gay,
families, step families, seniors -- who wanted to have better
relationships with themselves and others.
In 1998 Becky left the paper and began writing a column for the North San Antonio Times. She also began discussing relationships on the NBC affiliate KMOL's San Antonio Living Show with then-host Tanji Patton, as well as the am radio news talk station, WOAI
1200. As more and more people in south Texas began to turn to Becky for
relationship advice, she felt the need to bring more depth to what she
knew and to expand her knowledge, so in 2001 she entered graduate
school. In 2002 she began seeing clients as a therapist, and in 2003
Becky received her Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from
St. Mary's University. After graduation she entered the doctoral program
there, and graduated with a Ph.D. in 2006. Her dissertation research
was an investigation of how individuals in long-term marriages (10-years
or longer) decide to divorce. The information she learned during this
extensive research project changed the way Becky views courtship,
marriage, and divorce, and serves to make her even more passionate about
helping people have healthy relationships.
Since 2001 Becky has
worked at various clinics and agencies, including the Family Violence
Prevention Center where she worked with women who were in abusive
relationships, and has seen thousands of clients. In the spring of 2006
she opened her private practice where she works with individuals,
couples, and families. In addition to counseling, Becky has been an
adjunct professor of psychology at Northwest Vista College, in the
graduate school counseling department at St. Mary's University, and in
the spring of 2008 at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, and
has served as a board-approved adjunct professor at San Antonio College.
With all of this academic experience it's probably obvious that Becky
enjoys teaching and mentoring students when not working in her private
practice. In addition to teaching, she has served as a counseling supervisor
to recent graduates of counseling who were working toward their
professional counseling license as well as doctoral students in need of
counseling supervision.
A widely requested public speaker, Becky
performs seminars and workshops for colleagues and lay people on a wide
variety of subjects including support for those in unhappy marriages.
She appears regularly on local TV and radio programs. Becky maintains a
blog where she continues to write columns and encourages people to
interact with her in the process. Find and take part in the blog at: http://doctorbecky.livejournal.com.
Becky''s
areas of interest are in personal growth, how humans select mates, the
courtship process, the agony of the divorce decision, grief, and divorce
recovery. She has spent thousands of hours studying and researching
these subjects, and continues to expand her knowledge in these areas.
Her studies, research, and experience working with couples in difficult
marriages have inspired a book she is now writing called, Heal Your Marriage: Diagnosis and Recovery From Your Marital Illness.
And although she wasn't hired to replace Ann Landers after the
columnist's death, Becky still works in the media and hopes to achieve
her dream of having a nationally published column, as well as a radio
and television show that will help people have the healthiest lives and
relationships.
Becky is a single mother and lover of nature and
animals. She has a 21-year-old daughter who lives with Becky in Little Rock and works
and goes to college while developing her dream of being a jewelry and
fashion designer. Unfortunately, Becky mourns the death of her 24-year-old son, who was a Lance Corporal and scout sniper
in the United States Marines killed in action in Afghanistan October 6, 2011. Although this is the most devastating thing that Becky has ever experienced, she strongly feels that working through emotional pain such as this builds compassion and wisdom and can only help her more deeply connect with her clients. It is also helpful to Becky knowing that her son Benjamin was her biggest fan, and she is looking forward to writing more about her experience of Benjamin's tragic death on this site in the coming months. She desires to reach out to other families who have experienced the untimely death or injury of their loved ones, and will soon be providing information on this site for them.
When times are tough, it is helpful to have a healthy person on which to lean. Becky is fortunate to share a very loving and supportive relationship
with Dr. John Cheairs of Little Rock. She also loves her pets and
has three beloved Chihuahuas and one tortoise (she has had the tortoise
for 20+ years!). Becky enjoys hiking, biking, nature (take her
outdoors!), writing, painting and a variety of creative endeavors such
as photography, furniture refinishing, and producing videos. For more information email Becky
at: becky@doctorbecky.com.
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