Joann Peterson
| Joann S. Peterson | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 26, 1934 |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Known for | Director of Education, Haven Institute |
| Spouse(s) | Peter Peterson, M.D. |
Joann S. Peterson, M.S.W., A.C.S.W., Dip.C., Ph.D., (July 26, 1934 - January 9, 2007) was an American social worker, counsellor, author and lecturer. She taught seminars internationally, and was the first Director of Education at the Haven Institute.
Born premature and abandoned at birth, she struggled with physical developmental challenges as a child; she experienced chronic, unrelenting pain every day of her adult life. Rather than succumb to a passive life of victimhood, she worked with her challenges, and excelled academically. Her own experiences of suffering gave her particular insight and empathy for others with difficulties, and she was known as a caring, empathetic counsellor and teacher. But she was also disciplined and rigorous, and expected her students to embrace personal responsibility without complaint, as she had done.
Peterson earned a B.A. at Willamette University (1956), M.S.W. at University of Washington (1958), Dip.C. from the Haven Institute (1990) and Ph.D. from the Open International University (2000). She did some of the pioneering work in the field of child sex abuse in San Diego, CA. Later, she was a key figure in the development of mental health services in Bellingham, Washington. She left private clinical practice to assume the position of Director of Education at the Haven Institute on Gabriola Island, B.C. Canada in 1990, and held this position until her death in early 2007. Peterson developed and led a wide variety of groups for The Haven. She collaborated with Bennet Wong and Jock McKeen for over thirty years. She facilitated personal and professional development seminars throughout North America and Southeast Asia . Her last book was translated into Chinese in Taiwan.
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