First embarking on her studies with a Bachelor of Arts in history and English from Carnegie Mellon University in 1970 and a Master of Arts in English from Ohio University in 1971, LeslieBeth “LB” Wish, EdD, was driven to further her education in the field of social services out of a desire to help others. Joining Bryn Mawr College, she obtained a Master of Arts in social service and management in 1976 before completing three years of post-degree training in multigenerational family theory and therapy at Georgetown University.
Dr. Wish began her career as the director of social work and families at the Linwood School in 1980, before joining the New England Institute of Family Relations from 1981 to 1994, where she helped to expand sex education and raise awareness of sexual issues at work and at home. Now retired from clinical social work and psychotherapy, she currently serves as the vice president of Gulfcoast Healthstyle, where she has excelled since 1994. Earning a Doctor of Education in developmental psychology from the University of Massachusetts in 1996, she also spent time as faculty and a student admissions academic adviser with the business and counseling graduate programs at Webster University in Florida from 2001 to 2004 and as a board member for the Women’s Resource Center from 2009 to 2015.
Over the course of her career, Dr. Wish has conducted considerable research on the role of intuition in decision making about a person’s choice of intimate partner and how to make wise decisions. She recently published “Training Your Love Intuition” in 2019, with earlier works on the topic including “Smart Relationships: How Successful Women Can Find True Love,” “The Love Adventures of Almost Smart Cookie,” “Training Your Love Intuition for Wise Relationship Choices” and “Training Your Love Intuition for Widowhood or Partner Loss.” In addition, her research into the connection between childhood sexual abuse and its impact on work and careers resulted in the 1998 book, “Incest, Women & Work.”
Dr. Wish is the founder of Love Victory, an organization that provides help and guidance for intimate relationships as well as other aspects of life. The organization’s website offers a plethora of resources, including radio and podcast episodes, videos and a blog, and links to other external resources. In addition to her books, Dr. Wish has contributed her knowledge to a number of popular magazine and websites, and even gave a TEDx Talk called “You Can’t Always Trust Your Gut When it Comes to Dating, Mating and Relating.” She also co-developed a free family counseling network for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
Attributing much of her success to her patience, emotional bravery and ability to deal with setbacks, Dr. Wish considers the most gratifying part of her career to be all the people she has helped who still keep in touch with her. For excellence in her career, she has been named one of “The Fifty” by the National Association of Social Workers since 2011 and as one of the Top Therapists in Sarasota by Marriage.com. She was also been presented with a Women of Impact Award by Focus on Women Magazine in 2012, along with a number of other accolades over the years.