Oscar Wald

Peer Mentor (He/Him/His)

SPECIAL INTERESTS: Anxiety & depression, childhood trauma recovery, youth support, disordered eating, self-esteem & boundary setting, outdoor recreation. 

Oscar joins At The Roots as a person with a realistic human understanding. He was born and raised in the rural community of Elk Mound, Wisconsin, where he became very familiar with farming and local wildlife. After experiencing childhood trauma, Oscar developed unhealthy coping mechanisms as a way of dealing with the hard circumstances he found himself in.

Oscar has a strong understanding of feeling lonely and surviving hardships in solitude. Many times in his early childhood, he felt alone or at fault for his situation.

Fortunately, Oscar realized the way he was coping was unsustainable and worked to learn healthy ways to process his past and cope with his mental health challenges. Through it all, he learned the importance of community and the value of having someone who truly listens and cares.

Oscar understands that one person's trauma cannot be compared to anyone else's, and the same is true of the journey to bettering oneself. He finds the most important thing is to listen, and he wants everyone to be heard without judgment.

Through trial and error, Oscar has built a toolbox of healthy coping strategies and how to forgive and move on as an act of self-compassion. He often enjoys reflection and deep conversations about life and relationships with the people who are close to him.

Oscar loves working with kids and youth. Maybe it’s because he has a little brother. Or maybe it’s because they have way cooler toys and better jokes than most adults. Either way, he wants to show up for those younger than him in the way he once needed in hopes of making a difference in their lives. Regardless of age (or lack of cool toys) Oscar finds it easy to relate with everyone and finds it rewarding to hear about everybody's unique experiences.

In his spare time, he enjoys playing card and video games with his friends, disc golf, hunting, fishing, and finding new biking and walking trails to explore. Oscar also enjoys spending time with his brothers and girlfriend or watching an entire season of a new TV show in one sitting (because balance is important).