Dr. Teresa Hightower, better known as Ronna Hightower, balances psychology, performance, teaching, and family devotion. While her professional background is clinical care, her personal journey spans theatre, singing, radio, television, and rebuilding after grief.
Born about 1948 or 1949, Dr. Hightower grew up with strong Southern California and Oklahoma roots. She first liked drama, but practicality led her to psychology. Her artistic identity remained after that transition. She could understand individuals through clinical work’s controlled language and performance’s emotional openness.
Her schooling progressed. She received a BA in Liberal Arts from Antioch University Los Angeles in 1992, majoring in psychology and communications. She earned a Master of Arts in clinical psychology two years later at the same school. In 2000, Ryokan College in Los Angeles awarded her a Doctor of Psychology.
She started private practice in Los Angeles in 1997. Her work covered couples, families, trauma, addiction, depression, anxiety, parenting, communication, and conflict resolution. She was recognised for treating relationships as living systems. Like a stone causing ripples, one person can change the emotional landscape.
A Career in Therapy and Teaching
Dr. Hightower’s psychotherapy work focuses on improving communication and understanding relationship dynamics. Her career focused on couples counselling, especially in areas of trust, honesty, emotional distance, intimacy, and repeated conflict.
She uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, mindfulness, acceptance-based practices, group psychotherapy, and clinical procedures. These strategies can help clients identify negative ideas, manage strong emotions, tolerate discomfort, and make values-based decisions.
Ryokan College core faculty included her. She educated future therapists and improved CBT, DBT, mindfulness, couples counselling, and clinical practice training. She helped students prepare for licensing exams. Her career expanded with this scholarly effort. She helped clients and shaped professionals who would serve other communities.
Her West Hollywood office and Maple Counselling experience informed her Los Angeles practice. The West Hollywood practice has been listed as closed in recent years. She spent time in Washington state before returning to Coachella Valley and Palm Desert.
Media Work and Relationship Advice
Dr. Hightower integrated her clinical expertise into popular culture. The ABC reality show The Last Resort featured her as a relationship consultant in 2003. The program investigated romantic relationship pressures in an emotionally charged context. Her employment allowed her to explain psychological concepts to a broad broadcast audience.
From 2004-2005, she presented Dr. Tess Radio on Cable Radio Network. Radio allowed her to talk about relationships openly. Radio requires immediacy, unlike classrooms or treatment offices. A skilled host personalises complex concepts without simplifying them.
In 2010, she advised LiarLiarList.com on honesty, dating, and relationships. Her dating tools include “10 Ways to Take Your Relationship Temperature” and “How Sexy Are You Really?” quiz. These titles show her ability to mix serious psychological subjects with humour and simple language.
At the heart of this work was a simple question: how well do people understand what is happening inside their relationships? A quiz or list cannot replace therapy, but it can encourage someone to pause and examine habits that have become almost invisible.
Acting Singing and Healing Through Performance
Although she pursued psychology, Dr. Hightower still considered acting a significant part of her identity. Her late husband, actor and comedian Dick Gautier, supported her art. She went to Oak Harbour, Washington, and joined the Whidbey Playhouse production of 37 Postcards after his passing in January 2017.
Leading during grief took courage. Theatre structured her sorrow. Rehearses provided structure, fellow performers provided camaraderie, and the stage allowed character and movement to communicate emotion. Her Gautier-gifted Wheaten Terrier Rudy even starred in the film.
She has also performed publicly as a singer, including renditions of “Motherless Child.” That song carries themes of longing, absence, and endurance, making it especially resonant in the context of her life after Gautier’s death. For Dr. Hightower, performance appears to have been more than entertainment. It became a bridge between memory and renewal.
Dick Gautier and His Entertaining Legacy
Dr. Hightower was married to Dick Gautier on December 7, 2003. Gautier was born Richard Gilbert Gautier on October 30, 1931, and died on January 13, 2017, at age 85, after pneumonia and a long illness.
Gautier worked in Broadway, film, animation, game shows, writing, and caricature. He broke over in 1960 when he played Conrad Birdie in the original Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his charming rock and roll idol role.
Television audiences may remember him most vividly as Hymie the Robot on Get Smart. Hymie was literal, powerful, and wonderfully awkward. Gautier’s physical comedy and expressive delivery made the character memorable. He later returned to the role in Get Smart, Again! in 1989.
Additionally, he portrayed Robin Hood in Mel Brooks’ 1975 comedy series When Things Were Rotten and appeared in the 1967 sitcom Mr. Terrific. He guest-starred on Bewitched, The Flying Nun, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Rockford Files, Charlie’s Angels, Wonder Woman, Happy Days, Matlock, The Golden Palace, and Nip/Tuck.
His film credits included Ensign Pulver, Gidget, Divorce American Style, Fun with Dick and Jane, Billy Jack Goes to Washington, Copper Mountain, and Glitch!
Gautier was a prolific voice actor. He voiced Hot Rod in The Transformers and Serpentor in G.I. Joe: True American Hero. Other vocal parts included The Smurfs, Foofur, Tom and Jerry Kids, DuckTales, Garfield and Friends, and Batman: The Animated Series.
Beyond acting, he was a caricaturist and author. His artistic work showed the same observational skill that supported his comedy. He could find a recognizable feature in a face or personality and exaggerate it without losing the subject’s identity.
The Hightower Family
Family has remained central to Dr. Hightower’s life. Her parents were Gerald “Jerry” B. Hightower and Elaine Eleanor Edgin Hightower Newton. They divorced in 1965.
| Family member | Relationship and details |
|---|---|
| Gerald “Jerry” B. Hightower | Father, painting contractor, welder, pilot, Army veteran, and community participant |
| Elaine Eleanor Edgin Hightower Newton | Mother |
| Mike Hightower | Brother, associated with Holdenville, Oklahoma |
| Cynthia Schmale | Sister, associated with Palm Desert, California |
| Jennifer Zysk Hightower | Daughter, associated with La Quinta, California |
| Harmony Zysk and Hudson Zysk | Grandchildren through Jennifer |
| Dick Gautier | Husband from 2003 until his death in 2017 |
| Denise, Randy, and Chrissie Gautier | Gautier’s children from his first marriage |
Gerald Hightower died on November 30, 2022, after being born August 13, 1927. Painting contractor, welder, US Army veteran, and pilot. His military experience included Okinawa and the Philippines. He was in the Elks Lodge and Church of Christ.
He lived with a rare cancer for approximately 20 years. His life reflected persistence, service, and practical craftsmanship. Those qualities appear in the broader family story, where relatives have remained connected across California, Oklahoma, Nevada, and other locations.
Dr. Hightower’s daughter, Jennifer Zysk Hightower, resides in La Quinta. Harmony and Hudson Zysk are her grandchildren. Her brother Mike and Wanda, sister Cynthia and Ken, and extended family members Brian Hightower, Michael Schmale, and Curtis Schmale are all related.
The family has many great-grandchildren. Family records and memorials mention Corryn, Caitlyn, Christian Hightower, and Charlie Schmale Cross. Dr. Hightower’s deep links to the Coachella Valley and desire to reconnect with family following her time in Washington are explained by these relationships.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Dr. Tess Hightower?
Dr. Tess Hightower, also known as Ronna or Teresa Hightower, is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a Doctor of Psychology degree. Her work has focused on couples counseling, trauma, addiction, depression, anxiety, parenting, communication, and conflict resolution.
What degrees does Dr. Tess Hightower hold?
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from Antioch University Los Angeles in 1992, a Master of Arts in clinical psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles in 1994, and a PsyD from Ryokan College in Los Angeles in 2000.
Who was Dr. Tess Hightower married to?
She was married to Dick Gautier, the actor and comedian best known for Conrad Birdie in Bye Bye Birdie and Hymie the Robot on Get Smart. They married on December 7, 2003. Gautier died on January 13, 2017.
What happened after Dick Gautier died?
In April 2017, Dr. Hightower moved to Oak Harbor, Washington. She joined the Whidbey Playhouse production of 37 Postcards, taking a lead role and using theater as one way to process grief.
Did Dr. Tess Hightower work in television?
Yes. She appeared as a relationship consultant on the 2003 ABC program The Last Resort. She also hosted Dr. Tess Radio from 2004 to 2005 and later offered relationship advice through an online dating and honesty platform.
Where has Dr. Tess Hightower lived?
Her professional life was based primarily in Los Angeles, including West Hollywood. She later lived in Oak Harbor, Washington, and has had strong family connections in Palm Desert, La Quinta, and other parts of the Coachella Valley.
What is known about her finances?
There are no widely reported public details about her net worth or major business holdings. Her career appears to have been supported by private practice, teaching, media work, and occasional performance projects.
What is Dick Gautier remembered for?
Dick Gautier is remembered for Broadway’s original Conrad Birdie, Hymie the Robot on Get Smart, Robin Hood in When Things Were Rotten, numerous television guest roles, and voice performances as Rodimus Prime and Serpentor. He was also a caricaturist, writer, and author.
