THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1978
Page 3
(Psychiatric counseling available at A&M
By CONNIE BURKE
I University officials are recogniz
ing students’ need for on-campus
psychiatric care.
I ‘Unfortunately, the old saying
[hat Aggies don’t have psychiatric
oblems is wrong,’ said Dr.
Claude Goswick Jr., director of the
niversity Health Center. “It is
Jidiculous to assume that out of
10,000 students, no one is going to
lieed psychiatric counseling.
I “The idea that A&M is a hick
ichool without the stress other uni-
ersities have is untrue. A&M stu-
lentshave stress just like other uni-
■ersity students.’’
Goswick hired Dr. Robert Potts
is a part-time psychiatrist in Sep
tember 1976. When he was looking
[or someone to work at the health
liter, Potts was the only psychiat-
ist available in the College
tation-Bryan area, Goswick said.
Potts is a former Texas A&M Uni-
ersity student. Goswick said he
hinks one reason Potts agreed to
pend time away from his practice in
ryan and work for lower pay is due
) his loyalty to fellow Aggies.
Potts is paid as a consultant by the
Jniversity and spends six hours a
week at the health center. His coun-
;eling sessions with students are
limited to half an hour so that he can
e as many students as possible,
ifore a student can make an ap
pointment with Potts, a counselor at
he Personal Counseling Service or
physical! at the health center must
efer the student to him.
These procedures allow Potts’
ime to be used efficiently, yet lie
till can’t see all the students who
equire psychiatric treatment.
Dr. Wade Birch, director of the
'ersonal Counseling Service said
hat a psychiatrist is needed at the
University to evaluate a student’s
problem and determine whether he
should continue school; to prescribe
medication for emotional problems;
to handle emergency situations; and
to counsel students on a short-term
basis. He is not responsible for
long-term counseling, Birch said.
If the student needs more help,
then the psychiatrist should refer
the student to someone else, he
said. After the psychiatrist’s evalua
tion, the student will return to the
PCS to continue regular counseling.
Ten percent of the students who
seek care from PCS need to see a
psychiatrist. These students may be
losing touch with reality, encounter
ing severe depression or con
templating suicide. Two to three
situations arise ever week which re
quire the attention of a psychiatrist.
Th ese students are scheduled to see
Potts on a weekly basis, but every
week additional students keep com
ing in, Birch said.
“Our major problem is that more
psychiatric care for students is
needed,’ Birch explained. “With
only six hours of counseling time a
week, it’s hard for Potts to provide
all these students with psychiatric
care.
“Also, if we have a crisis during
the night, a full-time psychiatrist
would immediately be available to
help the student. Right now the
student has to wait until the next
time Potts come to the health cen
ter, unless he is able to come that
night. In the meantime, a psycholo
gist would care for the student.”
The major difference between a
psychologist and a psychiatrist is
that a psychiatrist is a physical!. In
an emergency, the psychologist
would have to call a physician to
diagnose the student and prescribe
DR. ROBERT B. SHELDON
2103 Carter Creek Pkwy.
779-8830
Bob Sheldon has joined Kirkpatrick Real Estate Company as a sales
associate. He has been licensed to sell real estate since 1972. He was
previously associated with Vogt Realty, Weimar, Texas and Joed Ander
son Realtor, Rusk, Texas.
Bob has specialized in residential and investment properties. He has
been interested in remodeling and renovation, heading Casa Verde, Inc.,
a remodeling firm in Houston in 1966-68. He has also worked extensively
with farm and ranch properties. He was president of Dubina Farm Serv
ice, Inc., a custom farming operation in Weimar in 1968-74.
Sheldon recently retired from the Texas Department of Corrections. He
was employed for 15 years by the State of Texas, also serving in the
Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. He is a
member of numerous medical groups and has received several medical
awards for outstanding achievement.
Sheldon is a native of Silsbee, Texas and graduated from Beaumont
High School in 1941. He was employed by Security State Bank and Trust
Company in Beaumont from 1941-1948. He received a bachelor of arts
degree from the University of Texas in 1950. He graduated as a doctor of
medicine from Southwestern Medical School of the University of Texas,
Dallas, 1954. Internship and residency were served at Veterans Adminis
tration Hospital and Baylor University College of Medicine; Houston,
Texas in 1954-55 and 1961-64.
Bob is a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army Air Force as a
medical sergeant major. He has held commissions in the United States
Public Health Service and the United States Naval Reserve. At present,
he is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Texas Army National Guard.
Bob and his wife, LaVelle, a registered nurse, have four children, all
A&M students, Susan, Martha, George, and Patti.
Kirkpatrick Real Estate Company is a member of the Multiple Listing
Service and Bryan-College Station Board of Realtors.
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a sedative or the proper medication
needed. This could be avoided il the
center had a full-time psychiatrist.
“There is a need for a full-time
psychiatrist because of the large
number of emotionally sick stu
dents, Goswick said. “Dr. Potts’
appointments are full and there are
more students who need care than
he can handle. Right now the
maximum time he can spend with a
student is half an hour, and the
minumum time most psychiatrists
spend with their patients is half an
hour.
The PCS opened in September
1974 and started with three psy-
“The idea that A&M is a hick
school without the stress other
universities have is untrue.
A&M students have stress just
like other university students.”
chologists. Now the center has six
psychologists and three interns.
“At one time, we had 57 students
on the waiting list. So this semester
we started the In-Take Interview
which has shortened students wait
ing time to see a counselor, Birch
said. Under this system, when a
student calls for an appointment he
will be able to see a counselor
within the next day for half an hour,
he said.
When the center first opened it
was swamped with students and still
is, said Birch and Goswick. They
agree that the 10 percent of counsel
ing center patients who need pys-
chiatric care are enough to warrant a
full-time psychiatrist.
“The only way we could pay a
full-time psychiatrist is if we use
some of the money in our reserve
account, Goswick said. “I have not
considered anyone for the position.
There are other things that the cen
ter needs, so it is a matter of prior
ity. There are many more students
who come into the center with neu
rological and orthopedic problems.
“We are still in the talking stage
about whether to hire a full-time
psychiatrist.”
Goswick said he plans to ask for
funding for the psychiatrist.
“The reason why there hasn’t
been a psychiatrist until last year is
because we were in need of physi
cians,” said Goswick. “Now that we
have hired them, we can consider
hiring a full-time psychiatrist.
“In the past, many psychiatric
problems were not recognized.
Many students were dropping out of
school because they were having
emotional difficulties, not because
they were having problems academ
ically.
Ron Blatchley, associate director
of student affairs is responsible for
informing a student when Goswick
has recommended he withdraw
from school because of emotion
problems. Blatchley said that within
four semesters, fewer than 10 stu
dents withdrew from school under
Goswick’s recommendation.
“This is not a representative
number of students who withdraw
because of emotional problems,
Blatchley said. “It is hard to deter
mine how many students drop from
school because many students write
“personal reasons’ on their with
drawal slips.
“This could mean that the student
was having financial difficultues or
that a family crisis had occurred. A
variety of other things could have
happened that caused the student to
withdraw.
“Also, some students just take off
without ever seeing a counselor.
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