“I love meeting students at the beginning of their career and following their development. I am so proud of them, the work they’ve done, the work that they’re going to do. I understand that I cannot take credit for their successes, but I like to believe that I serve a purpose in their journey.” – Dr. Theron Parsons
Parsons, a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville since 1996, teaches both clinical and non-clinical psychology courses. In addition to teaching full-time at the undergraduate level on campus, he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses online for the university’s School of Education and Center for Distance Learning for more than 10 years.
Parsons has been a licensed clinical social worker since 2006, and maintains a small private practice where he specializes in working with two distinct clinical populations. First, he facilitates anti-violence groups for men with a history of violence in their romantic relationships and continues to provide support for those men and their families, post-group completion. Second, he has a growing presence in the LGBTQ community, serving both as a mental health advocate and conducting assessments for members of the transgender community who may be pursuing hormone replacement therapy and/or gender affirmation surgeries.
Parsons is certified by the Wisconsin Batterers Treatment Provider Association and serves on the Abuser Treatment and Monitoring Subcommittee of Dane County Commission on Sensitive Crimes Coordinated Community Response to Domestic Violence. His research and clinical training have focused primarily on understanding and altering men’s belief systems related to power and control, especially within intimate partnerships. He is currently involved in a national study funded by the National Science Foundation to track intimate partner violence within same-sex romantic relationships.
Why are psychology courses so important to a liberal arts education?
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Every aspect of education encompasses those domains. What makes psychology somewhat unique in the liberal arts is its cross-disciplinary focus; students are required to develop the skills necessary for scientific inquiry while addressing such nebulous concepts of morality, attraction, self-awareness and normalcy. This level of synthesis and application of theory to practice is central to a liberal arts education.
What hands-on learning activities are your students engaged in this spring? Why are high impact learning experiences so important?
Experiential learning is necessary to bridge the gap of theory and practice. We’ve all had the experience of watching someone else do something (while thinking “Okay, I got this!”) only to be utterly helpless when we are placed “behind the wheel.” This spring, the students in the Substance Abuse class are themselves in group every other week. It gives them an opportunity to practice group skills (when facilitating) but it also gives them the direct appreciation for what it’s like for someone to be vulnerable to one another. I have taught this class for many years and I’m always impressed and grateful for the courage the students demonstrate and the empathy they develop for one another.
They will also have the opportunity to connect their classroom learning to the real world by attending an open Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, going to Drug Court and/or interviewing someone in recovery.
What are three things you hope students take away from your classes?
In 1979, Suzanne Kobasa published parts of her dissertation in a paper titled, “Personality and Resistance to Illness.” In this work, she defined three aspects of resiliency that I strive to promote in all my students and clients.
Commitment: Resilient people find and maintain purpose in their lives as well as develop and maintain important social connections. I hope that my students understand how the material covered supports their professional and personal goals. I encourage them to seek out one thing each day that made that day meaningful. I also try to have interactive/social components in each class to improve our connections to each other.
Control: Resilient people focus on what they can control rather than what they cannot. In my courses, I seek to empower students to own their educational destinies; as much possible, I want students to determine the focus of the work. My favorite saying (just ask my kids!) is “you have choices.” I start each semester reminding the students that they control the direction and intensity of the work – they can choose to “get their money’s worth” or not; it’s their discretion.
Challenge: Kobasa found that people who are willing to see change as an opportunity for growth are more resilient. Javon, my partner, taught me “A little anxiety promotes healthy growth.” I’ve altered that slightly for my students and clients when I tell them to “lean into the discomfort.” I’m well aware that I’ve got a bit of a reputation for challenging students and pushing them to do more. I challenge their preconceptions and push them to consider alternate perspectives. I tell them that I expect them to be a little uncomfortable with the process, but we don’t learn when we only seek to confirm our biases.
What is your hope for your students, now and in the future?
I hope my students will live an authentic life, by which I mean they accept they only have a finite number of days to experience this world, and I hope that they are embracing each moment to make it worth something. I hope that they see themselves making a difference for themselves, their friends and family and their community; and through their acts of kindness and purpose, they achieve a harmony of self. Or, if you want to go all Freudian, they will be “ego-syntonic.”
What do you enjoy most about working with individuals, couples and families as a mental health provider?
Clinically, the best part of being a mental health provider is walking with someone while they find their truer self. Cheesy, I know; but working with someone while they transition is one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had; witnessing someone lift themselves out of a place of self-loathing to live a life they didn’t believe would be possible gives me hope for myself and for our collective futures.