John Wade is a licensed psychologist and outreach coordinator. He works at Counseling and Psychological Services and is the adviser for AbleHawks, a student group that raises awareness of disability issues at KU.
CAMPUS CLOSEUPJohn Wade - Licensed psychologist, AbleHawks adviser
Years at current job: Eight.
Job duties: I provide psychotherapy to individuals and couples, and also conduct group therapy. Since Counseling and Psychological Services is a training agency, I also supervise practicum students and interns. As outreach coordinator, I oversee the agency's outreach and consultation efforts, such as our liaison relationship with the housing department and our programming efforts.
How does AbleHawks raise awareness of disability issues on campus? AbleHawks tries to be very active raising awareness of disability issues. Some recent and current activities include: hosting Disability Awareness Days, usually three times a year. The next one is Oct. 23; bringing the star of Murderball, a movie about a disabled rugby team, to campus; and trying to increase accessibility on campus busing.
The hills on campus can be an obvious problem for an individual with a disability, but what challenges exist that people might not think about? Some disabilities, such as limited mobility, are easily observed. However, many disabilities can be much more hidden, such as living with chronic pain or chronic fatigue, having ADD, or dealing with a colostomy, just to name some examples.
How does Counseling and Psychological Services assist students who are having difficulties with homesickness? We try first to provide information that can hopefully help students deal with the inevitable adjustment and transition issues more effectively. We provide information on coping effectively with homesickness through venues such as New Student Orientation, the housing department and even the KU Parents Association newsletter so parents are hopefully better equipped to respond to their son or daughter if they are struggling with homesickness. We also offer counseling if homesickness continues to cause distress.
What do you like most about your profession? This will probably sound trite, but it is very rewarding to feel like you are making a difference when people are dealing with significant problems and concerns.
In your opinion, has the Americans with Disabilities Act helped improve accessibility and other disability issues at places like KU? I believe that it has certainly helped to increase accessibility and increased the amount of resources devoted to disability issues, however, more work can still be done to help students with disabilities have a more level playing field and a better chance for success.
What aspects of your job might others not realize you're involved with? In addition to providing services to students experiencing problems or concerns, we also try to focus on education and prevention, such as partnering with the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center and GaDuGi Safe Center to promote healthy relationships and decrease the prevalence of sexual assault.
Do you think there is any sort of stigma associated with seeking help from Counseling and Psychological Services, or an organization such as AbleHawks? If so, how do you overcome that? I think that there is less of a stigma than in the past, although for some people there is still a negative connotation. I frequently tell people that it takes courage to address concerns directly and to seek counseling or to become involved in a support group. Since counseling or support group involvement are not typically the topics that come up in conversation, most people are simply unaware of the large numbers of students who participate. Research also indicates that students who take advantage of resources are more likely to be successful in college.
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