{"id":18931,"date":"2022-10-04T09:09:43","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T14:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vetmed.tamu.edu\/news\/?p=18931"},"modified":"2022-10-04T09:09:43","modified_gmt":"2022-10-04T14:09:43","slug":"hawkins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vetmed.tamu.edu\/news\/press-releases\/hawkins\/","title":{"rendered":"VMTH’s Professional Counselor Supports Hospital Clients, Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Michael
Michael Hawkins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Texas A&M University was there at a critical time in Michael Hawkins\u2019 life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’ve always had a severe learning disability, and academics were always extremely challenging for me,\u201d he said. \u201cBut during my time at Texas A&M, I had professors and counselors who really helped me get through it, who helped me academically. Every time I went to a professor and said, \u2018I’m struggling with this. Can you help me out?\u2019 they would work with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, as the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital\u2019s (VMTH) first full-time counselor, he\u2019s hoping to return the favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I found this job, I saw it as an opportunity to help students, staff, and clients and just be there for their critical moments, too, just like people were there for me,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was one of the really exciting things for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawkins joined the VMTH at a time when more and more attention is being paid to the mental health side of the veterinary industry. He says it\u2019s a dream opportunity to come back and make an impact at a place that had such an impact on him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His challenges go back to childhood, when he learned that he had a severe type of dyslexia, which not only caused him to switch information around as he processed it, but also when he tried to recall it later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I had to learn 123, my brain might process it as 321 or 312,\u201d he said. \u201cThen, as I recalled the information, my brain would scramble it again. It might be 132 at that point. I attended a school for children with dyslexia called The Winston School until the sixth grade. At that point in my life, graduating from high school would have been a huge accomplishment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawkins wasn\u2019t satisfied with that outlook, though. He moved to a college prep high school, where things were even tougher; he studied at least three hours per night just to pass. When he was tested again, he was told that his disability was still severe and even if he graduated high school, it was even more unlikely he would be able to graduate from college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he embraced that challenge also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy five years at Texas A&M were the most challenging I had ever faced,\u201d he said. \u201cI had to study harder than I ever had before. If I had a test, I would start studying weeks in advance, for hours and hours, to get a \u2018C.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a constant battle for me to keep trying and to stay motivated, but I would often go to my professors for help, and every professor I approached was not only helpful, but encouraging,\u201d he said. \u201cThey spent extra time with me and were very supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He originally studied finance but switched to psychology because, at the time, he wanted to help dyslexic children and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany people think that learning disabilities only affect one\u2019s academic life,\u201d he said. \u201cThe reality is that it can have an impact on every aspect of a person\u2019s life. It affects a person emotionally, socially, and even physically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawkins graduated from Texas A&M in 1991 and went on to earn a master\u2019s degree in social work from St. Edward\u2019s University in Austin. It was at St. Edwards that he discovered a passion for law enforcement that would guide him to a new career path\u2014working with the Houston Police Department\u2019s Crisis Intervention Response Team.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Hawkins
Michael Hawkins counseling a VMTH clinician<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Hawkins spent a decade in that role, during which he rode in a patrol car with an officer and responded to individuals in \u201csevere crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe responded to \u2018the worst of the worst\u2019 calls,\u201d he said. \u201cBut one of the things I really liked about it\u2014and I go back to my time at A&M\u2014is that learning to overcome my disability actually helped me focus and problem solve quickly when I was on a call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI could go into these chaotic situations and the discipline that I had learned helped me,\u201d he said. \u201cIn their most difficult times and challenges, I was able to connect with them, get them help, bring some kindness and compassion, and peacefully resolve the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, at the VMTH, Hawkins is using that experience as he works with the VMTH staff and clients who are facing difficult decisions and situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the challenges he has witnessed at the VMTH is that sometimes people don\u2019t seek out the emotional support they need because of a perceived social stigma around having an emotional attachment to an animal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had people tell me that others have told them, \u2018oh, it\u2019s just a pet,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cBut for a lot of people, pets are a part of their family, especially during COVID-19 when people can\u2019t have the normal social interactions that they usually do. Animals provide that same comfort and companionship. So I have to tell people, \u2018This animal is part of your family; it provided you support. Ignore anyone who\u2019s saying otherwise.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawkins also uses his skills to support the hospital staff, something he said he\u2019s looking forward to doing more of, especially because the mental health of those in the veterinary industry is something that was overlooked for too long, even as suicide rates rose in recent years in the profession. The VMTH is one of several veterinary hospitals that have added more support for the mental health of the staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see accomplishing that mission by helping the doctors and staff when they need to debrief, maybe taking on some of that emotional load,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully, by addressing the emotional side of things, they can also focus on the care of the animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVeterinary medicine is more of an exact science, but I see the work that I do as more like an art,\u201d he said. \u201cEach situation is a little different and requires different skills, application, or interaction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawkins\u2019 experience in dealing with chaotic situations also made him a perfect fit for the Veterinary Emergency Team (VET)<\/a>; Hawkins has deployed with the team once since joining VMTH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was a part of a lot of crisis scenes in Houston and went into really active, very large, chaotic scenes,\u201d he said. \u201cI hope to be able to go into some of these scenes with the VET and provide support in that sense; do debriefings, if needed; and help make sure the team members are taking care of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though the world of veterinary medicine is different from the types of scenes he responded to in Houston, he said there are universal aspects to the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGrief is grief, and sadness is sadness,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cWhen I was on patrol, I experienced people feeling profound grief, and here, the clients I\u2019m speaking with at the hospital may be dealing with profound grief. Whether it is for an animal, a person, or something else, there are similarities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

###<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: This story originally appeared in the\u00a0Summer 2022 edition of VMBS Today<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at\u00a0<\/em>vetmed.tamu.edu<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or join us on\u00a0<\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>Instagram<\/em><\/a>, and\u00a0<\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact Information:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences;\u00a0<\/em>jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu<\/em><\/a>;\u00a0979-862-4216<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Texas A&M University was there at a critical time in Michael Hawkins\u2019 life. \u201cI’ve always had a severe learning disability, and academics were always extremely challenging for me,\u201d he said. \u201cBut during my time at Texas A&M, I had professors and counselors who really helped me get through it, who helped me academically. Every time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":269,"featured_media":18933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"2069,2070,2071,2073,2074,2075","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[188,2],"tags":[13775,12748,13764],"class_list":["post-18931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homepage","category-press-releases","tag-michael-hawkins","tag-staff-introduction","tag-vmbs-today"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nProfessional 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