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Kevin Bowman, Ph.D., at the Walk A
Mile
in Her Shoes® & Resource Fair event,
Aloha Tower Marketplace, April
2016.
|
Director of Counseling and Behavioral Health Services Kevin
Bowman, Ph.D., refers to himself as a student.
“I am a student of diversity, which means I’m always learning,” Bowman said. “I am also a student of psychology, so I
am always learning different things about the field.”
The journey of a career in clinical psychology began when
Bowman “stumbled on an introductory psychology course” as an undergraduate, he
said.
“The second course I took was clinical psychology and that really grabbed me,” Bowman said. “It talked about the connection in working with people and getting people through different trials and tribulations.”
“The second course I took was clinical psychology and that really grabbed me,” Bowman said. “It talked about the connection in working with people and getting people through different trials and tribulations.”
Bowman holds a BA in psychology and earned an MA and Ph.D.
from the A.P.A. approved Clinical Psychology program of Kent State University
in Ohio.
Early in his career, Bowman served as a staff psychologist
at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to coming to Hawai‘i, Bowman held dual
roles — associate vice president of Student Affairs and the director of the
Counseling and Psychological Services Center — at San Francisco State
University, where he was employed for 17 years.
Bowman worked as an associate professor of psychology at the
Hawaii Professional School of Psychology in O‘ahu for three years before being
hired as the director of counseling and behavioral health at HPU.
“I really enjoyed teaching psychology to graduate students
and really liked seeing students develop and mature into therapists,” he said.
“But I think during that time as an associate professor I missed providing
direct service —counseling services, psychotherapy services — to students.”
In the fall of 2010, Bowman started building the relatively
new HPU Counseling and Behavioral Health Services department, from top to
bottom. Bowman accepted the position, knowing he had the support of the
university’s administrators, who understood the importance of servicing
students’ mental health needs.
“Mental health challenges can directly affect classroom
performance and attendance and retention,”
Bowman noted.
Within several months of Bowman taking the helm as director,
Psychologist Kathryn Berano, Ph.D., came on board.
Administrative Assistant Charis Arakaki then joined the department, and
hopefully by this summer, the half-time licensed clinical therapist position
will be filled.
The Counseling and Behavioral Health Services staff works
closely with Dale Burke, D.Min., in his capacity as university chaplain. It is
very much a team effort between Bowman, Berano, Arakaki and Burke.
“We try to get together as a team as much as possible,”
Bowman said. “It’s a really good working environment. I think students feel
that when they come in (seeking services).”
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Dale Burke, D.Min., University
Chaplain and Assistant Professor
of Communication, and the Counseling and Behavioral Health staff, Kathryn Berano, Ph.D., Charis Arakaki, and Kevin Bowman, Ph.D.,
at the “We
Care!” kick-off event, Aloha Tower Marketplace, September 2015.
|
Bowman also noted “there’s a closeness in the (HPU)
community,” which helps the team service the counseling and behavioral health
needs of students.
“The campus community helps us to do our jobs in a better
way by identifying students and making referrals and bringing students to the
counseling center,” he said.
The campus counseling and behavioral health services are
free and confidential for HPU students. The team not only services students
struggling with significant mental health challenges, but students going
through day-to-day challenges.
“Yes, there are times when students come in and they are
struggling with some very significant things, but that’s not as prominent as
students coming in trying to get through journeys of life,” Bowman said.
As the end of the school year nears, and perhaps along with
it, there are stresses and challenges students are facing. HPU students are
welcome to set up a free and confidential appointment with a clinical therapist
at the downtown or Hawaii Loa campuses.
“I think it’s important for students to know coming in
earlier is better than delaying,” Bowman said. If someone has not seen a
clinical therapist before, “we will walk the student through the process. It’s
much easier than people expect, and most find their session beneficial, and
choose to return.”
More information on
the Counseling and Behavioral Health Services department, and how students may
make a free and confidential appointment, is posted here.
