Spring 2018 Member Spotlight
April 18, 2018
Dr. John Worsham
Life’s Work of Advocacy
Written by: Amanda Wetegrove-Romine
What an honor and privilege it was to interview Dr. Worsham at his home in the historic Monte Vista district, where he lives with his wife, Helen. A native of San Antonio, Dr. Worsham has been involved in BCPA since its inception in the 1970s! He shared stories of how he has spent his career in both academia and clinical work and was even supervised by THE David Wechsler! A true advocate and activist, Dr. Worsham has worked to protect the field of psychology throughout his career, ensuring psychologists could be credentialed to practice independently in Texas. Soon after the law was passed in 1969, he was awarded the 421st license in the state. To put this into perspective, there are now over 400 psychologists in Bexar County alone! Dr. Worsham reflected on the frequent drives up I-35 he and colleagues made, visiting the Capitol to lobby for stronger laws to regulate and protect the practice of psychology. It was during one of these trips that TPA’s Century Club was born, which he cofounded. The Century Club is now the TPA-Political Action Committee and continues to provide financial support to key legislators who advocate for psychologists in Texas.
With what seems like a life’s work of advocacy in the field of psychology, it’s hard to believe Dr. Worsham has time for anything else! So, I was fascinated to learn he is also a train enthusiast and currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Texas Transportation Museum. His love of the railroad began with trips accompanying his mother during WWII. Dr. Worsham has even donated a Pullman Sleeping Car (1924) to the Texas Transportation Museum! You can view pictures of the car at http://www.txtransportationmuseum.org/collection-pullman-mckeever.php but seeing it in person is well worth the short trip to the northeast side of town.
As Dr. Worsham reflected on our profession’s past and its future, he urged Texas psychologists to remain active in the legislative process. He encouraged involvement in TPA (http://www.texaspsyc.org/?TPAAdvocacy). He hopes to see psychologists run for office in order to advocate for ourselves and the Texans we serve. Most importantly, Dr. Worsham wants psychologists to retain our independence as a profession and I couldn’t agree more! Contact us at bexarpsych@gmail.com for information on how to get involved. We owe Dr. Worsham an immense amount of gratitude for paving the path for Texas psychologists!