Jarvie enlightens GC&SU campus

Dr. Gregory J. Jarvie, professor of psychology, balances his career between public service and enlightening students at Georgia College & State University.

Jarvie has been teaching psychology at GC&SU since 1982 and has had a private practice in Milledgeville for 15 years. He said he enjoys the contrast between the two.

“I have a small private practice, so I balance my academics with public service,” he said. “I like them equally. It’s just a really good blend. I teach the abnormal [psychology] course, and I get to talk about clinical concerns. Then I get to go see people who have clinical concerns. It’s a nice blend of talk and walk.”

Having a private practice also enhances his skills in the classroom.

“Sometimes I have cases that are instructive and can help students put concepts in perspective,” he said. “What I have to do is really hide and disguise the person so that nobody can see that it’s a local citizen by virtue of description. In a town this small you really have to be careful about that. Another thing is that when you have a license you have to have accreditation credit. Accreditation makes you go to things, whether you want to or not. You have to keep up. Students benefit from that because you’re not using dog-eared notes.”

He said he was attracted to psychology by a combination of things.

“I like the intellectual challenge, which is psychology as a science, and I
went into applied clinical psychology, which is the humanitarian part,” he said. “So, it’s a nice mix of inquisitiveness and helpfulness.”

The youthful environment of teaching appealed to him.

“It’s this mix of wonderment and frustration,” he said. “There are moments when you think you are intellectually enlightening students, and they are going along with it. When it all comes together it all seems to work on a given day. Being around young people keeps you young. We’re probably drawn to it because, particularly with the liberal arts, we’re youthful to begin with. We probably have that slant to our personality.”

Jarvie has an unusual and unconventional approach to psychology that others in the department appreciate.

“He is quick to offer novel insights, and they are almost always delivered in a humorous way that stimulates even greater discussion and revelation,” Dr. William McDaniel, professor of psychology, said. “One hears a lot about thinking out of the box these days. Dr. J’s thinking has never been constrained by the box. He keeps the faculty laughing. No one has evoked as many belly laughs in me as Dr. J, and this includes Robin Williams!”

“He teaches in a way that inspires critical thinking,” Dr. John F. Lindsay, professor of psychology, said. “His teaching style is unusual. He is not off the chain for the fun of it, but to get students to open their minds and
think about what is going on around them.”

In his private practice, he uses cognitive/behavioral therapy to help his patients.

“I come from the model of cognitive/behavioral camp,” he said. “The other camps are things like psychoanalytic, Rogerian, Gestalt and the more biological camp, that’s psychiatry. Biological treatment is mostly medication. I went to graduate school in 1978, and cognitive/behavioral school was pretty much the predominant clinical training. It’s big in the South I think probably because southerners and rural folks, they’re very practical. They’re not so much growth-oriented. Five years to understand their personality structure – five years in therapy – just doesn’t strike a chord down here.”

This type of therapy deals with altering the patient’s behavior.

“It involves either changing behavioral patterns that are problematic or creating behavioral patterns that will be beneficial for people who are unable to do that,” he said. “That covers everything from trying to stop smoking to ‘how can I act differently with the wife and kids and coworkers?’ The cognitive view that is we are what we perceive, that our reality is in here, not out there. How can I change ways in which I see things, change cognitive patterns? If I can change those maybe I can change my life to my benefit. Mix the two and it’s kind of a hybrid that’s pretty powerful. It’s empirically supported. A lot of models of therapy are not necessarily empirically supported, they do not enjoy a history of scientific testing to see what they do.”

Jarvie’s colleagues see him as an important asset to the psychology department.

“He adds spice and excitement to the department,” said Dr. Sheree Barron, chair/associate professor of psychology. “He cares about his students. It has been an honor and a pleasure to have been his colleague for the past 10 years.”

“Dr. Jarvie is a very caring, devoted person,” said Lindsay. “He has devoted his career to GC&SU. He has great insight into what is happening, locally and globally, and is willing to share his opinions, popular or unpopular. He brings a great sense of humor to the department and a great deal of wisdom. He is aware of the needs of our students and helps us find ways as a department to address those needs. He is a great professor, a fantastic individual and a wonderful colleague.”

“I was on the search committee that brought Dr. J to Georgia College in 1982,” said McDaniel. “When I was department chair, I often turned to Dr. J for advice when we faced difficult decisions. I have great respect for Dr. J’s mind. Behind that affable, lovable exterior exists a serious, critical thinker. He is loyal to his friends and associates and is there to help in times of distress. He is one of the most caring individuals I know. He is not hesitant to speak his mind and to reveal the true realities of situations. Dr. J is highly ethical in both his professional and personal life. He brings a sense of humor when one is needed and a rational, insightful approach to problem solving. He is a mentor for new faculty. His relationships with students who request a moment of his time is special and unique for each individual. He is one who helps students prepare for the responsibilities of adult life and adopt an open-minded but analytical approach to the challenges we all face in this journey we call life. The decision to hire Dr. J is one of the best decisions I ever made. He has become kind of legendary around here, and this is good for the department of psychology and the university as a whole.”

Jarvie said that teaching at the college level is a perfect fit for him.

“As an undergraduate, my professors had the best job in the world,” said Jarvie. “You get paid to read and write and instruct other people. You get to talk to other people with similar intellectual interests and be in command of your own schedule. As an undergraduate, I said ‘I want to do that.’”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 18 2003. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry