Dr. Worchel received his BA in 1971 from the University of Texas and his MD degree in 1975 from Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He completed an internship in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1976 at Southwestern Medical School (Dallas TX), and the other in Psychiatry in 1979 at Duke University Medical Center (Durham NC). He was also a Fellow in Post-Doctoral Research Training in Mental Health, 1977-1979, at Duke University Medical Center

Dr. Worchel was in private practice as a psychiatrist both in Charlottesville VA (1980-1993) and in Culpeper VA (1980-1983). During his time in Virginia he also served as Medical Director of Pinebrooke Psychiatric Center in Culpeper VA (1983-1993), as Program director of Adult Services for Charter Hospital in Charlottesville VA (1986-1987), and as a psychiatric consultant to Mountainwood Drug & Alcohol (1987-1988). During 1993-1997, Dr. Worchel served as Chief of Psychiatry Service, Acting Chief of Psychology Service and Acting Chief, Social Work Service of the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System. In this capacity, he served as the psychiatrist for the Post Traumatic Residential Rehabilitation Program. In 1997 Dr. Worchel was appointed as Chief Medical Officer for the Austin VA Outpatient Clinic, in 2002 as Chief of Community Resources Development, and in 2003 as Acting Director for Research. He served as Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, at Texas A &M University, College of Medicine (2003-2004), and in the Department of Psychiatry at Creighton University School of Medicine (2003-2006). And, he was also Executive Director of the UT Austin/UTMB/CTVHCS Research Coalition (2003-2004). Dr Worchel left the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2006 to become the Medical Director of the East Hawaii Community Health Care System, Adult Mental Health Division, Department of Health for the State of Hawaii.

Dr. Worchel was on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Short-Term Psychotherapy has had numerous articles published on “Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy.” His research interests have included the effects of mental and emotional stress on cardiac ischemia, efficacy and mode of action of cranial electrical stimulation, side effects of atypical antipsychotic medications, gene expression in alcoholism as well as many other topics.