Nearly 150 professionals from across disciplines and levels of training convened to identify solutions to workforce pipeline barriers, including problems recruiting individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds into academic geropsychology. A series of presentations, discussions, and breakout sessions used the combined expertise of those in attendance to share innovative solutions and resources.
Day 1
Undergraduate-level brainstorming
Graduate-level brainstorming
Academia brainstorming
Post-licensure brainstorming
Day 2
Follow-Up Meeting
Welcome
Review of goals and agenda
Break out introductions
Updates from working groups
Community discussion
Resources
A free webinar to explore career pathways for
clinical/counseling
psychologists (PhD/PsyD)
who want to make older adults a focus of their career.
Individual Membership Organizations
Society for Clinical Geropsychology (also known as APA Division 12, Section 2, or SCG). SCG fosters the mental health and wellness of older adults through science, practice, education and advocacy and to advance the field of professional geropsychology. Student membership $10/year. Mentors available for all levels.
APA Division 20 – Adult Development and Aging strives to advance the study of psychological development and change throughout the adult years. Div 20 invites membership from psychologists who provide services to older adults, conduct research on adult development and aging or are interested in learning more about or teaching lifespan development and aging. Div 20 has a mentoring program for grad students and ECP’s. Student memberships are FREE for the first year and $15 after.
https://www.apadivisions.org/division-20/membership
https://www.apadivisions.org/division-20/membership/mentoring-program
Psychologists in Long-Term Care (PLTC) is a professional organization dedicated to the advancement of psychological practice in long-term and skilled nursing care. Functionally, cognitively, ethnically, and culturally, older adults as a clinical population are by their nature some of the most diverse clientele a clinician can work with. As a network of practitioners (but also scholars and researchers) we are psychologists, geropsychologists, students, retired psychologists, and affiliated members with strong interests in serving the increasingly diverse population of adults in long-term care. Membership FREE for first-time students.
http://www.pltcweb.org/students.php
ABGERO – ABPP Board that oversees Board-Certification for Geropsychology, a process that clinicians can undergo after they have been licensed and working full time with older adults for two years. Graduate Students, interns, and fellows can apply for early entry, and are eligible for board-certification two years post-licensure. Mentors are available to support candidates applying for ABGERO.
Other Geropsychology Organizations
APA’s Committee on Aging (CONA; part of APA’S Office on Aging)
This committee ensures that older adults, especially the growing numbers of older women and minorities, receive APA’s attention by working toward the optimal development of older adults, expanding the scientific understanding of adult development and aging, expanding the delivery of appropriate psychological services to older persons and more.
https://www.apa.org/pi/aging/cona
Council of Professional Geropsychology Training Programs (CoPGTP – pronounced “Cogtip”) is an international organization of graduate, internship, postdoctoral, and post-licensure individuals as well as programs that provide geropsychology training consistent with the Pikes Peak Model for Training in Professional Geropsychology. Training programs themselves become members, and are eligible if they have one full-time geropsychologist actively engaged in training. The CoPGTP website includes resources for teaching and training. Membership is free to programs for the first year. In 2021 geropsychologists engaged in teaching and training at the undergrad and masters level will also be invited to join at the Associate member level, in recognition of their vital role in the doctoral training pipeline.
https://copgtp.org/members/how-to-become-a-member/
APA Office on Aging Programs and Services
Resources for professionals, the general public, and students to promote the application of psychological knowledge to issues affecting the health and well-being of older adults.
Gerocentral is a collaborative effort of the above organizations to bring together available resources for geropsychology training, service provision, policy, and research, including online assessment of geropsychology competencies, in a central internet location. It houses the Pikes Peak Geropsychology Competencies Tool and related resources including COVID resources for older adults.
See Also: The Geropsychology Podcast hosted by Drs Lindsey Jacobs and Rachel Weiskittle which provides education on a variety of topics in geropsychology and geriatrics. Listen to experts in the field talk about issues related to mental health and aging, geropsychology education, careers in geropsychology, long-term care, hospice and palliative care, caregiving, and much more.
American Psychological Association’s Exploring Careers in Aging Roadmap
Online resource site with a step-by-step roadmap and other resources to help undergraduate and graduate students find a career path in aging.
Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA) Career Center
Resources to assist educators teach about careers in aging, along with information for individuals interested in pursuing a professional career in the field of gerontology.
Video: Five Reasons to Work with Older Adults
5 Steps to Jumpstart Your Career in Aging
I am Psyched! for Healthy Aging (2019)
Learn about exciting careers in aging research.
Psychology and Aging Professional and Student Profiles
The Demand for Psychologists to Work with Older Adults
Statistics demonstrating the need for professionals in the aging field.
E4 Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Disparities in Aging
The E4 Center provides free continuing education, implementation resources, and technical assistance for evidence-based practice in older adult mental health and substance use.
VA Geriatric Scholars Program
The VA Geriatric Scholars Program-Psychology Track (GSP-P) aims to enhance geropsychology competencies among VA providers utilizing a range of learning opportunities, including webinars, practicum experiences, and intensive, multi-day trainings led by experts in the field.
Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Programs (GWEPs)
48 HRSA-funded programs across the country provide training for the health care workforce to meet the needs of older adults. The CATCH-ON GWEP, led by a geropsychologist and geriatric social worker, provides free continuing education for health care providers, with an online certificate program and mini-fellowships in geriatric mental health.
American Psychological Association’s (APA) Resolution on Ageism
Resolution stating that age is an important element of diversity and calling upon individuals to reject age-based discrimination and to work to stop ageism in society.
Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA) Reframing Aging Initiative
Resources for a long-term social change endeavor designed to improve the public’s understanding of what aging means and the many ways that older adults contribute to our society.
Ageism First Aid
An online multi-module course offered by GSA designed to help change the common negative misconceptions and myths about aging by replacing them with facts that should be common knowledge.
AARP’s Disrupt Aging Classroom
Educational resources to tackle negative stereotypes and unconscious age bias.
Age-Friendly University (AFU) Initiative
Information and tools institutions of higher education can use to join the AFU global network and begin using the 10 AFU principles to advance age inclusivity on their campuses.
Longevity Economics: Leveraging the Advantages of an Aging Society
GSA’s report on how society and the economy can benefit from and make the best use of living longer.
Advancing Your Confidence as an Educator
Archived webinar series designed to enhance educator competencies and attitudes for academic geropsychology, along with panel discussions about what it’s really like to work in academia.
American Psychological Association Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging) Teaching Resources
A set of syllabi, teaching tips, textbook recommendations, and educational videos to support teaching and learning about aging.
Academy of Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) Resource Center
Standards and Guidelines for Gerontology and Geriatrics, Gerontology Competencies for Undergraduate and Graduate Education, and other resources for gerontology and geriatrics curricula planning.
75+ Resources for Gerontology Education
A diverse set of resources educators can use in their classes to expand students’ aging education experiences.
Speaker Biographies
Michael Crowe, PhD
Dr. Crowe is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Undergraduate Honors Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His research is focused on cognitive aging and mental health in diverse populations of older adults. Recently, Dr. Crowe has received funding from the National Institute on Aging to conduct research on aging in Puerto Rico.
Martha Crowther, PhD, MPH
Dr. Crowther is Associate Dean for Research & Health Policy and a Professor in the College of Community Health Sciences at The University of Alabama. An Investigator at the Institute for Rural Health Research, Dr. Crowther’s research and clinical interests center on cultural diversity, physical and mental health disparities, and spirituality and other resilience factors among older adults.
Erin Emery-Tiburcio, PhD, ABPP
Dr. Emery-Tiburcio is Associate Professor in Geriatric and Rehabilitation Psychology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL and the Co-Director of both the Rush Center for Excellence in Aging and CATCH-ON Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program. She oversees gerocentral.org and serves on the CoPGTP board.
Jay Gregg, PhD
Dr. Gregg is a Staff Psychologist at the Durham VAMC and Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine—Geriatrics Division at Duke University Medical Center. He coordinates the Geriatric Scholars Program—Psychology Track, a national VA post-licensure training program, and serves as Treasurer of CoPGTP.
Susan Krauss Whitbourne, PhD, ABPP
Dr. Whitbourne is Professor Emerita of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Adjunct Professor of Gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is also President-Elect of ABGERO, represents Division 20 at APA Council and writes the Fulfillment at Any Age blog at Psychology Today.
Kelly Trevino, PhD
Dr. Trevino is Assistant Attending Psychologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Assistant Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine. She serves as chair of APA’s Committee on Aging (CONA).
Breakout Session Facilitators
- Christopher Beam, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Southern California.
- Lindsey Jacobs, PhD, MPH, ABPP, is a Clinical Research Psychologist at the Tuscaloosa VAMC and a Research Associate Professor at The University of Alabama, and past-Chair of CoPGTP.
- Andrea June, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Central Connecticut State University.
- Julia Kasl-Godley, PhD, is Adjunct Faculty in the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology and a Professor in the Berkeley Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Clinic at the Wright Institute.
- Mary Lewis, PhD, ABPP, is Associate Professor of Psychology at Columbus State Community College and co-owner of Reflections Health and Wellness in Dublin, OH.
- Daniel Paulson, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the OLDeR Lab at the University of Central Florida.
- Rachel Rodriguez, PhD, MPH, ABPP, is Staff Psychologist at the Durham VA Medical Center and co-program manager of the VA Geriatric Scholars Program-Psychology Expansion.
- Heather Smith, PhD, ABPP, is Lead Psychologist at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
- Jessica Strong, PhD, ABPP, is Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Prince Edward Island.
- Rachel Weiskittle, PhD, is an Advanced Fellow in New England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at VA Boston and will be joining University of Colorado Colorado Springs in the fall of 2021.
- Reneé Zucchero, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Xavier University.
Organizational Supporters
Planning Committee
Rebecca Allen, PhD, ABPP, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at The University of Alabama, and Editor for the Americas of Aging & Mental Health. She is current President of the Society of Clinical Geropsychology.
Brian Carpenter, PhD, is Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences and Professor of Medicine, Division of Palliative Medicine at Washington University. He is the Faculty Lead for Educational Initiatives at the Harvey A Friedman Center for Aging at Washington University and Past President of the Society of Geropsychology.
Joseph Dzierzewski, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology, Director of the Behavioral Medicine concentration, and Director of the SAGE Research Lab at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Flora Ma, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Psychology Resident at Palo Alto University and Chair of the Diversity Committee for SCG.
Michelle Mlinac, PsyD ABPP, is Staff Psychologist at VA Boston Healthcare System and Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She is Chair of the Geropsychology Specialty Council, Chair of CoPGTP, and Secretary of ABGERO.
Joanne Montepare, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of the RoseMary B. Fuss Center for Research on Aging and Intergenerational Studies at Lasell University. She is President-Elect of Division 20 and Vice Chair-Elect of AGHE.
Jennifer Moye, PhD ABPP, is Associate Director for Education and Evaluation at the VA New England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and Editor-in-Chief of the Clinical Gerontologist.
Kadija Williams, PhD, is Staff Psychologist in the Geriatric Mental Health Clinic at VA Boston Healthcare System. She serves on the CoPGTP Board as Member at Large for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Special thanks for their assistance to Elizabeth Auguste, Research Associate at VA New England GRECC, and Julie Boyle, PsyD, Geropsychology Postdoctoral Fellow at VA Boston Healthcare System.
For more information
For additional information about the conference, joining an ongoing working group, and accessing materials, please contact:
Brian Carpenter – bcarpenter@wustl.edu
Jennifer Moye – jennfer.moye@va.gov