PLTC Student Section

Welcome Students!

Internship/PostDoc Listings 

(Listings updated March 1, 2008)

Award Announcements

Seminal Articles and Books for Students in Geropsychology

Greetings, students! Welcome to the Student Section of the PLTC website! 

Erin Woodhead, M.S.          

     I am excited to have been recently appointed to one of the PLTC student representative positions, and I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself.  I am currently a third-year student in the Clinical Psychology program at West Virginia University.  I’ve been interested in research with older adults since I was an undergraduate.  I completed an honors thesis examining the effects of physical activity on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in Adult Day Care settings.  I completed a Master’s thesis examining decisional biases in younger and older adults.  Specifically, I studied whether older and younger adults were susceptible to framing effects in hypothetical medical decisions, and if a questionnaire could preclude the framing effect.   My current practicum is at an inpatient psychogeriatric hospital in rural West Virginia.  My tasks include evaluating new and current residents and creating behavior plans for residents with various behavior problems.

     This is my second year as a PLTC student member, and I’m excited to be more actively involved in the organization!  I originally became involved in PLTC through the suggestion of my advisor, Barry Edelstein.  I think this is a great organization for students and professionals who work with older adults in a multitude of settings.  Every year I’m excited to meet new students at GSA and other meetings who are interested in geropsychology.  I’m hoping that these students will consider joining PLTC, and will use the resources that are available to them on the website.  I’m interested in hearing from student members if they have any questions about ways to become more involved in PLTC, so please feel free to contact me!

  

Kate Mabe, B.A.

I am honored to have been chosen as a PLTC student representative! I'm always excited to meet students and professionals working in the field of geropsychology and look forward to serving you in this role.

I am currently a second-year doctoral student in clinical psychology at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and have been lucky to have Erlene Rosowsky, Psy.D. as a teacher, advisor and mentor. The Psy.D. model of MSPP emphasizes clinical training and I have spent the last two years working at field placements exclusively committed to older adults. This school year I am working at McLean Hospital in the Geriatric Partial and Inpatient Units where I do intake interviews, conduct short-term individual psychotherapy and facilitate psychotherapy groups. Last year was spent in the Protective Services division of Elder Services of Merrimack Valley where I administered basic neuropsychological screenings, conducted long-term therapy and designed and presented psychoeducational trainings for staff.

I am a research assistant for Erlene Rosowsky, Psy.D. and Daniel Segal, Ph.D. on a project looking at personality and long-term marriage. I also conduct baseline and follow-up interviews for a Bedford V.A./Boston University research project looking at self-efficacy and caregiving in dementia. My own dissertation topic will be chosen in the coming months and my professional interests include sexuality in long-term care settings, reminiscence, long-married couples and childlessness in older age. My interest in working with older adults began before graduate school when I took a job working as an Activities Assistant in the dementia unit of a nursing home and loved it.

As your student representative, I hope to help foster an active, supportive network of emerging professionals in the field of geropsychology- and hopefully have some fun while we're at it! Please don't hesitate to contact me just to say hello or to share your thoughts, questions and suggestions regarding PLTC student membership.

Student Representatives:

The current student representatives to PLTC are Kate Mabe, B.A. (currently at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology) and Erin Woodhead, M.S. (currently at West Virginia University). Please feel free to contact them if you have questions or want more information about student membership. 

Benefits of Student Membership

Student membership is FREE for the 1st year!

Subscription and online access to the Clinical Gerontologist

Two business meetings each year (at APA and GSA) which students are encouraged to attend

Excellent networking opportunities with clinicians & researchers nation-wide

Opportunity to apply for the Student Research Award (see Awards on this page) which includes a cash prize ($300) and a commemorative piece.

 

Internship/PostDoc Listings

NOTE:

The recently revised third edition of the Directory of Psychology Internships with Geropsychology Training Opportunities and the Directory of Clinical Geropsychology Postdoctoral Fellowships are now available on the Division 12, Section II (Clinical Geropsychology) website.

Internship and Postdoctoral Sites with LTC training

Division 12, Section 2's list of internship sites that offer work with geriatric patients (updated 2/17/08).

Division 12, Section 2's list of postdoctoral sites that offer work in geriatrics (updated 2/17/08).

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Award Announcements 

Grant Announcements are on the Research Page

STUDENTS: Apply for the PLTC Annual Student Research Award

Graduate and post-doctoral students may submit a completed project relevant to long term care and geropsychology for the PLTC Student Research Award. The award, $300 and a commemorative piece, will be presented at the 2007 APA annual convention in San Fransico. Submissions will be accepted from student members of PLTC and from students of PLTC members. (Student membership is free for the first year -- become a member! For membership information, contact Mary Lewis.

Information about the Student Research Award:

Graduate and post-doctoral students may submit a completed project relevant to long term care and geropsychology for the PLTC Student Research Award.  Submissions will be accepted from student members of PLTC and from students of PLTC members. Manuscripts should be 8-12 pages, exclusive of tables and figures.  Manuscripts that are being presented as posters or in symposia at the GSA annual meeting (or at APA) will be accepted and encouraged; please let us know if the manuscript you submit is being presented (or has been submitted). Manuscripts submitted to other organizations' award programs will not be considered for this award. For further information, contact Suzanne Meeks.

Past Award Winners

2007 Natalie Brescian -- Colorado State University

Paper Title: "Certified Nursing Assistants in Long-Term Care: Exploring the Relationship Between Locus of Control and Patient Aggression" Mentor: Tammi Vacha-Hasse, Ph.D.

2006    Kate L. Martin -- Colorado State University

Paper Title: "Staff Perceptions of Same-Sex Sexual Contacts in Long-Term Care Facilities"; Mentor, Tammi Vacha-Haase, Ph.D.

Runner-up: Laura L. Phillips -- University of Alabama; "Prisons as a Long-Term Care Providers Spirituality/Religiousness and Affect among Older Male Prisoners." Co-authors on the paper were Rebecca S. Allen, Ph.D. and Lucinda L. Roff, Ph.D.

2004    Susan Fisher, M.A. -- University of Alabama

Fisher, S. E., Burgio, L. D., Thorn, B. E., Allen-Burge, R., Gerstle, J., & Allen, S. J. (2002). Pain assessment and management among cognitively impaired nursing home residents: Association of certified nursing assistant pain report, MDS pain report, and analgesic medication use. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 50, 152-156.

2003    Deborah Heiser, Ph.D. -- Isabella Geriatric Center, New York, NY. 

Heiser, D. (2004). Depression Identification in the long-term care setting: The GDS vs. the MDS. Clinical Gerontologist, 27, 3-18.

Publication Opportunity

Dear Colleagues,

The Clinical Gerontologist journal is welcoming submissions to its New and Emerging Professionals Section, in which we publish manuscripts whose first authors are in the initial stages of their careers in mental health and aging. Manuscripts printed in this section will be accompanied by brief bios about the first authors, to introduce them to the journal’s readers. As editor of this Section, I invite you to spread the word about this exciting publication opportunity for students, postdocs, and assistant professors. Please address questions to me at apspira@hotmail.com.

Sincerely,
Adam P. Spira, Ph.D.
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Seminal Articles and Books for Students in Geropsychology

GENERAL AGING & MENTAL HEALTH

Binstock, R. H. & George, L. K. (2001). Handbook of aging and the social sciences (5th edition). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Kennedy, G. J. (2002). Geriatric mental health care: A treatment guide for health professionals. NY: Springer Publishing.

Hinrichsen, G. A. (2006). Why multicultural issues matter for practitioners working with older adults. Professional Psychology Research and Practice, 37, 29-35.

*Lichtenberg, P. A., Murman, D. L., & Mellow, A. M. (2003). Handbook of dementia: Psychological, neurological, and psychiatric perspectives. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Ronch, J. L. & Goldfield, J. A. (2003). Mental wellness in aging: Strengths-based approaches. Baltimore: Health Professions Press.

Smyer, M. & *Qualls, S. (1999). Aging and mental health. Blackwell Publishers.

Zarit, S. H. & Zarit, J. M. (1998). Mental disorders in older adults: Fundamentals of assessment and treatment. NY: Guilford Press.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT & INTERVENTION

*Duffy, M. (1999). Handbook of counseling and psychotherapy with older adults. NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Knight, B. G. (1996). Psychotherapy with older adults (2nd edition). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

*Lichtenberg, P. A. (1999). Handbook of assessment in clinical gerontology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Storandt, M. (1994). General principles of assessment of older adults. In M. Storandt & G. VandenBos (Eds.), Neuropsychological assessment of dementia and depression (pp. 7-32). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

LONG-TERM CARE

Conn, D. K., Herrmann, N., Kaye, A., Rewilak, D., & Schogt, B. (2001).  Practical psychiatry in the long-term care facility: A handbook for staff. Ashland, OH,: Hogrefe & Huber Publishers.

Hill, R. D., Thorn, B. L., Bowling, J., & Morrison, A. (2002). Geriatric residential care. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

*Lichtenberg, P. (1994). A guide to psychiatric practice in geriatric long term care settings. Haworth Press.

*Lichtenberg, P. A. & *Duffy, M. (2000). Psychological assessment and psychotherapy in long-term care. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 7, 317-328.

*Lichtenberg, P. A., *Smith, M., *Frazer, D., *Molinari, V., *Rosowsky, E., *Crose, R., *Stillwell, N., *Kramer, N., *Hartman-Stein, P., *Qualls, S., *Salamon, M., *Duffy, M., *Parr, J., & *Gallagher-Thompson, D. (1998). Standards for psychological services in long-term care facilities. The Gerontologist, 38, 122-127.

*Molinari, V. (2000). Professional psychology in long term care. NY: Hatherleigh Press.

*Denotes a past or present PLTC member

Also see APA's Psychotherapy and Older Adults Resource Guide.