Building Bridges: An Age-Friendly Conference for the Geropsychology Workforce

Chair(s)

• 

  Brian Carpenter, PhD, FGSA

  Professor
  Psychological and Brain Sciences
  Washington University in St. Louis
  Saint Louis, Missouri, United States

  Slides

Co-Chair(s)

• 

  Jennifer Moye, PhD

  New England GRECC Associate Director of Education and Evaluation
  New England GRECC
  VA Boston Healthcare System
  Boston, Massachusetts, United States

  Slides

Discussant(s)

• JD

  Joseph Dzierzewski, PhD

  Department of Psychology
  Virginia Commonwealth University
  Richmond, Virginia, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

• 

  Jennifer Moye, PhD

  New England GRECC Associate Director of Education and Evaluation
  New England GRECC
  VA Boston Healthcare System
  Boston, Massachusetts, United States

  Slides
• 

  Erin Emery-Tiburcio, PhD, ABPP

  Associate Professor
  Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences/Geriatric Medicine
  Rush University Medical College
  Chicago, Illinois, United States
• 

  Meghan McDarby, PhD

  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
  Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  New York, New York, United States
• CR

  Candice Reel, MA

  Doctoral Student
  Psychology
  The University of Alabama
  Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States

As in other disciplines, there is a high demand for psychologists who have specialized training in aging, but the demand far outstrips the supply, with only 1% of clinical/counseling psychologists identifying aging as their area of focus. The field of geropsychology has held a series of training conferences, the last in 2006, to define a training model and aging-related competencies. Fifteen years later, the field gathered again for a conference focusing specifically on the pipeline, with the goals of 1) understanding the recent shortage of applicants for positions in academic settings, 2) addressing underrepresentation of individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds across clinical and academic geropsychology, and 3) implementing concrete solutions. In this symposium we describe our two-day, four-hour virtual national conference held in 2021, attended by more than 150 psychologists nationwide, including the structure and outcomes of the conference and the progress of several ongoing working groups. The first paper summarizes quantitative and qualitative findings of a pre-conference survey on perceptions of the geropsychology workforce. The second paper describes a career pathways webinar aimed at graduate students, interns, and fellows to attract students to diverse careers in aging. The third paper describes discussions about the impact of the pandemic on geropsychology training. The fourth paper presents a survey and efforts of a working group focused on post-licensure training. This presentation offers a possible model for others considering ways to galvanize interest and training in aging.

Presentations:

• 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

  Perceptions of the Geropsychology Workforce
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Jennifer Moye, PhD – VA Boston Healthcare System
• 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

  Building Bridges Post-Licensure: Developing Geropsychology Consultation Services
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Erin Emery-Tiburcio, PhD, ABPP – Rush University Medical College
• 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

  Building Bridges to Future Leaders: A Career Pathways Webinar
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Meghan McDarby, PhD – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

  The Unique Impact of the COVID Pandemic on Predoctoral Geropsychology Training: Recommendations From the Field
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Candice D. Reel, MA – The University of Alabama