Geropsychology Concentration

• Interested students should speak with their advisor and the Concentration Director, Katherine King, PsyD (Katherine_king@williamjames.edu). Students also need to fill out the Declaration of Concentration form and return it to the Registrar and submit a copy to the Concentration Director.
• Students can identify their interest in the concentration upon matriculation or after their first year. Students will be expected to formally apply for entry into the concentration after the first year. Students may be able to enter the concentration after their second year at the discretion of the concentration director.
• Once admitted to the concentration, students must maintain good academic standing or they will be withdrawn from the concentration.

Coursework Requirements

These requirements are in alignment with the CoSPP specialty training criteria

---

Concentration Courses

• CLI GE552 – Aging and Mental Health (credits: 3) no prerequisites
• CLI GE551 – Grief and Death in Clinical Practice (credits: 2) no prerequisites
• CLI GE520 - Selected Topics in Clinical Geropsychology (credits: 2) prerequisite: CLI GE522

Other Approved Electives

• CLI NP650 - Neuropsychology of Aging (credits: 2)
• CLI HP530 - Theoretical Foundations in Clinical Health Psychology (credits: 2)
• Geropsychology - Focused Directed Study (credits: 1-3)  Prior approval by concentration director required

---

Concentration Course Requirements:
7-8 Credits consisting of:

• Aging and Mental Health
• Grief and Death in Clinical Practice and/or Selected Topics in Geropsychology
• Other Approved Electives

Emphasis Course Requirements
6-7 Credits consisting of:

• Aging and Mental Health
• Other Concentration Courses or Approved Electives (contact concentration director with questions about special circumstances and individualized exceptions)

Field Education Requirements

These requirements are in alignment with the CoSPP specialty training criteria. 

---

Concentration Field Requirements
360 total hours of geropsychology-related fieldwork

• Pathway 1: One field placement focused primarily on older adults
• Pathway 2: 360 hours total geropsychology-related field work over the course of all years of graduate training (tracked within Time2Track and approved by concentration director).

---

Emphasis Field Requirements
180 total hours of geropsychology-related fieldwork

• Pathway 1: One field placement focused primarily on older adults
• Pathway 2: 180 hours total geropsychology-related field work over the course of all years of graduate training (tracked within Time2Track and approved by concentration director).

---

APA Internship

APA internship training hours (National Match and Consortium) can be counted towards total hours of geropsychology fieldwork. A geropsychology-focused internship is not required, but an APA internship at a National Match site focused on geropsychology is strongly recommended. Students may also choose to train in the Consortium, though should be advised that there are not currently any geropsychology-focused Consortium sites.

---

What counts for Training Hours?

• Clinical hours with older adults (60+), regardless of reason for contact. Examples: Hours spent with older adults as part of family systems work, grandparents in parenting role, substance use group treatment where one or more group members are older adults.
• Clinical hours with adults focused on issues relevant to geropsychology competence. Examples: Grief, Coping with Illness or Disability, End of Life, Neurocognitive Disorders, Caregiver Burden, Grandparenting, Retirement.
  See the Pike’s Peak geropsychology training assessment tool here for more ideas
• Clinical supervision hours when most of the session is spent discussing cases listed above.
• Didactic training on topics relevant to geropsychology. Examples: Aging and mental health, Neurocognitive disorders, Grief treatment, Diversity trainings on ageism, ableism, or when age is discussed (e.g., as part of intersectionality).
• Case consultation hours with Dr. King.
• Unsure if something counts? Send a description to Katherine_King@williamjames.edu

---

How do I track my Training Hours?

Inside Time2Track, please use the following tag(s):

• Use “Geropsychology” Activity Tags for all relevant activities that you would like counted towards your 180/360 concentration hours (including supervision, didactic training, observation, etc.). You may also use other relevant clinical tags (e.g., grief).
• Use appropriate Client Tags (e.g., “70-79 year old”).
• Do not forget to document age as part of demographic information for all clients (and to do this as well as adding appropriate Client and Activity tags).

Doctoral Project Requirements

---

Concentration Course Requirements

Students completing the geropsychology concentration will be required to complete a doctoral project (DP) in the domain of geropsychology. The director of the concentration must approve the doctoral project. When concentration faculty are not available to serve on the committee, it is the student’s responsibility to secure approval of project by the concentration director.

---

Emphasis Course Requirements

Students completing the geropsychology emphasis will be required to complete a doctoral project (DP) broadly relevant to the field of geropsychology. Often, this includes a section of the literature review relevant to aging, inclusion of older adults in population being studied, and/or discussion of findings as relevant to older adults. The director of the concentration must approve the doctoral project. When concentration faculty are not available to serve on the committee, it is the student’s responsibility to secure approval of project by the concentration director.

---

Additional Program Recommendations

• It is recommended that geropsychology students participate in the Gero Volunteer Corps.
• It is recommended that geropsychology students attend and/or lead campus programming related to aging.
• It is recommended that geropsychology students become involved in geropsychology focused research led by faculty or field supervisors.

• Community service (focus on older adults)
• Involvement in William James College Gero Volunteer Corps (GVC)
• 2 Continuing Education (CE) programs with gero-relevant content (at or outside William James College)
• Attendance at 2 DP colloquia with a focus on geropsychology

Our program fulfills graduate-level requirements for Board Certification in Geropsychology (ABGERO) by the American Board of Professional Psychology and meets the threshold specialty requirements of the Council of Specialties in Professional Psychology.

The primary aim of the geropsychology concentration is to prepare students for advanced practice in the specialty of clinical geropsychology with particular appreciation of intersectional aging in social, historical, and cultural contexts.

Students who choose not to declare a concentration or emphasis are welcome to enroll in any of the geropsychology courses as part of our mission to educate generalist psychologists in the foundational skills needed to serve older adults competently.

It is also the aspiration of this program to work alongside other specializations as part of a dual concentration or emphasis (e.g., Geropsychology and Asian Mental Health, Global Mental Health, CFAR, Neuropsychology, or Health Psychology). Every attempt will be made to accommodate students with such interests. Students should reach out to their advisors and relevant concentration directors early in their training program to make sure that elective credits are used appropriately to accommodate each area of interest.

At present, this concentration is only available within the Clinical PsyD program. Please direct any questions to Katherine King, PsyD, Geropsychology Concentration Director at Katherine_King@williamjames.edu.