Dear Geropsychology colleague:
We are writing to ask if want to participate in an on-line survey that examines the utility and validity of the Pikes Peak Geropsychology Knowledge and Skill Assessment Tool. Please read on.
The Council of Geropsychology Training Programs (CoPGTP) developed this tool to help clinical supervisors evaluate the development of geropsychology competencies in their students, and for psychologists and students to use for self-evaluation of their training needs in the field. We are eager to learn more about the properties of the assessment tool and to get feedback from geropsychologists and geropsychology students on your impressions of its value. Survey results will be used to inform possible revisions of the assessment tool, as well as to help inform training needs within our field.
If you are a psychologist (or post-doctoral psychology fellow) who provides direct clinical care, consultation, and/or supervision of care to older adults as part of your professional practice, OR if you are a clinical/counseling graduate student who has had geropsychology training at graduate school or internship levels (e.g., classwork, practicum, research training), we invite your participation in this survey.
If you volunteer to participate, you will:
-Link to the “Survey Monkey” on-line survey tool through the link that is pasted below
-Read an Informed Consent form and, if you agree to continue:
-Complete a series of questions about your demographic and professional/training background (estimated time: 5-8 minutes)
-Complete the Pikes Peak Geropsychology Knowledge and Skill Assessment Tool, which will ask you to reflect on your own development of competence in various domains of professional geropsychology competency (estimated time: 45-50 minutes)
-Complete a brief series of questions about your feedback on the tool (estimate time: 3-5 minutes)
Participation in this study therefore requires a time commitment of approximately one hour. We hope that taking part in the study may be professionally worthwhile, by assisting with the validation of this important instrument, reflecting on your professional development in the field, and perhaps identifying areas where you might wish to seek further training. Survey responses are anonymous, and Survey Monkey surveys are secured by firewall and intrusion prevention technology. This study has been reviewed and approved by the R&D/IRB committees at the
If you choose to participate, you may find it helpful to download a pdf version of the Pikes Peak Geropsychology Knowledge and Skill Assessment Tool, to follow along and see the entire tool while completing one question at a time on the on-line survey. You can access the tool at:
http://www.uccs.edu/~cpgtp/Pikes%2520Peak%2520Evaluation%2520Tool%25201.1.pdf. Even if you choose not to participate in this survey, we welcome you to download and use this tool in your practice or training program.
To participate in the survey, please click on the link below to begin: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=6bXUBq_2b224N6AvlnWGKvGg_3d_3d
Note that you can save and return to your work – you do not need to complete the survey in one sitting. Just return to the link above and continue your response.
We will collect survey responses through Monday, July 13th, 2009, so please respond by then if you are interested.
Please feel free to forward this request to any colleagues or students who might be interested.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Michele Karel at Michele.Karel@va.gov or 774-826-3725, or Dan Segal at dsegal@uccs.edu or 719-255-4176.
Sincerely,
The CoPGTP Task Force on the Assessment of Professional Geropsychology Competencies
Michele Karel, PhD, Dan Segal, PhD, Caitlin Holley, MA, Erin Emery, PhD, Victor Molinari, PhD, Sarah Stoner, MA, Yvette Tazeau, PhD, Susan Whitbourne, PhD, Janet Yang, PhD, Richard Zweig, PhD
Michele J. Karel, PhD
Staff Psychologist, VA
Assistant Professor, Dept of Psychiatry,
(774) 826-3725
(774) 826-3724 fax
