Dear Colleagues:
The Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology with strong curricular emphasis in geropsychology at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs has openings for graduate students beginning Fall 2011. Please pass this info along to interested students and colleagues.
Applications are due January 1st, 2012; Additional information about the program and the application process can be found at: http://www.uccs.edu/psych/Graduate-Program/PhD.html.
PROGRAM
Our scientist-practitioner program trains students in mental health assessment and intervention for adults and older adults, and in basic and applied research on the psychological functioning of adults and aging individuals. Aging is integrated into the curriculum in a systematic way, with a 2 semester core sequence of psychology of aging and a 2 semester core sequence of clinical geropsychology in addition to specialty seminars. Upon completion of the program, students will be trained to work in a range of settings, including mental health clinics and clinical practices, hospitals, nursing homes, colleges and universities, state offices, research institutes, and as consultants to a wide variety of housing and social service providers to older adults. Individuals from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. We value a wide range of ages and cultural backgrounds among our students. Our program is accredited by APA.
RESEARCH AND CLINICAL TRAINING
Extensive training occurs at the CU Aging Center, which is a geriatric mental health clinic located in the community, run by faculty, staff, and students in our department. Rotations include: Neuropsychological assessment, Memory clinic, Caregiver services program, Psychotherapy program, At-Home mental health service program, and integrated mental health services with primary care at Peak Vista Community Health Clinics.
Faculty research related to adult development and aging includes areas of specialization in cognition and memory, personality and personality disorders, clinical assessment and treatment, aging families, health traumas, late-life depression, suicide resilience, neuropsychological assessment for older adults, behavioral management of problem behaviors, behavioral medicine, communications and care technologies, senior housing, and longitudinal methodologies.
FUNDING
A variety of sources of financial assistance are available for doctoral students. These include research assistantships, teaching assistantships, clinical externships, and fellowships. We have an excellent record of successfully funding students throughout their entire time in our program, providing at least $18,000 per student each year.
TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES
Our Psychology Department offers a graduate-level course entitled “Teach More Effectively” to train students in the teaching of psychology. This applied course includes discussions of the methods and strategies for teaching effectively and teaches students classroom management. Students in this class create a portfolio to include a teaching statement, exams, syllabi, and resource guide in their area of interest. The class culminates in students teaching a class. Advanced graduate students also have opportunities to be the primary instructor for an undergraduate course.
CORE FACULTY INTERESTS AND CONTACT INFORMATION (in alphabetical order)
Charles C. Benight, Ph.D. (1992, Stanford University).
Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of the Trauma, Health, & Hazards Center. Dr. Benight also coordinates the trauma track in the MA Clinical Program. Dr. Benight’s research and clinical interests revolve around trauma adaptation. His research has been funded through the NIMH and NSF focusing on the application of social cognitive theory and trauma. He is interested in applying this work to the older adult population.
Leilani Feliciano, Ph.D. (2005, Western Michigan University)
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology. Dr. Feliciano’s primary clinical and research interests center around studying and applying behavioral interventions for clinical problems and mental disorders in middle aged and older adults. Specific areas of interest include late-life depression, anxiety, co-morbid psychological and medical problems, and behavioral problems associated with dementia. She has published journal articles and book chapters on such topics as behavioral gerontology, effective behavioral and environmental interventions in long-term care, and depression in aging. Dr. Feliciano is a member of several aging organizations including the Gerontological Society of America, APA Division 12/II, and the American Society on Aging. She teaches graduate courses in the Psychology of Aging II, Clinical Skills Lab, and a graduate practicum. Dr. Feliciano also teaches an undergraduate course in abnormal (Senior Seminar: Mental Health and Aging).
Brandon Gavett, Ph.D. (2007, University at Albany)
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology. Dr. Gavett teaches a graduate course in Clinical Neuropsychology and provides clinical supervision in Clinical Neuropsychology at the CU Aging Center. His research lab focuses on questions related to cognitive aging, both in terms of normal and abnormal aging processes. These research questions are often addressed using advanced psychometric methods, such as item response theory, growth curve modeling, and taxometrics. Dr. Gavett has and continues to conduct research in the areas of mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer¹s disease, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is a mid-life neurodegenerative disease believed to be caused by repetitive brain injury. He is a member of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, the International Neuropsychology Society, and Division 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology) of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Gavett is also affiliated with the CU Gerontology Center and the Palisades at Broadmoor Park.
Edie Greene, Ph.D. (1983, University of Washington)
Professor of Psychology and Director of Graduate Concentration in Psychology and Law. Professor Greene’s geropsychology research concerns issues of aging and legal decision making. She has examined decisions about competency and the need for guardianship among judges, attorneys, and laypeople; jurors’ and experts’ knowledge of elder financial abuse and the prospects of providing expert psychological testimony on financial abuse in trials; and older adults’ comprehension and decision making concerning documents such as last wills and testaments and powers of attorney. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science.
Michael A. Kisley, Ph.D. (2000, University of Pennsylvania)
Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of Graduate Training. Dr. Kisley’s research laboratory is devoted to the study of the interaction of attention and emotion including the impact of healthy aging on this interaction. He and his graduate students employ both neuroscience and behavioral methodologies to study so-called “negativity biases” in younger adults and “positivity effects” in older adults. The laboratory, which includes two complete neurophysiological recording systems capable of measuring electrical brain activity, is funded by the National Institute on Aging. In addition to conducting research and supervising the research training of graduate students, Dr. Kisley teaches courses in Neuroscience and Biopsychology.
Molly Maxfield, Ph.D. (2009, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs)
Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of the Undergraduate Honors Program. Dr. Maxfield’s research addresses the interaction of social, emotional, and cognitive aspects of aging. She is interested in how older adults’ cognitive functioning impacts their ability to develop and maintain strategies for coping with the challenges of late life. She has been active in the investigation of older adults’ methods for coping with awareness of mortality from the perspective of terror management theory. Dr. Maxfield teaches undergraduate courses in social psychology and the honors program seminar, as well as graduate courses in clinical interviewing and cognitive and personality assessment.
Daniel L. Segal, Ph.D. (1992, University of Miami)
Dr. Segal is Professor and Director of Clinical Training. His research interests include the assessment of psychopathology among older adults, suicide prevention and aging, barriers to mental health services, and the expression and impact of personality disorders across the lifespan. Dr. Segal is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, the editor-in chief of Clinical Case Studies, and an Associate Editor for the Clinical Gerontologist. He serves on the editorial boards of two other journals (Behavior Modification; Journal of Clinical Psychology). He is the Chair of the Council of Professional Geropsychology Training Programs (www.copgtp.org). He has published five professional books (including the recently released Aging and Mental Health, 2nd edition, with co-authors Sara Qualls and Mick Smyer) and many professional journal articles and book chapters. He teaches Abnormal Psychology, Advanced Psychopathology, Theories of Psychotherapy, and Clinical Geropsychology II, and provides clinical supervision for practicum students at the CU Aging Center.
Sara Honn Qualls, Ph.D. (1983, Penn State University)
Professor of Clinical Psychology, Kraemer Family Professor of Aging Studies, and Director of the Gerontology Center. Dr. Qualls’ research focuses on interventions to guide families through transitions of later life, strategies to improve wellness in senior housing, and development of technologies to promote well-being and independence. She has published seven books, a video, journal articles, and book chapters on many aspects of mental health in later life. Dr. Qualls helped develop the UCCS doctoral program in geropsychology and the CU Aging Center, a mental health services training clinic. She also hosted a national conference series in clinical geropsychology for 5 years. She was on the core planning group that created the Pikes Peak Model for Training in Professional Geropsychology. Dr. Qualls is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the American Psychological Association. She is Chair of the APA Committee on Aging, has held office in the Society of Clinical Geropsychology and the Council of Professional Geropsychology Training Programs, and has served on the governance boards of GSA’s Behavioral and Social Sciences Section, Psychologists in Long Term Care, and APA Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging). She teaches Clinical Geropsychology I: Settings and Contexts of Practice, Cultural and Family Diversity, and Clinical Supervision.
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Daniel L. Segal, Ph.D.
Professor and Director of Clinical Training
Department of Psychology
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
phone: 719-255-4176; fax: 719-255-4166
email: dsegal@uccs.edu
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