Gerontology: An Overview on the Study of Aging for Professional Counselors
Information
Date & Time
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Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
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Summarize the history of the field of gerontology, its basic premises, and the encompassing disciplines, including research and practice, that comprise the study of aging.
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Identify at least two opportunities for interdisciplinary care among health and allied-health professional fields who serve older adults such as medicine, nursing, social work, and professional counseling.
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Explain and implement The Gerontological Imagination (Ferraro, 2018), an integrative paradigm for understanding aging in the context of multiple systems and disciplines.
Educational Goal
The educational goal of this presentation is to provide a comprehensive overview of the history, present-day priorities, and future directions of gerontology, the scientific study of aging, as well as an overview of career possibilities as a gerontological counselor.
Description
Gerontology, or the scientific study of aging and older adults, is a vast interdisciplinary field comprising biological, psychological, and social aspects (Grabinski, 2015). This workshop provides a comprehensive overview of the field of gerontology, including historical foundations as well as present-day priorities. Participants will learn the roles and functions professional counselors currently inhabit in the field of aging, despite historical gaps in professional education and training priorities (CACREP dropped Gerontological Counseling as a specialty area in 2009, NBCC retired National Certified Gerontological Counselor credential in 1999). With the legislative victory of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 and recognition as Medicare providers, professional counselors have never been more well-positioned to meet the mental health and wellness needs of older adults. This workshop provides a roadmap of the possibilities of a career as a gerontological counselor.
Target Audience
- Counselor
- Marriage & Family Therapist
- Psychologist
- Social Worker
- Substance Use Disorder Professionals
Presenters
Dr. Mary Chase Mize (she/her/hers) is an assistant professor of clinical mental health counseling at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS), a National Certified Counselor (NCC), and is Certified in Thanatology – Death, Dying, and Bereavement (CT). Her research is focused on community-based suicide intervention and prevention efforts with older adults, equipping faith-based communities respond to suicide, and preparing counselors to work with older adult clients. In addition to her work in academia, Dr. Mize manages Seek and Find Counseling and Consulting, a small private practice where she provides counseling services to older adults and individuals experiencing grief, bereavement, death anxiety, major life transitions, and suicide ideation and loss. Dr. Mize also serves as a professional consultant and co-author to The Keep/Watch Project, an effort from the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta to equip religious and spiritual communities with suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention response skills.
Financially Sponsored By
- Association for Adult Development & Aging (AADA)