Geropsychology and Long Term Care: A Practitioner's Guide

It is with great pride that the Psychologists in Long Term Care (PLTC) have sponsored The Professional Educational Long-Term Care Training Manual, and now its second iteration, Geropsychology and Long Term Care: A Practitioner’s Guide. Education of psychologists working in long-term care settings is consistent with PLTC’s mission to assure the provision of high-quality psychological services for a neglected sector of the population, i.e., residents in nursing homes and assisted-living communities. To this end, direct training of generalist psychologists in the nuances of psychological care delivery in long-term care settings has been a major priority. It is a tribute to the accelerating nature of research in long-term care settings that a revision is now necessary. After all, the Professional Educational Training Manual’s initial publication date was only in 2001. However, in the intervening years, much progress has been made in addressing assessment and intervention strategies tailored to the needs of this frail but quite diverse population. It is so gratifying to be able to say that there is now a corpus of scientific knowledge to guide long-term care service delivery in long-term care settings.

Dr. Erlene Rosowsky is a licensed psychologist and past-president of Needham Psychotherapy Associates, LLC. She specializes in the assessment and treatment of emotional problems at middle-age through later life. Specific interests are personality in older age, health and aging, and the older couple. Dr. Rosowsky divides her time between clinical practice and professional/community education. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and is affiliated with the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center – Needham Campus. She is on the faculty of the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, a Director of their Center for Mental Health and Aging, and a Fellow in the Gerontological Society of America.  Dr. Rosowsky is also well-published in the professional literature, and is a popular national speaker and workshop leader for both professional and lay groups. She serves as Chair of the Generations editorial board and wrote a column, Speaking of Aging, for the Journal of Retirement Planning. Dr. Rosowsky has authored and edited three books: Personality Disorders in Older Adults: Emerging Issues in Diagnosis and Treatment (1999); Personality Disorders in Older Adults: Diagnosis, Assessment and Treatment (2006) & Geropsychology and Long Term Care: A Practitioner’s Guide (2008).

Dr. Joseph Casciani is the President of Concept Healthcare, LLC in San Diego, CA, providing online, interactive training and live web conferences for those working with older adults, at www.cohealth.org.  He is also the director of a multi-state group delivering behavioral health services to residents in LTC facilities.  Dr. Casciani is licensed as a psychologist in the states of California, Texas, Pennsylvania, and New York, and isthe President of Psychologists in Long Term Care for the 2008-2010 term.

Dr. Merla Arnold is an independent practitioner providing geropsychology services, behavioral health counseling, consultation and education. Her clinical practice takes place in long term care settings in Western Suffolk & Eastern Nassau Counties, New York. Dr. Arnold is a New York State licensed psychologist and a member of the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians, a Certified QA/UR Professional; and a New York State licensed Registered Nurse. Dr. Arnold is the recipient of several awards and honors, including the ISABEL BELL Award.