professional

This month I successfully proposed my dissertation project to my committee (now the real work begins!). As suggested by the title, my project will investigate the way in which low feelings of belongingness and high feelings of burdensomeness interact to increase suicide ideation among older adults. The study is based on a theory developed by Thomas Joiner, PhD and his students at Florida State University.

Thanks to my committee for their very helpful comments and suggestions: Daniel Segal, PhD; Frederick Coolidge, PhD; Sara Qualls, PhD; Molly Maxfield, PhD; and Aditi Mitra, PhD.

Note: Anyone experiencing a suicidal crisis can contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Last week, I presented a poster at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, which took place in San Diego. Poster presentations are always fun because I get to meet others who are interested in similar areas of research. I was even awarded an APA Student Travel Award in order to participate in the convention.

This particular poster reported the results of an analysis of hopelessness, dysfunctional attitudes, and suicide ideation among community-dwelling older adults. As expected, hopelessness and dysfunctional attitudes were positively associated with suicide ideation. Perfectionism emerged as an important component of dysfunctional attitudes. 

Great visual description of what a PhD is: The Illustrated Guide to a PhD.

At the end of May, I completed a practicum rotation in a long term care facility (aka nursing home). I discovered that I love working in that setting and its something that I hope to gain more experience with while I'm on internship.

Dr. Eleanor Feldman Barbara is a psychologist who works in long term care and writes a blog about her experiences. She recently wrote an interesting guest post on the role of psychology in treating mental illness in nursing home residents for McKnight's Long Term Care News.

Another great resource for those interested in the topic of mental illness in long term care is the group Psychologists in Long Term Care (PLTC). 

Last night I was honored with the 2010 Psychological Society of the Pikes Peak Region Outstanding Graduate Student Award. My mentor Dan Segal (with me in the photo) gave a nice speech about the work we've done together over the past 3 years. I am truly fortunate to have Dan as a mentor and to be in a graduate program where I am encouraged thrive!

I finished the 3rd year of my PhD program this week! Unfortunately, it feels a little anti-climatic since classes are a smaller part of what I do now (clinical work and research have become more of a priority). But, it is nice to have another year behind me. :-)

Julio and I celebrated a little early last week-end by taking a long motorcycle ride into the mountains. Definitely one of the perks of living in Colorado!

The APA recently posted tips for first-time teachers, aimed at graduate students who are starting to teach undergraduate psychology courses. The story also includes a link to the Society for the Teaching of Psychology's website.

An interesting, but also disturbing, article on the complex issue of dementia and sex.

The APA Office on Aging recently updated their on-line resource guide for Depression and Suicide in Older Adults. It features empirical journal articles, books, book chapters, and several links to resources for consumers.

I successfully defended my thesis last Friday. Although it was somewhat nervewracking, the meeting went really well. It felt more like a discussion than a presentation by the end and I got lots of good feedback and suggestions from my committee. The next step is to try to publish a journal article using the findings from the study.

The gist of the results is that problem- and emotion-focused coping appear to be adaptive, whereas dysfunctional coping appears to be somewhat less related to resilience to suicide. Implications of the study are that some coping strategies may serve as protective factors against suicide and coping strategies should be evaluated as part of a thorough assessment of at-risk older adults.

Thanks again to my committee for their guidance and to those who participated in the study.