Social Justice Training Within Geropsychology

SL in an Undergraduate Psychology Course

SL pedagogy is frequently seen as an effective way to address social justice issues within counseling psychology (Constantine et al., 2007; Vera & Speight, 2003). The core of SL is an experiential education that provides a bridge between the classroom and specific community needs (Bordelon & Phillips, 2006). SL typically contains common elements, including meeting a community need, integration into the course objectives, student reflection on the SL experience, a reciprocal relationship between students and service recipients, and preparation for more active community involvement (Anstee, Harris, Pruitt, & Sugar, 2008; McCrea, 2004). SL has been extensively studied with numerous positive outcomes including fostering a sense of caring for others (Hinck & Brandell, 1999), improved sense of ability to resolve complex social problems (Batchelder & Root, 1994), and a positive effect on understanding of social issues, increased personal insight and improved cognitive development (Yorio & Ye, 2012).

The SL paradigm positively influences student beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge about older adulthood and aging (Gutheil & Chernesky, 2006; Kalisch, Coughlin, Ballard, & Lamson, 2013; Zucchero, 2011). Furthermore, the SL model is consistent with the APA (2014) “Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Older Adults” as a way to recognize how beliefs and attitudes may affect work with older adults (Guidelines 1 and 2), be aware of social/psychological dynamics that are part of the aging process (Guideline 4), understand the role of diversity in aging (Guideline 5), and have knowledge of older adults’ functioning in social and physical environments (Guideline 8). The SL program introduced in this section was created at a Midwestern community college. Most SL research has focused on undergraduate 4-year college or high school students. Thus, this particular SL program was developed to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a SL pedagogy for the community-college student population.

A course titled Human Growth and Development Across the Life-Span is an upper level psychology course. In 2012, the psychology department added a required SL component to all life span development courses as a way to include experiential learning and exposure to individuals at different developmental stages. On the first day of class, students were oriented to the SL pedagogy, and a SL code of conduct was provided. The course requirement included 10 hr of SL, a discussion of their SL experiences throughout the class, and a four-part reflection paper. Depending on their schedules and interests, students chose a SL site from a list of existing community partnership sites ranging from those that serve children to those serving older adults. If students wanted to work with a nonpartner site, they were instructed to obtain the site’s organizational mission and receive instructor approval. Partner sites were aware of the SL goals of the course and assigned a volunteer coordinator at the site who oriented and assisted students. Prior to participating in SL, students signed a waiver indicating that they understood the program requirements.

For the purpose of the present article, the SL experiences at two partner sites with an older adult population are discussed. One site was an independent-living facility with a small assisted living section and the other was a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), which included independent and assisted living facilities, a skilled nursing care home, and two levels of dementia care. Both sites serve older adults with a variety of physical, cognitive, and socioemotional functioning, as well as a diversity of ethnicity, culture, gender, and socioeconomic statuses (SESs). Students registered for specific activities identified by the facility (e.g., Wii bowling) or times in which they would have spontaneous interactions with residents. The volunteer coordinator at each site oriented students when they arrived, initiated the activity or engagement, and signed a verification form at the end of the time period to confirm their attendance and participation.

In the classroom setting, the course instructor assisted students to focus on what students were learning at their sites and how their experience connected to course terms and concepts. Students were then asked to write a reflection paper that addressed the following four elements: (a) a discussion of the community partner’s mission, population served, and the tasks performed at the site; (b) a direct link of student experience to concepts, theories, and information learned in the course; (c) a reflection on the student learning experience through the SL hours and the impact on their understanding of the course material; and (d) an exploration of the student’s personal factors (e.g., age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, SES, developmental stage, etc.) that might have influenced his or her SL experience.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the program is currently determined through qualitative comments made by students in their reflection papers and instructor feedback gathered from in-class discussions. Overall, students who completed the SL project at the older adult sites reported numerous positive experiences as seen in their comments. For example, one student wrote,

The greatest thing I learned through the service learning project was that all assisted living facilities are not bad. Before doing this service learning, I had a severely negative image of what older adult facilities are like. I know all of the older adult facilities are not up to the caliber of [site name], but it was refreshing to see one that held high standards and took thought in care of the residents.

Student reflection papers contained many similar statements concerning seniors and the aging process. Another student wrote, “Without SL, I would have never thought about working with the elderly. I think a lot can be learned from spending time with older adults. I only hope I age as well.” Thus, qualitative data support the effectiveness of the SL pedagogy to challenge and reduce student negative beliefs about older adulthood, facilitate exposure to a diverse group of older adults, and increase awareness of the social justice issues around aging. SL also provides students a deeper level of experience and facilitates increased personal confidence in their ability to work with older adults in the future.

The SL approach, however, is not without its challenges, which can be at the student, instructor, or college level. When faced with SL on the first day of class, students’ initial reaction is typically a negative one, often revolving around concerns related to an additional time commitment outside the classroom; difficulties with scheduling SL time around work, school, and family responsibilities; and discomfort of engaging in SL work in unfamiliar environments. However, most students are able to overcome these challenges and successfully complete the SL project. For example, once students engage in their first SL hours, they also clearly see the linkages with the course material and start to display excitement about helping their community. It is also especially helpful to students if the course instructor is familiar with the SL project, enthusiastic about the project, and supportive throughout the process. Unfortunately, in implementing SL pedagogies in an undergraduate environment, instructors may be reluctant due to the belief that the project is extra work for themselves, or if they lack understanding of the short- and long-term benefits of the project. At the college level, a lack of funding for administration of the project or misunderstanding about the difference between SL and volunteerism may also be barriers. Despite various challenges, this SL program highlights many benefits, such as demonstration of student learning on aging-related issues, increased positive attitudes, and reduction of negative attitudes toward oppressed groups, all of which facilitated support at an administrative level. Evaluation of the SL project is essential, as it is one way to gather college-level and administrative support. Evaluations could range from qualitative data from SL partners about the benefits of the project, to quantitative data specifically examining change in student attitudes, student learning, and engagement in course material.

Active Learning Approach in a Multicultural Training Course

Experiential learning is an effective pedagogy to increase student multicultural counseling competencies (Arthur & Achenbach, 2002; Pope-Davis, Breaux, & Liu, 1997). Multicultural competence includes counselors’ own attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and skills (Sue, Arredondo, & McDavis, 1992), and these components are effectively addressed in experiential learning. Although group discussion is a widely used pedagogical technique used to increase awareness of student self-perceptions and biases, it often elicits resistance from them. To deal with the resistance, a faculty member implemented an active learning pedagogy in a multicultural training course at a small-sized university in a relatively conservative U.S. community. She found that age can be an easier and more meaningful element for students entering into a diversity related discussion compared with other cultural categories such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion. However, the element of age is often overlooked when discussing separate minority status (Iwasaki, Tazeau, Kimmel, Baker, & McCallum, 2009).

A faculty member used a narrative therapy technique to help master’s students in a counseling and clinical psychology program explore their perceptions of aging. Narrative therapy is a postmodern, social constructivist approach that helps therapists understand client worldviews by encouraging them to explore, identify, and reframe their stories in an empowering way (Freedman & Combs, 1996). Narrative therapy seeks to assist clients in understanding the meaning of their experiences and how they make sense of the world through social interaction (Gergen, 1985). Narrative therapy also serves to reflect upon how the power of a dominant culture may interfere with clients and their families and other sociocultural contexts (Freedman & Combs, 1996). Narrative approaches have been used in supervision (Lee & Littlejohns, 2007). They can be an effective way of helping trainees become aware of their “cultural selves” and perceptions of different cultures by allowing them to explore the meaning of aging based upon their own life stories rather than imposing certain values.

Initially, students reflected on their personal and professional identity based on their developmental stage, such as young adulthood. Students filled out incomplete sentences to help construct their past, present, and future life stories including what they believed their experience of aging might be. Three types of incomplete sentences were used in this exercise: (a) modified sentences originally generated from a Story Tech exercise utilized in a career counseling setting (Emmett & Harkins, 1997), (b) newly developed sentences for reflection on the aging process, and (c) sentences generated to tap into help-seeking beliefs and behaviors related to a specific developmental stage and cultural context (see Appendix).

Upon completion of the incomplete sentences, students paired with another student and shared their life stories to the extent that they felt comfortable. Students took turns as storyteller and listener, which targets increased communication skills and self-reflection. Working collaboratively with the storyteller, the listener helped the storyteller identify, clarify, revise, and extend his or her life themes. Then, the listener helped the storyteller to reconstruct the narrative in an empowering way. Finally, the listener explored how his or her current cultural factors (e.g., age, gender, race, ethnicity, marital status, geographic location, income, religion and spirituality, educational background) might have influenced his or her role in this activity.

In a group of six, students discussed what they learned from telling their story and listening to each other’s stories (i.e., what they may have learned about who they are as a person and counselor). This group discussion provided an opportunity to learn from each other, experience reciprocal feedback and peer support, and indirectly experience developmental stages that may be different from their own. Ultimately, these experiences enrich each student’s ability to empathize with older adults as narrative therapy focuses on acceptance of an individual’s experience in a given context (Gergen & Kaye, 1992). The faculty member also encouraged students to imagine the experience of a counselor or a distressed client. Furthermore, the faculty member asked students to imagine potential obstacles, barriers, and personal difficulties for older adults in a help-seeking situation, which intends to increase student awareness of unique challenges that older adults might encounter. To reflect on diversity among seniors, students discussed interactions among multiple identities (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender [LGBT], religion, developmental disability) and the aging process, and how various cultural contexts (e.g., urban vs. rural region, original vs. host country for immigrant) could influence one’s stage of development. For example, a less acculturated immigrant elder may experience multiple barriers in seeking help from his or her acculturated adult children, local communities, and helping professionals.

After the faculty member introduced students to the experiences and complexities of a “cultural being,” she then guided students to think about what counselors could do to help older adults improve their help-seeking situations. Multiple levels of ideas were encouraged. At an individual level, students were then made aware of accommodations (e.g., speech, sitting arrangement) needed to meet possible physical changes of older adulthood. At a community level, students explored how they could reach out to community-dwelling older adults who may need services but are not actively seeking help. Unique ideas of community-based interventions were welcomed. At a larger societal level, students discussed existing systemic barriers and possible policy changes that could improve the well-being of older adults.

This pedagogy aligns with a key theme of counseling psychology by bringing attention to a marginalized population via one’s own reflection on the aging process. The use of the narrative therapy technique opens a door for self-reflection including the topic of aging, a cultural and developmental element that everyone will experience. Self-reflection is an important aspect of increasing student awareness of cultural issues and the potential development of empathy toward clients and their situations (Murray-García, Harrell, Garcia, Gizzi, & Simms-Mackey, 2005).

By guiding students to discuss cultural issues in the context of help-seeking practices, an instructor can lessen student resistance to moving outside of his or her limited view. This exercise helps students become aware of biases and drawbacks that exist in current mental health practice. Moreover, the pedagogy emphasizes understanding systematic barriers that elders may encounter by bridging multiple dimensions of cultural identity (e.g., immigrant, LGBT, homeless elders), which was delineated in the APA, Committee on Aging (2009) report on “Multicultural Competency in Geropsychology.” Finally, the instruction to explore multiple levels of interventions helps students become familiar with advocacy, community outreach, and organizational/public policy changes, which are important activities in social justice training to understand gerodiversity, the diversity among older adults (Iwasaki et al., 2009). This pedagogy, using an experiential activity with a narrative therapy approach, addresses the need to have self-awareness (Guidelines 1 and 2), understanding of diversity in the aging process (Guideline 5), and knowledge about culturally sensitive clinical intervention and skills (Guideline 1) as recommended in the APA (2014) “Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Older Adults.”

The impact of the active learning pedagogy was assessed with qualitative data from student reflections on the experiential narrative exercise. Themes emerged from student reflection notes including increased knowledge in cultural diversity (e.g., “It was interesting to learn how elders in different SES, immigration status, sexual orientation would encounter their own unique barriers in the aging process”), attitudes and beliefs about aging (e.g., “I haven’t thought about getting older much, and it was a meaningful experience to put myself in a situation”), and communication skills (e.g., “It felt different . . . to talk about my life story . . . The listener helped me think about things that I haven’t thought about, and it was also a good practice . . . to listen and respond to the story teller’s life story.”). Overall, qualitative student evaluations supported the effectiveness of the pedagogy by increasing perceived competency in working with older adults. However, if students maintain existing relationships with classmates, the application of this pedagogy can be difficult as those relationships can influence the degree of openness in their responses. Yet, students without prior relationships may filter responses through a perceived socially appropriate lens, rather than being honest and admitting negative beliefs or experiences. Therefore, the exercise would be most effective when the instructor focuses on processing student reactions to the exercise as a way of maximizing self-reflection and learning through discussion, as well as modeling communication skills.

A Brief, Case-Based, Interprofessional Training Experience

According to the World Health Organization (WHO; 2010), interprofessional education (IPE) is defined as “when students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve outcomes” (p. 13). IPE is recommended for students in health care (Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel, 2011; WHO, 2010), gerontology, and disciplines serving older adults (Goldberg, Koontz, Rogers, & Brickell, 2012). Likewise, Guideline 18 of the APA (2014) “Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Older Adults” refers to the importance of interacting with other disciplines and working with them in collaborative teams.

Dementia is a challenging mental disorder affecting approximately 14% of the U.S. population 71 years and older (Plassman et al., 2007). The prevalence of dementia is projected to increase dramatically with the increase of the aging population (Plassman et al., 2007). The complexity of treatment for dementia calls for an interdisciplinary approach to treatment (WHO, 2012). Therefore, clinical and counseling psychology students should be trained to be effective members of interdisciplinary teams (APA Office on Aging, 2011). Similarly, according to the Pikes Peak Model, working with interdisciplinary teams and other professionals is a foundational geropsychology competency, and a key training element for professional geropsychologists is interprofessional team training (Knight, Karel, Hinrichsen, Qualls, & Duffy, 2009). Hence, clinical and counseling psychology students, including those specializing in geropsychology, have much to gain by being exposed to interprofessional team training.

There is often stigma associated with aging and older adulthood. The Pikes Peak Model calls for professionals to be aware of bias when working with marginalized populations, such as older adults (Knight et al., 2009). Persons with mental disorders including dementia may experience the effects of stigmatization from persons providing professional services (Mukadam & Livingston, 2012). Therefore, older adults with dementia may experience “double jeopardy” as they are associated with two stigmatized groups (i.e., older adults and the mentally ill; Milne, 2010). Older adults with dementia are an underserved and marginalized group. With their commitment to social justice, counseling psychologists should advocate for the provision of services by professionals who are competent to work with older adults who experience dementia.

To augment existing health care training, faculty members from several health care–related departments at a small, Jesuit, Midwestern university formed a planning committee in the fall of 2008. A counseling psychologist in a psychology department is a core member of the planning committee. The committee developed a brief (i.e., 5 hr) symposium focused on an interprofessional, nonpharmacological approach to the care of older persons with dementia. The purpose was to expose students to interprofessional teaming using case-based learning. The first symposium occurred in the spring of 2009 and has evolved into an annual event with the fifth symposium convening in the spring of 2013. The planning process is ongoing. The number of student attendees ranged from about 100 in 2011 to 230 in 2013. The attendees included the following: (a) undergraduates in nursing and social work; (b) master’s students in counseling, health services administration, nursing, and occupational therapy; (c) clinical psychology PsyD students; and (d) medical and graduate-level physical therapy students from another local university.

The symposium consisted of the following activities: (a) a keynote address about the importance of interprofessional teaming for dementia care, (b) a small group/team case discussion, (c) a networking opportunity during a break, and (d) a large group processing (i.e., all in attendance) of the teaming experience. The focus was the small group case discussion as it was designed and structured to enhance interprofessional teamwork and each discipline’s contribution. Prior to the symposium, students were assigned to a team of 8 to 10 members from the represented disciplines. Teams also included a faculty facilitator and a community partner who was knowledgeable about dementia care. These professionals were not “active” members of the team; the community partner served as an expert providing information only when needed, whereas the facilitator redirected the team process only when deemed necessary.

Students prepared prior to the symposium by reviewing a common reading (i.e., a reading all attendees complete) by Slone (2002) and considered their team’s case from the perspective of their respective disciplines. In 2013, students were also provided with information about each discipline’s practice role to increase familiarity with other disciplines. Individual disciplines required additional discipline-specific reading and/or preparation for the symposium. The case(s) used for the symposium varied from year to year. For example, in 2009 six cases were used, whereas for the 2013 symposium, one multicultural case was used. Teams received an agenda for the small group discussion that included introduction of team members, discussion of team roles, and discussion of the case from the perspective of each discipline. The teams were directed to develop a plan of action and recommendations for assigned cases.

Between 2009 and 2013, 38 clinical psychology (i.e., 3rd and 4th year PsyD) graduate students attended the symposium as a requirement of a geropsychology course which was mandatory for students with an older adult area of focus/program concentration and served as an elective for others. Students prepared for the symposium by reviewing discipline-specific readings and participating in lectures about relevant topics (e.g., psychological consultation, behavioral intervention with dementia patients, and caregiving). Preparation also included in-class discussion of assigned cases (e.g., case conceptualization, role of a psychologist, and method of consultation/intervention). Unlike symposium attendees from other disciplines, the psychology students exercised the role of a consultant; they functioned as a consultant to two or three interprofessional teams, dividing their time between the teams rather than being a member of one. Assignment of students to multiple teams simulates the typical consulting role of a psychologist to interprofessional teams. Thus, the symposium provided an applied opportunity for psychology doctoral students to become comfortable assuming the role of consultant to interprofessional teams and to practice necessary skills in the process.

The Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel (2011) identified four interprofessional competency domains for all health care professionals: (a) values and ethics for interprofessional practice, (b) roles and responsibilities for collaborative practice, (c) interprofessional communication, and (d) interprofessional teamwork and team-based care. Each of the aforementioned competency domains included a list of specific competencies. These more generic interprofessional competencies augment those of the specific professions. Competency domains (b) to (d) were incorporated into psychology student preparation for the 2012 and 2013 symposia; specific competencies within each domain were identified as points of student focus. After the symposia, students reflected on their experience, including their strengths, weaknesses, and performance related to the identified interprofessional competencies, and the functioning of their teams.

The planning committee regularly evaluates outcomes of the symposium via a pretest and immediate posttest. After attending the symposium, students displayed an increase in positive attitudes toward health care teams, the quality of care provided by health care teams, and the teamwork needed to achieve good patient care (Zucchero, Hooker, Harland, Larkin, & Tunningley, 2011; Zucchero, Hooker, & Larkin, 2010). Student evaluations of the symposium, including the keynote presentation and small group experience, are overwhelmingly positive.

Zucchero, Harland, et al. (2011) described several challenges associated with implementing the symposium such as costs, scheduling, and attitudes. In times of increasingly tight budgets, the planning committee has received ongoing financial support from the College Dean. We have also opened presentations associated with the symposium to additional constituent groups (i.e., professionals requiring continuing education, caregivers), which generates additional funding. The planning committee schedules the date of the symposium 1 year in advance, and faculty plan student participation into their course syllabi. Finally, profession-centric attitudes can be challenging to overcome. Each discipline is trained according to its own standards and ingrains its students in the beliefs of the profession, resulting in profession-centric beliefs. The interactions that occur among students, and between students and professionals (i.e., faculty and community partners) at the symposium, provide students the opportunity to learn what they do not know about other health care professions and what those professions offer to patient care.

The ability to effectively function in an interprofessional team is a necessary competency for geropsychology specialists and psychologists who work with older adults (APA, 2014). The nontraditional pedagogy described herein trains psychology doctoral students through an interactive case-based approach to act as geropsychological consultants to interprofessional teams. Previous research has shown that students attending the symposium display more positive attitudes about health care teams after engaging in this activity (Zucchero, Hooker, et al., 2011; Zucchero et al., 2010).

Wellness Outreach Program Using a Hierarchical Supervision Model

Another example of nontraditional pedagogy valuable in geropsychology training is a wellness outreach program to older adults. The original program was developed as a collaboration between a counseling psychology doctoral program and wellness-gerontology graduate program at a Midwestern state university. A doctoral student in counseling psychology performed a leadership role in organizing the outreach program while receiving weekly supervision from a counseling psychology faculty member. The leader contacted local facilities that served older adults such as senior centers, assisted living facilities, and independent-living senior apartments to establish a working relationship. Most facilities showed a strong interest in intergenerational contact and receiving services with no charge. The leader and faculty members recruited master’s students from the counseling and wellness-gerontology programs. These students led group sessions at an assigned facility while applying seven dimensions of a wellness model (i.e., emotional, social, vocational, intellectual, spiritual, physical, environmental; Crose, Nicholas, Gobble, & Frank, 1992).

The wellness outreach program was designed to meet three major aims: (a) increase geropsychology interest among students, (b) provide a cost-effective hierarchical supervisory structure, and (c) exercise advocacy for and empowerment of community-dwelling older adults. First, the wellness-focused outreach program provided an easy entry into the field of geropsychology for students and early career professionals in counseling and counseling psychology. Conventional geropsychology training occurs in clinical settings (e.g., hospitals, nursing homes) in which students interact with older adults exhibiting clinical symptomologies, such as depression, anxiety, dementia, and agitation. In these settings, trainees are exposed to the negative side of aging, quickly accept a pathology-remedial orientation, and often develop increased negative attitudes toward older adults. Qualls (1998) suggested that practicum training in geropsychology should address both healthy and unhealthy aging. Thus, programs designed to avoid or minimize the pathological side of aging are especially crucial for students at the beginning level of training. Such an approach helps students decrease their fear of aging and develop an increased sense of “normalcy” about the aging process. In the wellness outreach program, students interacted with relatively healthy seniors in a community setting and provided participants with helpful information, coping and adaptation skills, and resources. Therefore, the program closely aligns with the APA (2014) “Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Older Adults,” including the importance of self-reflection about one’s attitudes toward working with older adults (Guidelines 1 and 2), and competence in the provision of psychoeducational programs (Guideline 14), community-based service delivery (Guideline 15), and prevention and health promotion (Guideline 16). Furthermore, the connection between aging individuals and core values in counseling psychology (e.g., developmental perspectives, strength-based intervention, preventive work) provides a window of opportunity for students to consider the geropsychology specialty.

The second aim was to employ a cost-effective, hierarchical supervisory structure. Master’s degree students in a counseling program were supervised by the team leader who was a doctoral student in counseling psychology and had completed a supervision course. The team leader received weekly supervision from a licensed psychologist. The two levels of supervision were essential to regularly providing the outreach program due to the limited availability of clinical supervision by faculty members. During the pre-session individual supervision, the team member shared prepared session materials with the doctoral student leader. The leader helped the student presenter to include the current theory and research of aging in the session materials, which is linked to Guidelines 3 and 4 (i.e., knowledge about theory and research in aging and social/psychological dynamics of the aging process; APA, 2014). Applying the multicultural counseling competency framework (Sue et al., 1992), the leader also assisted each member to understand how sociocultural factors influence the aging process (Guideline 5; APA, 2014). All student members attended each outreach session. Participation in this experience facilitated increased exposure to older adults and the group process. It also helped students recognize and respond to physical and health-related needs of senior attendees (e.g., help a senior read materials or stand nearby as he or she participates in Tai Chi) as addressed in Guideline 6 (APA, 2014). For each session, the leader provided postsession group supervision in which team members reflected upon their new discoveries about aging and worldviews of older adults.

A licensed counseling psychologist provided weekly supervision to the team leader. A qualitative study showed that “giving and receiving supervision” and “the importance of role models and mentors” were two of seven conditions perceived by counseling psychology students to foster professional identity (Gazzola, De Stefano, Audet, & Theriault, 2011). Therefore, the hierarchical structure of the supervision appeared to be cost-effective and time efficient, and fostered professional identity development for the counseling psychology doctoral student. The use of supervision to increase psychologists’ knowledge, understanding, and skills related to working with older adults was also highlighted in Guideline 21 (APA, 2014).

The third aim was to exercise the concepts of empowerment (Cattaneo & Chapman, 2010) and advocacy (Toporek & McNally, 2006) under the social justice framework. Many older adults face problems of diminished mobility, decreasing social contracts, and the escalating loss of societal roles. Limited social contact and isolation from society are serious problems among adults living independently in the community. Although older adult specific, community-based programs are now available, many seniors still underuse these services. Barriers that impede access to these services can be related to decreased mobility, financial strain, or limited cultural accommodation. Therefore, existing community resources have not been equally distributed to all seniors regardless of physical ability, geographic region (urban vs. rural), SES, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion. This wellness outreach program was developed as a result of careful review of the characteristics of attendees at a university-affiliated senior center in the local community. Although various programs were offered, the team leader recognized that regular attendees were highly educated, able to pay small fees, and drove their own vehicles to the center. However, access to the senior center was a major obstacle to even regular attendance during the winter when falls and accidents due to ice and snow were common. Therefore, a seemingly community-friendly center was serving only a small segment of the community. To provide equal opportunities to other seniors in the community, the wellness outreach program was developed. Over time, the program was expanded to residents at several low-income senior housing facilities, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) homes and religiously affiliated senior apartments. The expanded movement in this direction reflected multicultural competency in geropsychology (APA Committee on Aging, 2009).

Upon completion of the wellness outreach program, both student members and senior participants completed a survey, which is acknowledged as an effective evaluation method when reaching out to diverse older adults (Administration on Aging [AoA], 2013). Many senior participants from this wellness outreach reported that they looked forward to the weekly program to learn something new and find a time of “togetherness” with other seniors and graduate students. Student members indicated a high degree of satisfaction as they gained knowledge and experience in working with older adults, and unique experiences in group work, outreach, and advocacy.

In summary, the wellness outreach program was preventive and fostered social connection, independence, and autonomy among older adults through community empowerment. With an enthusiastic leader, the program can be incorporated into an existing training curriculum. A potential obstacle is the time required for the groundwork to establish the working relationship with senior facilities in a local community. This obstacle may be easily overcome if the leadership position is funded as a graduate assistantship.