Rebecca S. Allen, PhD, ABPP
Professor of Psychology
​Director, ARIA
​(She/Her/Hers)

Board Certified in Geropsychology
Rebecca S. Allen

Primary Concentration:

Clinical Geropsychology

Contact Information:

rsa_vita.march_2022partial_draft.docxOffice: 
  • 368C Gordon Palmer Hall
​Phone: (205) 348-9891
E-Mail: rsallen@ua.edu

June 2022 CV

APA Monitor July 2022 link

​10% Happier April 2022 link

Secondary Concentration:

Health Psychology

Courses:

​Affect and Lifespan Development
​Clinical Psychology of Aging-Intervention
Geropsychology Practicum 
Undergraduate Statistics

​​Research and Professional Affiliations

Alabama Research Institute on Aging (ARIA)

Society of Clinical Geropsychology, Past President

Council of Professional Geropsychology Training Programs

Research Interests

 Dr. Allen’s research and clinical interests are: 1) interventions to reduce the stress of individuals, family, and professional caregivers within the context of advanced chronic or terminal illness; 2) the cultural dynamics (race/ethnicity; rural/urban) of healthcare and financial decision making; and 3) clinical training issues, particularly ethics and effective treatment delivery to address health and mental health disparities.  She has published on translation of end-of-life/Dignity interventions, diversity in advance care planning, clinical training, behavioral interventions in long-term care, and mental health among aging prisoners.  Dr. Allen is a member of the American Board of Geropsychology, a member of the APA Working Group on End of Life Issues and Care, a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the APA, and is Editor for the Americas of Aging and Mental Health.  She teaches Clinical Psychology of Aging-Intervention, Lifespan Development, Geropsychology Practicum, and undergraduate statistics. Dr. Allen is a First Generation Scholar and welcomes individuals of similar backgrounds into her laboratory.

​Recent Publications (selected from over 100 in chronological and alphabetical order)

Books
  1. Allen, R. S., Carpenter, B.D., & Eichorst, M.K. (Eds). (2018). Perspectives on behavioural interventions in palliative and end-of-life care. Aging and mental health research series. London and New York: Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN: 978-0-4|57-9152-6.
  2. Allen, R. S., Carpenter, B.D., & Eichorst, M.K. (Eds). (2018). Perspectives on palliative and end-of-life care: Disease, Social and Cultural Context. Aging and mental health research series. London and New York: Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group.
  3. Bush, S.S., Allen, R. S., & Molinari, V. (2017). Ethical practice in geropsychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. ISBN: 978-1-4338-2626-9.
Empirical Journal Articles
  1. Plys, E., Jacobs, M.L., Allen, R. S., & Arch, J. (2022). Psychological flexibility and psychological suffering in older adulthood: A scoping review. Aging and Mental Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2022.2036948
  2. Carden, K.D., McDuffie, D.L.*, Murry, K.*, Bui, C., & Allen, R. S. (2021). Minority stress process among older Black Americans: The role of age, perceived discrimination, and anxiety. Aging and Mental Health. Advance online publication.   https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2021.1904380. 
  3. Halli-Tierney, A.D., McKinney, R.E., Gold, A.E., Allen, R. S., & Carroll, D.G. (2021). Development of interprofessional case discussion series from an interprofessional geriatrics clinic and its influence on professional identity formation. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 103-115. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20472.
  4. McDonough, I.M., Harrell, E.R., Black, S.R., Allen, R. S., & Parmelee, P.A. (2021). Sources of nonreplicability in aging ethnoracial health disparities research. Psychology and Aging (Special Issue). https://doi.org/10.1037/page0000606.
  5. McDuffie, D.L.*, Allen, R. S., Crowther, M.R., & Black, S. (2021). Investigating the applicability of the Two-Track Model of Bereavement to a Southern sample of African American adults. Death Studies, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2021.1880500
  6. Reel, C.*, Allen, R. S., Lanai, B.*, Yuk, M.*, & Potts, D. (2021). Bringing Art to Life: Social and activity engagement through art in persons living with dementia. Clinical Gerontologist, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2021.1878404
  7. Dorman, H.R.*, Strong, J.V., Tighe, C.A., Mast, B.T., & Allen, R. S. (2020). Geropsychology career pipeline perceptions. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(1), 90-104. DOI:10.1002/jclp.23035.
  8. Renn, B. N., Spalding, R.*, Allen, R. S., Edelstein, B., & Birdsall, J. (2020). Identification and selection of jobs in clinical geropsychology: A survey to inform career mentoring, job search, and helpful resources. Training and Education in Professional Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000351
  9. Allen, R. S., Oliver, J.S., Eichorst, M.K.*, Mieskowski, L.*, Payne-Foster, P., & Sörensen, S. (2019). Preparation and planning for future care in the Deep South: Adapting a validated tool for cultural sensitivity. The Gerontologist, 59(6), e643-e652. DOI:10.1093/geront/gny102.
  10. Raju, D., Beck, L.*, Azuero, A., Azuero, C.*, Vance, D., & Allen, R. (2019). A comprehensive psychometric examination of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale for Heterosexuals (LGB-KASH). Journal of Homosexuality, 66(8), 1104-1125. DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2018.1491705.
  11. Strong, J.V., Allen, R. S., Tighe, C., Jacobs, M.L., Dorman, H.*, & Mast, B. (2019). What psychology trainees think geropsychologists do and what we actually do: A mixed methods study. Gerontology and Geriatrics Education.1-20. DOI: 10.1080/02701960.2019.1697253
* mentored student publications

Favorite Lab Quotes and Mission:

  • "Pay it forward."
  • "If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change." --Mahatma/Mohandas Gandhi
  • “How do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?” -- Bell Hooks
  • "You can't microwave trustworthiness. You have to crockpot it." -- Dr. David A. Hodge, National Center for Bioethics in Research & Healthcare, Tuskegee University
  • "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." --Maya Angelou
  • ​"Trouble won't last always..." --LIFE Research Participant
  • "Progress is asking the right question at the right time and getting answers before you move on to the next question."
NOTE: We welcome First Generation Scholars, as that is my background.