Rebecca S. Allen, PhD, ABPP
Professor and Interim Chair
​(She/Her/Hers)

Board Certified in Geropsychology
Rebecca S. Allen

Primary Concentration:

Clinical Geropsychology

Contact Information:

Office: 
  • 348 Gordon Palmer Hall 
  • 2800 Capital Hall
​Phone: (205) 348-9891
E-Mail: rsallen@ua.edu

December 2020 Vita

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, 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 decision making; and 3) clinical training issues, particularly ethics, LGBTQ+ issues, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.  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. Choi, S.L., Shin, S.H., & Allen, R. S. (2020). How widowhood status relates to engagement in advance care planning among older adults: Does race/ethnicity matter? Aging and Mental Health.
  2. 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.
  3. 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
  4. 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.
  5. Hilgeman, M.M., Boozer, E.M., Snow, A.L., Allen, R. S., & Davis, L.L. (2019). Use of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in a rural outreach program for military veterans. Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 34(2), 1-16.
  6. Jacobs, M.L., Snow, A.L., Allen, R. S., Hartmann, C.W., Dautovich, N., & Parmelee, P.A. (2019). Supporting autonomy in long-term care: Lessons from nursing assistants. Geriatric Nursing, 40, 129-137. DOI: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2018.07.004
  7. McDonough, I., & Allen, R. S. (2019). Biological markers of aging and mental health: A seed and soil model of neurocognitive disorders. Aging and Mental Health, 23(7), 793-.799. DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2018.1531383.
  8. 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
  9. Albright, A.E.*, & Allen, R. S. (2018). HPV misconceptions among college students: The role of health literacy. Journal of Community Health. 1-9. DOI:10.1007/s10900-018-0539-4.
  10. Davis, L.L., Whetsell, C., Hamner, M.B., Camody, J., Rothbaum, B.O., Snow, A.L., Allen, R. S., Bartolucci, A., Southwick, S.M., & Bremner, J.D. (2018). A multisite randomized controlled trial of mindfulness based stress reduction for posttraumatic stress disorder in veterans. Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice.
  11. Ivey, K.*, Allen, R. S., Liu, Y., Parmelee, P.A., & Zarit, S.H. (2018). Immediate and lagged effects of daily stress and affect on caregivers’ daily pain experience. The Gerontologist, 58(5), 913-922. DOI:10.1093/geront/gnx099.
  12. Kim, G., Allen, R. S., Wang, S.Y.*, Park, S.*, Perkins, E.A., & Parmelee, P.A. (2018). The impact of multiple informal caregiving roles on subjective physical and mental health status among older adults: Do racial/ethnic differences exist? The Gerontologist, doi:10.1093/geront/gnx196.
  • * 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
NOTE: We welcome First Generation Scholars, as that is my background.