Older Adult Representation in the Counseling Psychology Literature

Abstract

The increasing older adult population has implications for the training and practice of counseling psychologists because of the field's avowed dedication to lifespan development. The present study examined the degree to which older adults were represented in articles in the Journal of Counseling Psychology and The Counseling Psychologist from 1991 to 2000. Several issues were examined: age-based characteristics of samples reported, changes in these characteristics over time, whether articles including multiple studies involved older participants, and degree of attention to older adults in theoretical articles. Results are discussed in context of the traditional definition of counseling psychology, what counseling psychologists have to offer older adults, and the implications for the training of counseling psychologists with expertise in older adult issues.