Rachel Weiskittle, Ph.D.

Rachel Weiskittle, Ph.D.

Rachel Weiskittle, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Geropsychology
Psychology
COLU 4017
By appointment

Professional Summary

Dr. Weiskittle joined the UCCS Psychology Department in Fall 2021. She earned her PhD in clinical psychology with specialization in behavioral medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University and completed her predoctoral clinical internship in behavioral medicine at the Charleston Consortium Internship Program. Following her postdoctoral clinical fellowship in Geropsychology at the VA Boston Healthcare System, Dr. Weiskittle was an Advanced Research Fellow at the New England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (NE GRECC).

Dr. Weiskittle is currently accepting graduate students and undergraduate research assistants. Please visit her lab’s website if you are interested in learning more.

Areas of Interest

Dr. Weiskittle researches psychosocial factors influencing end-of-life experiences and adjustment to loss, with emphasis in developing translational clinical innovations for older adult, underserved and minoritized communities.

Her recent work has focused on marginalized groups at the end-of-life, such as those under legal guardianship, and on individuals recently bereaved or socially isolated due to the effects of COVID-19.

Dr. Weiskittle is also interested in creative adaptations of educational and treatment methods that address health service inequities. She is the host and creator of the podcast “Talking Later: Veterans’ Stories of Late-Life PTSD” and co-hosts “The Geropsychology Podcast” with Dr. Lindsey Jacobs. In 2021, she and her collaborators were Silver Telly Award winners for their educational video series on Veteran End of Life Care.

Education

PhD, Clinical Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
MS, Clinical Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
BA, Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Teaching

PSY 4620 - Seminar in Developmental Psychology; The Psychology of End of Life
PSY 6720 - Ethics and Practice Standards: Professional Development I
PSY 6740 - Clinical Practicum
PSY 6850 – Clinical Interviewing and Personality Assessment

Selected Publications

Moye, J., Cohen, A.B., Stolzmann, K., Auguste, E.J., Catlin, C.C., Sager, Z.S., Weiskittle, R.E., Woolverton, C.B., Connors, H.L., Sullivan, J.L. (2022). Guardianship Before and Following Hospitalization. Healthcare Ethics Forum. 10.1007/s10730-022-09469-9. ISBN: 0956-2737.

Weiskittle, R., Tsang, W., Schwabenbauer, A., Andrew, N., Mlinac, M. (2021). Feasibility of a COVID-19 rapid response telehealth group addressing older adult worry and isolation. Clinical Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2021.1906812

Auguste, E.J., Weiskittle, R., Sohl, S., Danauer, S.C., Doherty, K., Naik, A., Moye, J. (2021). Enhancing access to yoga for older male Veterans with cancer: Examining beliefs about yoga. Federal Practitioner. 38(10):450-458. DOI: 10.12877/fp.0180

O’Malley, K., Etchin, A.G., Auguste, E.J., Pless Kaiser, A., Korsun, L., Weiskittle, R.E., Sager, Z.S., Moye, J. (2021). Advancing trauma-informed care education for hospice and palliative care staff: Development and evaluation of educational videos. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing. 10.1097/NJH.0000000000000804

Weiskittle, R., Gramling, S. (2017). The therapeutic effectiveness of using visual art modalities with the bereaved: A systematic review Journal of Psychology Research and Behavior Management. 11, 9-24. 10.2147/PRBM.S131993.

In the Press

Rose Aguilar. (2022, March 3). How older adults can find support for loneliness, depression & anxiety. [Radio broadcast]. KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM Bay Area. Your Call. https://www.kalw.org/show/your-call/2022-03-03/how-older-adults-can-find-support-for-loneliness

Simon, Scott. (2022, February 19). Elderly people make up 75% of COVID-19 deaths – partially due to loneliness. [Radio broadcast]. NPR. Weekend Edition Saturday. https://www.npr.org/2022/02/19/1081948849/elderly-people-make-up-75-of-covid-19-deaths-partially-due-to-loneliness