Social work scholar Joseph Pickard was named a fellow in the social research, policy and practice section of the Gerontological Society of America. (Photo by Jack Crosby)
Joseph Pickard can now add Gerontological Society of America Fellow to his already impressive list of scholarly accomplishments.
Pickard, an associate professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, was unanimously appointed a fellow in the social research, policy and practice section of the Gerontological Society of America. Fellowship is the highest level of membership and it reflects outstanding work in the field of gerontology.
“I was delighted to learn that I was selected as a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America,” he said. “This is a great honor that reflects my scholarship and my service. While this is both a personal and professional honor for me, it is also an honor for the School of Social Work and UMSL at large, as I could not have been successful without the support I have received.”
Pickard’s expertise include addictions, aging and mental health, help-seeking patterns of older adults, aging in place, religiosity and spirituality in aging, and counseling services provided by clergy to older adults.
His current research focuses on where older adults turn for assistance and what help is provided by members of the clergy. He has published extensively on the topic of aging, theory and practice. Including his recent journal articles, “Referral by clergy who counsel older adults” in Mental Health Religion and Culture (2012), “Clergy perceptions of their preparation for counseling older adults” in the Journal of Religion Spirituality and Aging (2012), “The Relationship of Social Support to African American Caregivers’ Help-Seeking for Emotional Problems” in Social Services Review (2011) and “Attachment and Spiritual Coping: Theory and Practice With Older Adults” in the Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health (2011).
Pickard earned his master’s degree in social work from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and his doctoral degree from Washington University in Saint Louis. While at Washington University, he was a Hartford Doctoral Fellow and a Hartford Faculty Scholar. He served as the primary investigator on The Clergy Counseling Project, which examined counseling services provided by clergy to older adults in St. Louis City and County.
The Gerontological Society of America is the nation’s oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education and practice in the field of aging. Founded in 1945, GSA is the driving force behind the advancement of gerontology domestically and internationally.
