Evidence Based Counseling And Psychotherapy For An Aging Population

At a time when the mental health difficulties/disorders of the elderly are coming to the fore of many practitioners' patient rosters, naming and treating those problems is still too often handled as an art as much as a science. Inconsistent practices based on clinical experience and intuition rather than hard scientific evidence of efficacy have for too long been the basis of much treatment. Evidence-based practices help to alleviate some of the confusion, allowing the practitioner to develop quality practice guidelines that can be applied to the client, identify appropriate literature that can be shared with the client, communicate with other professionals from a knowledge-guided frame of reference, and continue a process of self-learning that results in the best possible treatment for clients. The proposed volume will provide practitioners with a state-of-the-art compilation of evidence-based practices in the assessment and treatment of elderly clients. As such it will be more clinically useful than anything currently on the market and will better enable practitioners to meet the demands faced in private and institutional practice. Focusing on the most current research and best evidence regarding assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, the volume covers difficulties including, but not limited to: social isolation/loneliness, elder abuse/neglect, depression and suicidal inclinations, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, dementias, prolonged bereavement, patients with terminal illnesses. Because concrete research evidence is so often not used as the basis for practice, this book provides a timely guide for clinicians, social workers, and advanced students to a research-oriented approach to serving the mental health needs of elderly adults. Fully covers assessment, diagnosis & treatment of the elderly, focusing on evidence-based practices Consolidates broadly distributed literature into single source and specifically relates evidence-based tools to practical treatment, saving clinicians time in obtaining and translating information and improving the level of care they can provide Detailed how-to explanation of practical evidence-based treatment techniques Gives reader firm grasp of how to more effectively treat patients Chapters directly address the range of conditions and disorders most common for this patient population - i.e. social isolation, elder abuse/neglect, depression, anxiety disorders, terminal illnesses/disabilites, bereavement, substance abuse, and dementias Prepares readers for the conditions they will encounter in real world treamtent of an elderly patient population Cites numerous case studies and provides integrative questions at the end of each chapter Exposes reader to real-world application of each treatment discussed Offers reader easy base for further study of subject, saving clinicians time

Evidence Based Treatment with Older Adults: Theory, Practice, and Research provides a detailed examination of five research-supported psychosocial interventions for use with older adults: cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, life review/reminiscence, problem solving therapy, and psychoeducational/social support approaches. These interventions address the diversity of mental health conditions and late-life challenges that older adults and their family members experience. Detailed explanations of the approaches, skills, and strategies employed in each intervention are provided, as are adaptions for use of the interventions with older adults. Vignettes are also used to demonstrate the use of specific practice skills and techniques with older clients. The theory undergirding each approach and the historical development of the interventions is explained, and provides the reader with a rich understanding of background and context of each therapy. In addition, the distinct issues such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse/misuse for which evidence exists are highlighted. Research support for application of the interventions in community-based, acute care, and long-term care settings and in individual and group formats is also discussed. Finally, implementation issues encountered in therapeutic work with older adults are described as are accommodations to enhance treatment efficacy. In sum, this book provides a comprehensive overview of evidence based psychosocial interventions for older adults; it is ideal for students and mental health professionals interested in clinical work with older adults and their families.

The current practice of counselling, psychotherapy, and most helping professions often relies on clinical wisdom with little evidence of what actually works. Clinical wisdom is often a justification for beliefs and values that bond people together as professionals but often fails to serve clients since many of those beliefs and values may be comforting, but they may also be inherently incorrect. Improving the Effectiveness of the Helping Professions: An Evidence-Based Approach to Practice covers the use of research and critical thinking to assist helping professionals make the most effective choices in treating clients with social and emotional problems. The use of evidence-based practice (EBP) comes at a time when managed care and concerns over health care costs coincide with growing concerns that psychotherapy, case management, and counseling may not be sufficiently effective ways of helping people in social and emotional difficulty.

The first book in the new Wiley Series on Geropsychology, Psychotherapy for Depression in Older Adults is a practical resource created by a team of international luminaries in the field. Developed in conjunction with the Gerontology Center of the University of Colorado, this expert guide provides evidence-based treatment approaches for alleviating depression in older adults.

Resilience is a human trait that is key to understanding how people successfully cope with crisis and trauma. This book explains the inner self-healing processes of resilient people and helps people training in the helping professions to learn to use these processes in working with their clients.

A one-stop resource for core discipline practitioners who provide mental health services to the geriatric population, Cognitive Behavior Therapy with Older Adults presents strategies for integrating cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skills and therapies into various healthcare settings for aging patients. Cognitive Behavior Therapy with Older Adults is divided into key two parts: CBT for common mental health problems for older adults and innovations across settings in which older adults are present. Evidence-based and provider-friendly, it emphasizes adapting CBT specifically for the aging population and its specific needs. Key features: A general introduction on aging that dispels myths and highlights the need to address mental health problems among this age group Chapters that overview epidemiology data, diagnostic criteria, assessment, and CBT approaches to treatment Case examples, including those that depict a composite of a successfully aging older adult A comprehensive resource section including handouts, note templates, and other useful tips and worksheets for practice A listing of supplemental texts, patient resources, and summary charts

Are Christian treatments as effective as secular treatments? What is the evidence to support its success? Christians engaged in the fields of psychology, psychotherapy and counseling are living in a unique moment. Over the last couple decades, these fields have grown more and more open to religious belief and religion-accommodative therapies. At the same time, Christian counselors and psychotherapists encounter pressure (for example, from insurance companies) to demonstrate that their accommodative therapies are as beneficial as secular therapies. This raises the need for evidence to support Christian practices and treatments. The essays gathered in this volume explore evidence-based Christian treatments, practices, factors and principles. The authors mine the relevant research and literature to update practicing psychotherapists, clinical researchers, students, teachers and educated laypersons about the efficacy of certain Christian-accommodative therapies. Topics covered in the book include: devotional meditation cognitive-behavior therapy psychodynamic and process-experiential therapies couples, marriage and family therapy group intervention The book concludes with a review of the evidence for the various treatments discussed in the chapters, a guide for conducting clinical trials that is essential reading for current or aspiring researchers, and reflections by the editors about the future of evidence-based Christian practices. As the editors say, "more research is necessary." To that end, this volume is a major contribution to a field of inquiry that, while still in its infancy, promises to have enormous implications for future work in Christian counseling and psychotherapy. Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.

A comprehensive book written by experienced practitioners, this single-volume work describes clinical competencies, specific challenges, and applications in providing services to the elderly and their caregivers. More people are living past age 65 than ever before in the United States, largely due to medical care advances and increased attention to preventive care. The number of people aged 65 and older has increased from 35 million in 2000 to 40 million in 2010, and the elderly population is expected to reach 72 million by 2030. Additionally, the American Psychological Association estimates at least 20 percent of all people aged 65 and older have a diagnosable mental disorder. There is a clear need to provide additional training support to those in the field of elder care as well as those who are friends or family members of older adults. Written by a team of experts each specializing in an aspect of elder care, The Praeger Handbook of Mental Health and the Aging Community is a single-volume text that addresses the training needs of mental health care providers serving the aging population. It offers holistic and integrated models of care after presenting an in-depth explanation of the brain, body, social, and emotional changes across aging that can trigger psychological disorders. The chapters pay attention to issues of diversity and culture in America's aging population; present an integrated care model to serve all of the needs of mentally ill elders; include numerous case studies to demonstrate how approaches can be utilized; and discuss topics such as disability, poverty, and the legal and ethical ramifications of elder care.