Treating Later Life Depression

Depression is a common problem for individuals in their senior years. This therapist guide outlines a three-phase programme based on the principles of cognitive-behavioural therapy.

As demographic trends shift toward an aging population, there is a growing need for improved mental health treatment for older adults. With depression as the leading mental health concern in later life, one of the greatest challenges for treatment providers is the wide variability of life circumstances that accompany depressive symptoms for clients across outpatient mental health, integrated primary care, and inpatient psychiatric settings. Treating Later-Life Depression: Clinician Guide outlines culturally responsive practices that target the contexts and drivers/antecedents of depression in middle-aged and older adults. Clinicians can choose research-supported modules from the accompanying Workbook that fit the needs of their clients (i.e. chronic pain, sleep problems, anxiety, experiences of loss). This practical guide reflects continuing international scientific and clinical advances in applying CBT to age-related problems using individual and group formats, with clinician-tested recommendations for telehealth practice. With the flexible clinical tools provided in this guide, practitioners can personalize the application of change strategies, including behavioral activation, relaxation training, self-compassion, cognitive reappraisal, and communication skills training among others. Case examples are also provided from a range of disciplines (e.g., clinical psychology, psychiatry, social work, counseling, marriage and family therapy, nursing, occupational therapy and recreational specialists) to illustrate application in busy clinical practices. The guide closes with aging-friendly assessment tools and other resources to support ongoing professional development. Treating Later-Life Depression, Clinician Guide is an indispensable resource for all behavioral health providers who wish to help diverse aging clients thrive effectively and efficiently in a daily life that is true to their values and personal strengths.

If you suffer from depression, a program based on the principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help. CBT can help you change what you think and what you do. The program described in this workbook teaches you how to change your thinking in order to improve your mood. Divided into three phases, the program outlined is designed specifically with older adults in mind. Most effective when used in conjunction with visits to a qualified mental health professional, this workbook helps you put into practice the new skills you will be learning in therapy. Skills designed to help you problem solve, improve communication, challenge negative thinking, and manage feelings of frustration and anger. Over the course of the program, which can take anywhere from 16 - 20 sessions, you will work together with your therapist to manage your depressed mood. In-session exercises, at-home assignment, and review questions help you consolidate what you've learned and keep you motivated to succeed. Worksheets and forms are provided throughout to assist you in monitoring your progress. Depression can be difficult to overcome, but with hard work and dedication you can acquire the tools necessary for improving your mood as well as your quality of life. TreatmentsThatWorkTM represents the gold standard of behavioral healthcare interventions! · All programs have been rigorously tested in clinical trials and are backed by years of research · A prestigious scientific advisory board, led by series Editor-In-Chief David H. Barlow, reviews and evaluates each intervention to ensure that it meets the highest standard of evidence so you can be confident that you are using the most effective treatment available to date · Our books are reliable and effective and make it easy for you to provide your clients with the best care available · Our corresponding workbooks contain psychoeducational information, forms and worksheets, and homework assignments to keep clients engaged and motivated · A companion website (www.oup.com/us/ttw) offers downloadable clinical tools and helpful resources · Continuing Education (CE) Credits are now available on select titles in collaboration with PsychoEducational Resources, Inc. (PER)

Depression is a leading mental health concern in aging individuals. Written to be used in collaboration with a qualified mental health professional, Treating Later-Life Depression: Workbook is designed to address and alleviate depression and related concerns (chronic pain, sleep problems, anxiety, brain health, family caregiving and grief) in middle-aged and older adults. This practical Workbook, along with its companion Clinician Guide, reflects the latest scientific and clinical advances in cognitive-behavioral therapy for age-related problems, in individual, group, and telehealth formats. Along with learning how to re-engage in a meaningful daily life, individuals will build skills using personalized change strategies such as problem solving, relaxation training, self-compassion, reframing unhelpful thoughts and effective communication practices, among others. The Workbook closes with resources to support middle-aged and older adults' ongoing efforts at achieving and maintaining a greater sense of wellbeing.

"The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) program presented in this clinician guide is intended to support your service delivery to clients in the second half of life who are experiencing clinical or subclinical depression, with or without accompanying anxiety. The program reflects continuing international scientific and clinical advances in applying CBT to specific age-related problems. Over the past four decades, the two senior authors of this approach (DGT, LT) have developed empirically supported clinical interventions for older adults that embody the spirit and change strategies of traditional CBT. Many of these efforts have focused on later-life depression, establishing research support for the use of this treatment approach (Coon & Thompson, 2003; Gallagher & Thompson, 1982; Gallagher-Thompson et al., 1990; Thompson & Gallagher, 1984; Thompson, 1996; Thompson et al., 1987; Thompson et al., 2001). Our treatment approach is consistent with critical reviews (Braun et al., 2016), meta-analytic studies (Cuipers et al., 2014; Cuipers et al., 2016; Cuipers et al., 2018; Wilkinson, & Izmeth, 2016), and the depression treatment guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2019); all of these support and recommend the use of CBT with depressed older adults"--

"The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) program presented in this clinician guide is intended to support your service delivery to clients in the second half of life who are experiencing clinical or subclinical depression, with or without accompanying anxiety. The program reflects continuing international scientific and clinical advances in applying CBT to specific age-related problems. Over the past four decades, the two senior authors of this approach (DGT, LT) have developed empirically supported clinical interventions for older adults that embody the spirit and change strategies of traditional CBT. Many of these efforts have focused on later-life depression, establishing research support for the use of this treatment approach (Coon & Thompson, 2003; Gallagher & Thompson, 1982; Gallagher-Thompson et al., 1990; Thompson & Gallagher, 1984; Thompson, 1996; Thompson et al., 1987; Thompson et al., 2001). Our treatment approach is consistent with critical reviews (Braun et al., 2016), meta-analytic studies (Cuipers et al., 2014; Cuipers et al., 2016; Cuipers et al., 2018; Wilkinson, & Izmeth, 2016), and the depression treatment guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2019); all of these support and recommend the use of CBT with depressed older adults"--

Working with older adults no longer means working exclusively with frail or disabled people. Older adults are healthier now on average than in decades past, but they still require specialized care. Mental health providers are seeing a growing number of older patients in their practice and may have little experience in the best methods for working with them. To fill that gap, Patricia A. Are�n assembled this volume of best practices in treating mental disorders in late life. It includes an overview of geropsychology and the training resources available to help clinicians develop the competencies they need to work with older adults. Chapters focus on evidence-based treatments for late-life depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance abuse disorders, including cognitive behavioral therapy, problem solving treatment, behavioral activation, interpersonal therapy, relaxation training, exposure therapy, substance abuse relapse prevention, and motivational interviewing. Detailed case examples in each chapter illustrate the interventions in action. Although mental disorders are not as common in later life as they are in younger populations, they can be disabling and costly. With the accumulation of evidence over the past twenty-five years, assumptions about whether older adults can benefit from psychotherapy have changed greatly. Not only is psychotherapy a more effective treatment option than medication for many older adults, the effects are as good as those seen in younger adults. This book will help mental health providers take advantage of the latest research and be more effective in their work with older adults.

The author demarcates the current body of knowledge relevant to the clinical care of elders experiencing depression.