Main description:

Learn about the key issues when assessing and treating older adults with mental health problems:

Expert guidance through the key topics

Highlights the best assessment and treatment practices

Addresses diversity, ethical, and health system issues

Full of real-life case examples

Resources in the appendix to test your knowledge

Mental health practitioners are encountering an ever-growing number of older adults and so an up-to-date and comprehensive text addressing the special considerations that arise in the psychological assessment and treatment of this population is vital.

This accessible handbook does just that by introducing the key topics that psychologists and other health professionals face when working with older adults. Each area is introduced and then the special considerations for older adults are explored, including specific ethical and healthcare system issues. The use of case examples brings the topics further to life. An important feature of the book is the interweaving of diversity issues (culture, race, sexuality, etc.) within the text to lend an inclusive, contemporary insight into these important practice components. The Pikes Peak Geropsychology Knowledge and Skill Assessment Tool is included in an appendix so readers can test their knowledge, which will be helpful for those aiming for board certification in geropsychology (ABGERO).

This an ideal text for clinical psychologists transitioning to work with older clients, for those wanting to improve their knowledge for their regular practice, and for trainees or young clinicians just starting out.

Contents:

Chapter 1: Introduction to Working With
Older Adults: A View From the Field
by Nancy A. Pachana and Larry W. Thompson
Chapter 2: Assessment Approaches for
Psychiatric and Cognitive Syndromes
by Viktoriya Samarina, Madhuvanthi Suresh,
Matthew Picchiello, Julie Lutz, Brian Carpenter,
and Sherry A. Beaudreau
Chapter 3: Theoretical Support and Practical
Strategies for CBT With Depressed
Older Adults
by Ann M. Steffen, Dolores Gallagher-Thompson,
and Larry W. Thompson
Chapter 4: Case-Based Approaches With
Older Adults: Acceptance and Commitment
Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, and
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
by Laura Gallego-Alberto, Maria S. Pedroso-
Chaparro, Andres Losada, Maria
Marquez-Gonzalez, Lindsey Jacobs, and
Gregory A. Hinrichsen
Chapter 5: Therapeutic Approaches for
Anxiety and PTSD in Late Life
by Alisa O'Riley Hannum, Danielle N. Berkel,
Rachael Spalding, and Nancy A. Pachana
Chapter 6: Working Successfully With Older
Persons on the Dementia Continuum, and
Their Informal Caregivers
by Dolores Gallagher-Thompson and Larry W.
Thompson
Chapter 7: Working With Older Adults in
Long-Term Care Settings
by Hillary Rouse and Victor Molinari
Chapter 8: Determining Decisional Capacity
Across Settings and Clinical Presentations:
A Systematic Approach
by Shane S. Bush and Stacey Wood
Chapter 9: Elder Abuse: Navigating Ethical
and Legal Responsibilities
by Kyle S. Page and Nabeel T. Yehyawi
Chapter 10: Psychological Interventions
Developed Specifically for Use in Palliative
Care: A Lifespan Developmental Perspective
by Rebecca S. Allen, Julia Kasl-Godley, and
Candice D. Reel
Chapter 11: Psychological Palliative Care
and Bereavement Interventions: Psychopathology
and Family Contexts
by Julia Kasl-Godley and Rebecca S. Allen
Appendix 1: Pikes Peak Geropsychology
Competencies: Attitude, Knowledge, and
Skill Competencies for Practice in Professional
Geropsychology
Appendix 2: Pikes Peak Evaluation Tool:
Pikes Peak Geropsycholo