Assessment and Treatment of Older Adults

Every day 10,000 baby boomers turn 65, and by 2030 more than 20% of US residents will be 65 or older. Mental health professionals must become familiar with the unique needs of this growing population.

Using the APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Older Adults and the Pikes Peak Model for Training in Professional Geropsychology, this book shows mental health providers how to expand their practice in order to treat older adults.

Chapters describe tools and techniques for assessing and treating common conditions that practitioners encounter when working with older adults, including depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment, and prescription drug misuse. Clinical case examples demonstrate how to deliver interventions while avoiding common interactional pitfalls.

Includes expert recommendations for assessment tools, additional readings, and online resources.

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. Thinking About Aging and Work in the Field of Aging
2. Facts About Aging and the Lifespan Developmental Perspective
3. Overview of Assessment
4. Overview of Treatment
5. Assessment and Treatment of Depression and Anxiety
6. Assessment and Treatment of Cognitive Impairment, Problem Alcohol Use, and Prescription Drug Misuse
7. Summary and Next Steps

Appendix A: Resources

Appendix B: Assessment Screening Instruments

References

Index

About the Author

Gregory A. Hinrichsen, PhD, ABPP, has spent his entire professional life in the field of aging, beginning with a first job out of college as a social services outreach worker to older adults. Over the course of his 40-year career, he has provided mental health services to older adults and their families, conducted research, directed psychology internship and geropsychology fellowship programs, and contributed to public policy.

He has held leadership positions in geropsychology professional organizations and received the Award for the Advancement of Psychology and Aging from the APA Committee on Aging. He has expertise in interpersonal psychotherapy and coauthored (with Kathleen Clougherty) Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Older Adults.

Dr. Hinrichsen is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, where he provides mental health services to older adults in primary care, teaches, and supervises. He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City, where he teaches and collaborates on interpersonal psychotherapy, global mental health, and military service veteran research studies.

Valuable to the field of aging, broadly, as it captures the joys of gerontological-focused work while emphasizing the importance of contextualizing each aging adult in their unique ethnic, cultural, and personal history.
—The Gerontologist

Altogether, this work provides a handy, comprehensive review of mental health needs and services related to working with aging adults…. Recommended.
—Choice

This pragmatic volume, by a leading expert in geropsychology, is a gem. It is replete with practical clinical advice, written in a user-friendly manner, that will easily enhance one’s evidence-based practice. If you work with older adults, or plan to, this is the book to get. For teachers of geropsychology, your search for the ideal text is over!
—Arthur M. Nezu, PhD, DHL, ABPP
Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA; Editor-in-Chief, Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice

Hinrichsen is the internationally known “go-to” person for interpersonal psychotherapy with older adults. This engaging book is integrated with the scientific evidence from lifespan developmental psychology and clinical geropsychology. While rooted in his own long experience as a psychologist, Hinrichsen addresses mental health professionals who are new to working with older adults as well as those who have been in the field for years.
—Bob G. Knight, PhD, ABPP
Professor of Psychology and Counselling, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia