therapy with older adults
THE JOB IS TO REPLY WITH A COMMENT TO EACH POST, POST 1 AND POST 2. WITH 2 COMPLETED (EDUCATIONAL REFERENCE) includidig retrival or doi, IN APA WITH CITATION ABOVE 2013 PER COMMENT.
POST 1
Group therapy with older adults
Studies show that group psychotherapy can be used to treat elderly persons with multiple symptoms as it has shown improvement in physical function, behavioral, and symptoms associated with depression (Wang, 2014). This post will discuss an experience in practicum while attending a group therapy session. The name of the group is engagement to recovery and included clients that were struggling with addiction. It was formed prior to practicum and was in the sixth week of progress. The group meets once a week for 60 minutes with the ages ranging from 24 to 67. They were through the forming stage and into the storming phase.
According to Yalom & Leszca (2005) during the storming phase, the group begins to push against the boundaries established in the forming stage. This was evident when one of the young group members made a statement of, “it was just marijuana.” The therapist immediately corrected him and reminded him that it is illegal, it is a drug, and this is the engagement to recovery group. If substance use was continued, they would not be able to continue in this group. Many of the older members nodded in agreeance and their frustrations with this individual were evident.
Resistance was met by this group member as he didn’t feel that marijuana was an issue. This went against the goals of the group which was to remain abstinent from their addictions and gain support from each other to do so. The oldest gentleman of the group shared his gambling addiction which had recently caused their home to go into foreclosure. He was tearful and other members near his age shared feedback, but the younger members didn’t engage.
It was felt that the biggest challenge faced was the age differences. It seemed that since the member’s ages ranged so much that they were in different stages of their lives making it difficult to engage with each other. There was almost a type of group separation, the older members on one side of the room, and the younger on the other side. The therapist was aware of this and is working to decrease the separation by encouraging a full group activity. A great benefit of group therapy is that as clients interact, they can learn from one another (Roback, 2010).
The therapist primarily used cognitive behavioral therapy in combination with a humanistic approach. Cognitive therapists focus more on their client’s present situation and distorted thinking than on their past (Wheeler, 2014). With addiction, relapse is one of the main struggles. The humanistic approach believes in the goodness of all people and emphasizes self-growth and self-actualization (Wheeler, 2014). For interpersonal interaction to be beneficial, it should be guided by empathy. The group leader should model empathic interaction for group members, especially with people with substance use disorders because a lot of the time they cannot identify and communicate their feelings (Roback, 2010).
