Common Themes & Issues in Geriatric Psychotherapy

Some psychotherapists think that doing therapy with older adults is the same as it is with any individual. In some respects, yes, our human dilemmas are similar throughout our life span. However, there are also very different developmental tasks in different phases of our lives. Erikson called these developmental stages and wrote about the task of finding integrity and wholeness in our older years vs. despair. Cumulative losses as we age are part of the landscape. Being trained and experienced in recognizing many of the mental health landmarks in the terrain of aging, a competent and compassionate gero-psychotherapist helps clients reframe their suffering into rich opportunities for growth and transformation. Common Themes & Issues in Geriatric Psychotherapy