Felicity Chapman's Blog - Posts Tagged "counseling"
Review: "A book that is one of a kind."
Counselling and Psychotherapy with Older People in Care: A Support Guide is a book that is one of a kind. Felicity has written important information for those meeting and working with older people in care facilities in a relevant and accessible way. Many older people in care are lost and have no hope.
Counsellors or workers who aim to engage meaningfully with such people must have guidelines or frameworks from which to work from. This book allows such workers to develop a scope of practice; to know how to make conversations that “…have been meaningful for that person – offered healing no matter how small” (p. 8).
Older people’s stories often get missed or overlooked but they are very important. Felicity emphasises the importance of helping older people understand themselves and by doing that to allow their stories to influence us. Each chapter ends with personal questions of reflection which I, as a social worker in an aged care facility, found very helpful.
The book reads really well. It begins with the wider context of older people in care, including discussions about types of distress that people may feel and how to engage with this population. It then goes on to share insights about assessments and interventions to use to assist older people open up and get deeper into their issues.
Felicity recognises that the type of work involved in caring for older people can be a struggle, and also shares about helpful ways to care for yourself - the practitioner - when working with older people. The book discusses various types of ageist beliefs and how practitioners can challenge them. There are also many relevant therapist/ client scenarios to help practitioners put knowledge into practice.
If you work or volunteer with older people, or want to, I highly recommend this book. It will empower you to get to the heart of the issue – the resident’s story.
Chrystal Trewren, aged care facility social worker - Australia
Counsellors or workers who aim to engage meaningfully with such people must have guidelines or frameworks from which to work from. This book allows such workers to develop a scope of practice; to know how to make conversations that “…have been meaningful for that person – offered healing no matter how small” (p. 8).
Older people’s stories often get missed or overlooked but they are very important. Felicity emphasises the importance of helping older people understand themselves and by doing that to allow their stories to influence us. Each chapter ends with personal questions of reflection which I, as a social worker in an aged care facility, found very helpful.
The book reads really well. It begins with the wider context of older people in care, including discussions about types of distress that people may feel and how to engage with this population. It then goes on to share insights about assessments and interventions to use to assist older people open up and get deeper into their issues.
Felicity recognises that the type of work involved in caring for older people can be a struggle, and also shares about helpful ways to care for yourself - the practitioner - when working with older people. The book discusses various types of ageist beliefs and how practitioners can challenge them. There are also many relevant therapist/ client scenarios to help practitioners put knowledge into practice.
If you work or volunteer with older people, or want to, I highly recommend this book. It will empower you to get to the heart of the issue – the resident’s story.
Chrystal Trewren, aged care facility social worker - Australia
Extended Table of contents for 'Counselling and Psychotherapy with Older People in Care: A Support Guide'
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
PART 1: THE CONTEXT
1. Residential Living
Building Trust with Staff
Who is Your Client?
Negotiating the Space
Collaboration is Key
2. Barriers to Engagement
The Referral Context
Resident Unfamiliarity and Wariness
Positive Psychology?
3. Types of Distress
Physical
Neurological
Social or Spiritual
Psychological
Environmental or Lifestyle
PART 2: INTERVENTION
4. The Moving Wheel of Assessment
The Mental Health and Neurological Spectrum
Determining Suitability and Whose Problem It Is
Informal Assessment
Formal Assessment
5. Invitations for Engagement
The Missing Jigsaw Piece
Undercover Agents
The Lifestory Interview
6. Types of Engagement
Issue Specific Interventions
Multimodal Interventions
An Integrated Model for Intervention
PART 3: THE BIGGER PICTURE
7. Caring for You the Psychotherapist
The Mickey Mouse Mindset
Buttons and Formal Supervision
Compassion Satisfaction
Dealing with Frustrations and Disillusions
8. Disempowering Attitudes
Urgh!
‘O’ is for Obsolete
It’s Not Worth It
What Do You Expect?
Where’s the Progression?
9. Building Senior-Friendly Care Systems
Empowerment or Dependency?
Relevant Programs of Specialist Care
Accessibility all ‘Round
Bring Sexy Back!
APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Determining Suitability and Tailoring Intervention
Appendix 2: Intake and First Few Sessions
Appendix 3: Some Experiences of Grief
Definitions
References
Further Reading and Resources
Notes
Subject Index
Author Index
order online at Amazon.com and view author's website www.yourstoryline.com.au
Preface
Introduction
PART 1: THE CONTEXT
1. Residential Living
Building Trust with Staff
Who is Your Client?
Negotiating the Space
Collaboration is Key
2. Barriers to Engagement
The Referral Context
Resident Unfamiliarity and Wariness
Positive Psychology?
3. Types of Distress
Physical
Neurological
Social or Spiritual
Psychological
Environmental or Lifestyle
PART 2: INTERVENTION
4. The Moving Wheel of Assessment
The Mental Health and Neurological Spectrum
Determining Suitability and Whose Problem It Is
Informal Assessment
Formal Assessment
5. Invitations for Engagement
The Missing Jigsaw Piece
Undercover Agents
The Lifestory Interview
6. Types of Engagement
Issue Specific Interventions
Multimodal Interventions
An Integrated Model for Intervention
PART 3: THE BIGGER PICTURE
7. Caring for You the Psychotherapist
The Mickey Mouse Mindset
Buttons and Formal Supervision
Compassion Satisfaction
Dealing with Frustrations and Disillusions
8. Disempowering Attitudes
Urgh!
‘O’ is for Obsolete
It’s Not Worth It
What Do You Expect?
Where’s the Progression?
9. Building Senior-Friendly Care Systems
Empowerment or Dependency?
Relevant Programs of Specialist Care
Accessibility all ‘Round
Bring Sexy Back!
APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Determining Suitability and Tailoring Intervention
Appendix 2: Intake and First Few Sessions
Appendix 3: Some Experiences of Grief
Definitions
References
Further Reading and Resources
Notes
Subject Index
Author Index
order online at Amazon.com and view author's website www.yourstoryline.com.au
Review: “Wonderful source of information for understanding seniors and working with them.”
Counselling and Psychotherapy with Older People in Care has strengthened my desire to do psychotherapy with older people, especially seniors from non-English-speaking backgrounds because that is the group I have had the most experience with and passion for. Most of my clients are between the ages of 65 and 80 years old, but the proportion of those who are over 80 is getting larger every year. Sometimes I feel frustrated when it is difficult to engage because clients have poor hearing, speech difficulties, and/or memory problems. It is inspiring to know how other therapists are dealing with the same issues. I found lots of tips that could be useful in communication with advanced senior clients.
The book covers all stages of counselling/psychotherapy with advanced seniors: assessment, engagement and intervention. I like the idea of senior-friendly measures and senior-friendly approaches in formal assessment. The ideas and recommendation in the book are supported by case studies that show broad diversity of circumstances and life experience. Sparks of humour in the book make it interesting and enjoyable to read.
Chapter eight about ageism made me take a moment to review my language and communication style. As a result, I have excluded from my language several words (in Russian) that could lead my clients to feeling disempowered.
Overall, Felicity, thank you very much for the great book.
Natalia, bilingual social worker - Australia
The book covers all stages of counselling/psychotherapy with advanced seniors: assessment, engagement and intervention. I like the idea of senior-friendly measures and senior-friendly approaches in formal assessment. The ideas and recommendation in the book are supported by case studies that show broad diversity of circumstances and life experience. Sparks of humour in the book make it interesting and enjoyable to read.
Chapter eight about ageism made me take a moment to review my language and communication style. As a result, I have excluded from my language several words (in Russian) that could lead my clients to feeling disempowered.
Overall, Felicity, thank you very much for the great book.
Natalia, bilingual social worker - Australia
Review: “A must read for social workers working in this field!”
This books makes a timely, thoughtful and much needed contribution regarding the need for, and how to, provide counselling services in residential age care facilities.
It addresses a range of individual, relational and systemic issues: challenges ageist approaches; provides therapeutic insights and tools; and resists the dominance of singular clinical approaches arguing instead for a more person focused nuanced approach placing the older person at the centre of the counselling or psychotherapeutic relationship.
It highlights the important role social workers play in this area and is also highly relevant to working with older people in the community. The author points out the many challenges regarding working in this area not least of all being the lack of funding to provide this service in the residential sector and the need for professional advocacy to redress this issue.
A must read for social workers working in this field! A pleasure to read and review.
Margaret, senior social worker for older adults in the community – Australia
It addresses a range of individual, relational and systemic issues: challenges ageist approaches; provides therapeutic insights and tools; and resists the dominance of singular clinical approaches arguing instead for a more person focused nuanced approach placing the older person at the centre of the counselling or psychotherapeutic relationship.
It highlights the important role social workers play in this area and is also highly relevant to working with older people in the community. The author points out the many challenges regarding working in this area not least of all being the lack of funding to provide this service in the residential sector and the need for professional advocacy to redress this issue.
A must read for social workers working in this field! A pleasure to read and review.
Margaret, senior social worker for older adults in the community – Australia
