The Elderly Benefit from Psychological Therapies

Annual meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists 6th – 9th July, Harrogate International Conference Centre
Few people over the age of 65 are referred for psychotherapy, but therapies such as couple counselling and family and group therapy can benefit the people in later life, alleviating depression and strengthening intimate relationships. “Psychotherapy in later life is not too late – it’s just in time,” Dr Jason Hepple, consultant psychiatrist and medical director of Somerset NHS Trust told delegates. He practises cognitive analytic therapy (CAT), a psychotherapy developed by the contemporary Finnish psychologist Mikael Leiman.

CAT focuses on a shared understanding of what the patient wants, developing a deep understanding of their mental health problems and pain, and creating an environment where they feel safe to re-open old wounds “to an attentive and present” clinician. “How we listen to people is by far the most important thing we do,” said Dr Hepple. At St Charles Hospital, west London, consultant psychiatrist Dr Kathleen Ferriter, runs hourly group therapy sessions every week for six adults aged between 70 and 90. The group was set up in 1999 and all of the members had a history of depression and traumatic family backgrounds. Some had been in care as children or lived in poverty. All, at some point, had been admitted to hospital for depression. Group members said that the weekly sessions were a place for reflection and for thinking. “We fetch our feelings there and we acknowledge them,” one member said. Dr Ferriter said that despite their advanced years, the group had learned to become more psychologically minded.

Dr Sandra Evans, a consultant psychiatrist at the Homerton and St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, focuses on the changing nature of relationships in old age. Pressures such as illness, partners caring for a sick spouse, retirement, children leaving home and sexual difficulties, could trigger anxieties, depression – even hatred for a lifetime partner  which could be dealt with successfully in therapy. For further information or a press copy of the full article, contact Deborah Hart or Thomas Kennedy in the External Affairs Department. Tel: 020 7235 2351 exts. 127 or 154.

If you feel like something is affecting your mental health, contact one of our Nevada Psychologists near you.

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