The Praeger handbook of mental health and the aging community

Summary: This book describes clinical competencies, specific challenges, and applications in providing services to the elderly and their caregivers. It addresses the training needs of mental health care providers serving the aging population, offering holistic and integrated models of care after presenting an in-depth explanation of the brain, body, social, and emotional changes across aging that can trigger psychological disorders. A comprehensive book written by experienced practitioners, this single-volume work describes clinical competencies, specific challenges, and applications in providing services to the elderly and their caregivers. *Includes therapeutic interventions and addresses critical elements including diversity, poverty, disability, and the law and ethics of elder care *Features case studies that clearly illustrate expressive arts, animal-assisted therapy, couple's counseling, family therapy, and evidence-based treatments *Ideally suited to students, psychologists, counselors, therapists, and health professionals who work with, or aim to practice with, elderly people and their families *Enables interns in their early years of practice to ensure that their services are appropriate, client centered, client driven, and evidence-based.