Counseling and Professional Identity in the 21st Century is unique not because it “packaged” a series of traditional text, but because it provides an integrated curriculum targeting the formation of the readers’ professional identity and efficient, ethical practice. Each book within the series is structured to facilitate the ongoing professional formation of the reader. The materials found within each text are organized in order to move the reader to higher levels of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor functioning, resulting in readers’ assimilation of the materials presented into both their professional identity and approach to professional practice. While each text targets a specific set of core competencies (cognates and skills) essential to the practice of counseling, each book in the series emphasizes each of the following:
1 The assimilation of concepts and constructs provided across the text found within the series, thus fostering the reader’s ongoing development as a competent professional
2 The blending of contemporary theory with current research and empirical support
3 A focus on the development of procedural knowledge with each text employing case illustrations and guided practice exercises to facilitate the reader’s ability to translate the theory and research discussed into professional decision making and application
4 The emphasis on the need for and means of demonstrating accountability
5 The fostering of the reader’s professional identity and with it the assimilation of the ethics and standards of practice guiding the counseling profession.
We are proud to have served as coeditors of this series; feeling sure that text, just like Fundamentals of Helping Relationships With Older Adults: From Theory to Practice, will serve as a significant resource to you and your development as a professional counselor.
Richard Parsons, PhD
Naijian Zhang, PhD
The Author’s Purpose
Gerontology is an exciting integration of many disciplines. Students preparing for careers in the counseling and related professions who plan to work with older adults are in need of theoretical and practical experiences to be prepared to work effectively. They need to understand the complexities of the aging process and appreciate the challenges and opportunities that the process entails. With the dramatic increase in the current older adult population and the large projected increase in the future, many opportunities will be available for students in counseling and related professions to help older adults realize their strengths and assets and empower them to manage life’s inconsistent terrain. Older adults are a very heterogeneous population, and they require helping professionals who have the knowledge, skills, and positive attitude to work effectively with their issues.
This textbook entails fundamental theoretical perspectives of the aging process and societal influences. It reinforces the strength and resiliency of this older population throughout the textbook. Common changes experienced by elders and problematic conditions are examined. The significance of the relationship of the helping professional in the therapeutic encounter is also examined. The standards and competencies required of gerontological counselors and unique attributes of the helping professional are highlighted. Various therapeutic modalities and the effectiveness for older adults are explored. Throughout the textbook, case illustrations and guided practice exercises allow the reader to experience the various issues that are challenging in the lives of older clients. Instructors can stimulate critical thinking skills and sensitize students to the uniqueness of their older clients. It is my hope that through a concerted effort, we will be able to improve and enhance the overall health of older adults because the later years are just as significant as the early and middle years of the life span. I hope that Fundamentals of Helping Relationships With Older Adults is a text that students, faculty, and helping professionals enjoy.
Adelle M. Williams, PhD
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Acknowledgments
A special thank you is extended to Ms. Patti Pink, who has worked tirelessly and consistently by my side in the preparation of this manuscript. I’d also like to extend my appreciation to Dr. Joan Rogers, who has been a source of inspiration during this process and throughout my professional career. A final thank you is extended for the personal assistance obtained in the manuscript preparation process.
I’d also like to thank the following reviewers:
Amy Gray-Graves, Webster University
Jeanne L. Thomas, Eastern Michigan University
Kyle H. O’Brien, Gateway Community College
Lee Slivinske, Youngstown State University
Nancy A. Orel, Bowling Green State University
Patricia Kolar, University of Pittsburgh
Polly McMahon, Spokane Falls Community College
Robert A. Jecklin, University of Wisconsin – La Crosse
Ronica N. Rooks, University of Colorado – Denver
J. Steven Fulks, Barton College
Denice Goodrich Liley, Boise State University
Geri M. Lotze, Virginia Commonwealth University
Liz Stevens, City University of Seattle
Adrienne L. Cohen, Georgia Southern University
Dianne Oakes, Excelsior College
Tim Chandler, Hardin-Simmons University
From the Author’s Chair
A genuine respect and appreciation for older adults is a value that I have adhered to since childhood. Providing assistance without compensation was taught from a very early age, and it is a rewarding experience. Therefore, it was not surprising to me that I chose a helping profession to continue to emphasize rendering services to older persons. I earned a master’s and a doctoral degree in rehabilitation counseling from the University of Pittsburgh and continued my focus on the aging population. The rehabilitation philosophy encompasses maximizing the functional capacity of individuals in all spheres of life. This philosophy is eclectic in its orientation, and it emphasizes doing whatever is appropriate to maximize the capabilities of clients. My personal philosophy and experiences are consistent with rehabilitating persons to their maximum level of functioning.
Clinical, administrative, and research experiences were obtained in a variety of formats and various organizations. However, my clinical skills were enhanced at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (W.P.I.C.) where I had the opportunity to develop my skills in individual, group, and family counseling while simultaneously working with a multidisciplinary team. It should be noted that very few inpatient psychogeriatric units existed at this time, and I was fortunate to become one of the clinicians to work on the psychogeriatric units that focused exclusively on a comprehensive approach to the treatment of older adults with mental health issues. I had a unique opportunity to co-develop, recruit, and monitor the geropsychiatry admission process and to facilitate the admissions process for older adults and their families. Additionally, research opportunities were an integral component of my employment at W.P.I.C. Interacting with various therapists in the team proved valuable in the therapeutic process with older adults. Furthermore, I managed research grants that focused on improving and enhancing the well-being of older adults in the community.