Counseling Boomers and Seniors

One size doesn’t fit all–different generations have different values, issues, and counseling needs. Boomers refuse to be old and still insist on changing the world. Older seniors are often still working and don’t want to be banished to a nursing home. Even some centenarians are still working, teaching, and competing in sports. Today we increasingly distinguish between the psychology of various generations, e.g., The Lost Generation, The Greatest Generation, The Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y (Millennials), and Generation Z.

In this intermediate course consisting of eight MP3s, anti-aging psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey interviews experts on counseling boomers and seniors. The course includes notes on the interviews so you don’t need to take notes. Dr. Arrien and Dr. Lawrence-Lightfoot address helping boomers and seniors deal with the challenges to identity, meaning, burnout, and purpose after age fifty. Aging brings health challenges. Dr. Fiore addresses how therapists can help people take charge when faced with cancer and other major health challenges. Dr. Zilbergeld discusses research on how sex and intimacy after fifty can be better than ever. Millions of seniors seeking love and companionship have turned to the Internet. Dr. Houran combines research and astute advice on how to help seniors be successful at online dating. The role models for how to live well into our hundreds are centenarians. Lynn Peters Adler’s decades of profiling centenarians gives us insight into the psychology of these 100-year-old role models. Dr. Zur discusses how fear of death often leads to addictive behaviors and presents healthy options for dealing with death and seeing it as part of life. Finally, geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Marc Agronin describes how he counsels nursing home clients with dementia, and does so with great respect, reverence, and kindness. Additional resources and references are provided for further study, but they are not part of the course.