NURS 6640: Psychotherapy with Individuals Week 10- Responses Essay

Respond to at least two of your colleagues by sharing additional insights or alternative perspectives. Support your feedback with evidence-based literature and/or your own experiences with clients.

Response 1

Thank you for your post regarding counseling older adults. The number of older adults in the United States is expected to nearly double from 40.3 to 72.1 million from 2010 to 2030(Wheeler, 2014). Although mental illness is not a normal part of aging, at least 20% of older adults have one or more mental health conditions (Wheeler, 2014). The client in your post appears to be dealing with trauma or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This changing demographic will likely mean an increased need for mental health resources and services, especially as they relate to trauma exposure in this age group (Cook & Simiola, 2017). Many older adults may have experienced trauma but do not recognize the potential detrimental health effects or disclose these experiences to health care providers (Cook & Similoa, 2017). As future psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNP) it is important to offer an environment of trust so that these individuals are able to disclose their true thoughts and experiences. Being aware of what the client has gone through will allow the provider to best create a treatment plan that benefits the client.

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References

Cook, J. M., & Simiola, V. (2017). Trauma and PTSD in older adults: Prevalence, course,concomitants and clinical considerations. ​Current Opinion in Psychology​, ​14​, 1–4.https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.08.003Wheeler, K. (Ed.). (2014). ​Psychotherapy for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse: A how-toguide for evidence-based practice​ (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

NURS 6640: Psychotherapy with Individuals

Week 10- Response 2

Thank you for your post regarding counseling older adults. As this population is expected to increase over the next decade, it is important to understand the implications of working with this age group. New research has shown that understanding potential in relation to aging will allow the older population to access latent skills and talents later in life (Wheeler, 2014).Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) who work with older adults should be proficient at assessing the status of their client’s cognitive, affective, functional, physical, and behavioral function, as well as their family dynamics (Wheeler, 2014). Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) can be used for the older adult. DBT was originally developed as a treatment for individuals meeting criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and those experiencing chronic suicidal ideation (Stein, Hearon, Beard, Hsu, & Bjoergvinsson, 2016). More recently, adapted forms of DBT have been used effectively as both primary and adjunctive treatments fora range of psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, treatment-resistant depression, and eating disorders (Stein et al., 2016). In practice, this writer has seen that older adults seem to put their mental health on the back burner. They often do not put much effort into treatment because they are more concerned with their physical health. Due to this reality, DBT is a good therapy to implement with the older population, so that they will understand the impact of their mental health on their overall wellbeing.

References

Stein, A. T., Hearon, B. A., Beard, C., Hsu, K. J., & Bjoergvinsson, T. (2016). Properties of theDialectical Behavior Therapy Ways of Coping Checklist in a Diagnostically Diverse PartialHospital Sample. ​JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY​, ​72​(1), 49–57.https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1002/jclp.22226Wheeler, K. (Ed.). (2014). ​Psychotherapy for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse: A how-toguide for evidence-based practice​ (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company

NURS 6640: Psychotherapy with Individuals Week 10- Responses Essay