67th Annual Conference

Thursday, February 25

Morning Workshops

10:00 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.

Workshop 17

Don't Just Sit There; Do Something!  Contrasting Psychotherapy Groups and Activities Therapy Groups for Older Adults

Chairs:                

George Max Saiger, M.D., CGP, FAGPA, Psychiatrist, Montgomery General Hospital, Olney, Maryland

Kenneth Martin Schwartz, M.D., FRCPC, Group Psychotherapist and Psychogeriatric Consultant, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Sharan Schwartzberg, Ed.D., OTR/L, FAOTA, Professor of Occupational Therapy; Adjunct Professor Psychiatry, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts

The value of group psychotherapy for older adults is often overlooked or misunderstood. Two models for working with older adults, psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychodynamically-informed activities therapy, are contrasted and demonstrated. Technical considerations for leading such groups will be discussed and applied to participants' work.

demonstration-didactic-experiential-sharing of work experiences

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Describe principles of psychodynamic verbal psychotherapy groups for older adults.
2. Describe principles of psychodynamically-informed activities therapy groups for older adults.
3. Distinguish between psychodynamic and activity group models for older adults.
4. Identify leadership techniques of a psychodynamic group and an activity group when observing therapy groups for older adults.
 

Course References:

Saiger, G. M. (2001). Group psychotherapy with older adults. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 64(2), 132-145.

Schwartz, K. (2007). Remembering the forgotten: Psychotherapy groups for the nursing home resident. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 57(4), 497-514.

Schwartzberg, S. L., Howe, M. C., & Barnes, M. A. (2008). Groups: Applying the functional group model. Philadelphia: FA Davis.