Our psychologists work with a wide range of clinical syndromes and adjustment reactions. Many of our patients are suffering from depression, mild to severe. Some struggle with anxiety symptoms. Some have entered the early-to-mid stages of dementia, and others are dealing with lesser degrees of memory impairment. Some have behavioral problems that are disruptive to those around them. A few suffer from major mental illnesses that have haunted them all their lives. We work with all of these conditions and more. As psychologists we take a person-centered approach: we focus on the client (not their symptoms alone), helping them cope with the underlying emotional and life-adjustment issues that create or exacerbate their clinical symptoms.
Issues of Loss
Issues of Change
Many of our senior clients, and especially those living in long-term care settings, are struggling with age-related issues of loss - including loss of:
Spouse, other relatives, friends
Home, neighborhood, community
Career, hobbies, other cherished pursuits
Memory, cognitive skills, intellectual interests
Body integrity, mobility and other physical skills
Personal autonomy, self-sufficiency and self-respect
Other clients, and especially those still residing in out-patient settings, are struggling with issues of change and life transition - including:
Moving into retirement, and decisions about aging in place or not
Finding a new sense of direction and meaning for one's elder years
Adapting to changed relationships dictated by changed circumstances
Coping with the challenge of increasing physical or cognitive limitations
The onset of chronic illnesses, and coping with health & pain management
Dealing with conflicts that arise as children or others take on caregiver roles
Any Symptom or Complaint
Whatever the psychiatric symptoms or presenting complaints, we work with our patients and their families to place these matters within the broader context of their lives. We enable them to understand the deeper feelings and meanings that are causing their distress (such as the loss and change examples noted above). Once the issues are re-defined in this person-centered way, patients and their families begin to discover previously neglected sources of strength that they can use to develop strategies to cope with their distress.
