A SAMHSA sponsored webinar developed under contract by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) and presented by the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR) took place Wednesday, August 14, 2019 at 2:00pm Eastern Time called Group Reminiscence for Older Adults with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) by Elder Peers.
Description: Reminiscence therapy is a popular psychosocial intervention in dementia care, anxiety and depression for Older Adults. Recalling life events is seen as a way of placing one’s life in perspective in preparation for death rather than it being a sign of pathology. Some of the functions of reminiscing include maintaining intimacy, reduction of boredom, problem solving and sharing of wisdom. Elder peers are well suited to facilitate reminiscing by older adults because they can emphasize the positive aspects of their lives. Certified Older Adult Peers (COAPS) are specially trained to work with older adults to support them in the process of behavioral health recovery. They are trained to engage older adults in discussions of their life stories as a method to build relationships and trust and to build a positive framework of the individual’s life story. COAPS share their own life stories and recovery journeys with their older adult peer to encourage similar sharing by discussing past activities, events, feelings and experiences with one another. COAPS also receive training in positive psychology, which provides a strong conceptual model for reminiscence interventions with older adults.
Presenters:
•Cynthia D. Zubritsky, Ph.D. is the Director of Policy Research for the Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research at the University of Pennsylvania.
•Rob Walker works for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Office of Recovery and Empowerment, responsible for providing a bridge from the Department to provider agencies, persons receiving services, family members and the community at large.
Moderator:
•Daniel Fisher, PhD, MD, President of the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery, and a professor at U. Mass Dept. of Psychiatry.
If you have any questions please contact Kelle Masten via email at kelle.masten@nasmhpd.org or at 703-682-5187.
**We do not offer CEU credits however letters of attendance are offered upon request.
***Closed-captioning is available for this webinar.