Countertransference and Older Clients

When working with older clients--or clients who have become "instantly old" due to disability--can a professional′s personal feelings affect the helping process? Countertransference and Older Clients explores this issue and focuses on the use of countertransference--the powerful linkage between a helper′s personal feelings and his/her professional work. This practical volume shows helping professionals how to confront and examine their own denial, fear of growing old, being helpless, and dying, anger related to death and loss, and their need for control. Contributors address such issues as how practitioners "overhelp" and "underhelp" some clients because of their feelings and experiences; how personal and family biases contribute to inappropriate diagnosis, referral, and treatment; why service is prolonged with some clients and terminated too soon with others; and how fear of AIDS, death, and suicide hinder effective support and treatment. In addition, actual case studies are woven throughout to illustrate how practitioners can effectively put their feelings and behaviors to use during the helping process. Written for practitioners in the field of aging, mental health, social work, nursing, psychology, and psychiatry, Countertransference and Older Clients is an important therapeutic tool for all helping professionals. "Throughout this clear, concise, interesting little book, the authors communicate a warmth and sensitivity to the needs and feelings of both helpers and older clients. One interesting feature is the inclusion of a chapter written by an older worker, an often neglected perspective in gerontological literature." --Journal of Psychology and Theology "Bonnie Genevay and Renee Katz have made an enormous contribution to gerontological practice by focusing on the conscious and unconscious attitudes and feelings of practitioners toward their older clients, which enhance or diminish their helpfulness to older people. In this very useful volume they and other experts cover a wide range of problematic situations including disability, dementia, and dying with empathy. Teachers and supervisors as well as those working in direct practice will find this book highly instructive." --Barbara Silverstone, Executive Director, The Lighthouse (The New York Association for the Blind) "This unique text approaches many aspects of aging and countertransference of caregivers, not elsewhere seen in the vast array of gerontological publications. It provides a sensitive and compassionate presentation of the various issues and problems of countertransference experienced by individuals providing care to elders in a variety of difficult situations. I highly recommend this text for its unique content, warmth of presentation and insights into relationships with the old. I have come away enriched and enlightened." --Priscilla Ebersoll, Ph.D., San Francisco State University "This book is a must for anyone who works with older clients. It contains dozens of case examples of how our own desires and fears about aging and conditions associated with it interfere with our capacity to function as professionals should. It is full of suggestions for dealing constructively with our emotional reactions that occur in the conduct of our professional lives. It deals with important topics such as terminal illness and death, suicidal elders, disability, and AIDS. It is clear, concise, and very useful." --Robert C. Atchley, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio "A profound respect and caring for both older clients and service providers permeate each chapter. . . . The book is exceptionally strong in its comprehensive and sensitive review of issues that many of us do not like to face--how our own fears and attitudes about aging may interfere with our professional effectiveness. Included are topics that have not been adequately dealt with elsewhere. . . . By clearly and sensitively highlighting the importance of self-awareness to professional effectiveness, the authors have made a significant contribution to the practice literature, and ultimately to practice with older adults." --Generations "This book makes a major contribution to the field by supplying numerous sensitive and revealing examples of personal emotional reactions to working with older adults. It should be read by everyone who counsels older adults and by students aspiring to careers in serving the elderly." --Bob G. Knight, Merle H. Bensinger Associate Professor, Gerontology and Psychology University of Southern California "The book′s strength--an important one--lies in its conciseness of writing and clarity. It is an easy read! Yet it offers valuable insights and practical suggestions. The topics too, while diverse, are pulled into a homogeneous frame so as to make the book extremely cohesive, not easy in an edited work. The offering of case histories makes the book come alive as the reader becomes enmeshed in the dialogue/scenario going on between client and worker. . . . The book should make a genuine impact on the field of aging, promoting growth in workers and clients alike." --Clinical Gerontologist "Countertransference and Older Clients offers a well-written collection of articles by several authors dealing with aging, loss, disability, and death. It explores feelings that emerge between professional caregivers and their elderly clients in various settings. Other topics include suicidal elders, AIDS and HIV illness, dementia, substance abuse, sexuality, and nursing home placement. Good case examples are provided. . . . . A valuable addition to the body of knowledge for professionals working with older adults." --NASW California News