Older Adults
摘要
This chapter provides an overview of the literature on treatment engagement of older adult populations in cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) for anxiety and related disorders. After a description of symptom presentations and the prevalence of these disorders in older adults, potential barriers to care are discussed, including stigma and inexperience with mental health services, poor physical health and comorbidity, and technological challenges. Potential facilitators of care are also discussed, including the integration of services, optimizing the therapeutic alliance, and social support. The bulk of the chapter is focused on clinical strategies for engaging anxious older adults in CBT, including pre-treatment considerations (i.e., advertising and language, scheduling, motivation for treatment, the office setting, the assessment process, and psychoeducation about treatment), optimizing engagement during treatment (i.e., psychoeducation about physical activity, psychoeducation about homework, exposure therapy, and formats of CBT), and end-of-treatment issues. The chapter ends with a case example to illustrate these strategies.