This book presents Caregiver Family Therapy, a systemic model for treating families that care for an older adult. Three core processes help caregiving family members identify problems, structure caregiver roles to address the problems, and ensure caregiver self-care.

Preface

Introduction

1. Foundations of Caregiver Family Therapy
2. Naming and Framing the Caregiving Problem
3. Structuring Care
4. Role Structuring
5. Role Reverberations
6. Caregiver Self-Care
7. Widening the Lens and Anticipating the Future
8. Case Studies
9. Pragmatic Issues in Practicing Caregiver Family Therapy

Appendix A: Caregiver Reaction Scale

Appendix B: Summary of the Caregiver Family Therapy Process

References

Index

About the Authors

Sara Honn Qualls, PhD, is the Kraemer Family Professor of Aging Studies, professor of psychology, and director of the Gerontology Center at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS). She led the development of the doctoral program in clinical psychology that emphasizes geropsychology at the University of Colorado Aging Center, where trainees provide mental health and family interventions for older adults. She also founded the collaboration between UCCS and the Palisades at Broadmoor Park, a privately owned senior residential community where faculty and students provide services and conduct research.
 
Dr. Qualls has published several books in geropsychology, including Aging and Mental Health, and a clinical geropsychology series for clinicians. Her research currently focuses on the family caregiver therapy intervention, technology interventions designed to produce prosocial behavior in older adults and families, and senior housing wellness models.
 
Within APA, she served on the Presidential Task Force on Caregiving, which produced a Family Caregiver Briefcase of resources for psychologists in 2010, and she chaired the Committee on Aging in 2011.
 
Ashley A. Williams, PhD, is the director of behavioral health at the Resource Exchange, a nonprofit agency serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She provides behavioral therapy in the Developmental Disabilities Health Center, an innovative, integrated primary care setting. She provides services to caregivers and parents of persons with developmental disabilities and trains and supervises interns and practicum students.
 
Dr. Williams is also a research professor at the Gerontology Center at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. In this position, she completed a validation study of a computerized program to detect cognitive impairment and mental health problems in a primary care setting and conducts research on caregiver interventions. She recently completed a 3-year term as a co-convener of the Special Interest Group on Developmental Disabilities at the Gerontological Society of America's annual meetings.