Talking Over the Years

How can we work effectively with older people?

What contribution can be made by the field of psychodynamics?

It is now recognised that older adults can benefit from psychodynamic therapy and that psychodynamic concepts can help to illuminate the thorny issues of aging and the complications of later life.

Talking Over the Years begins by examining how ideas of old age are represented by the key psychodynamic theorists of the twentieth century including Freud, Jung, Klein and Winnicott. Contributors go on to draw on their own experiences in a range of settings to demonstrate the value of psychodynamic concepts in clinical practice, covering subjects such as:

• brief and long-term work with individuals, couples and groups
• the expressive therapies: art, music, dance and movement
• ethical considerations
• training, supervision and support
• sexuality.

Illustrated by a wealth of clinical material, Talking Over the Years increases psychodynamic awareness, helping practitioners become more sensitive to their patients' needs to the benefit of both the patient and the professional.

Sandra Evans is a psychiatrist working with older adults at the Homerton Hospital and St Bartholomew's Hospital in London; she is also an analyst.
Jane Garner is a consultant psychiatrist leading an old age psychiatry service at Chase Farm Hospital in London.