#125 – Therapy That Works for 30-Year-Olds Doesn’t Always Work at 75 | Why Therapy Needs to Change With Age
If your 75-year-old client stops coming to therapy, it might not be them. It might be your approach.
In this episode, I explore why therapy must evolve, just like people, with age. I share five powerful ways to evolve your practice to better serve older adults.
While many therapists are trained to work with adults in general, most graduate and continuing education programs focus on midlife or younger adulthood, often excluding older adulthood entirely. The result is a significant gap in care.
Therapy that resonates with younger adults can fall flat or even feel dismissive for older clients. When therapists don't adapt their approach, clients may feel unseen, misunderstood, or disengaged—not because they’re resistant, but because the therapy model doesn’t reflect their stage of life.
This episode will help you recognize what shifts with age, why it matters in clinical practice, and how to modify your work for more effective and compassionate outcomes.
What You’ll Learn
- Why traditional therapy methods may not land with older adults
- How perceived time left in life shifts therapeutic goals and priorities
- What therapists often misunderstand about aging and mental health
- How to center meaning, wisdom, and resilience in your sessions
- Five clinical adaptations you can start using right away
Want to learn more? Enroll in my upcoming 90min CE course on "Becoming an Aging-Informed Therapist" - Live July 22, 2025
Have a topic idea? Send us a text.
PROFESSIONALS: Grab your free guide to working with older adults here
Attention Social Workers, Therapists, Counselors, Psychologists, Aging Life Care Experts... Click here to get Continuing Education Credits
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