UNIVERSITY-BASED TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR THE PSYCHIATRIC ELDERLY - HOW EFFECTIVE

A psychosocial educational rehabilitation model coupled with more traditional individual and group psychotherapy services is used by a university-based treatment program in Florida. The unique advantage of including such a model as part of a professional school in psychology is that it provides (a) a wide range of clinical services, (b) training opportunities, (c) avenues for applied research, (d) interaction between staff/students and faculty, and (e) an environment of growth and development. Preliminary examination of discharge data resulting from this model indicates a high rate of successful community adjustment and decline in psychiatric hospital readmission. The educational and training programs for psychologists in the area of clinical gerontology include one-to-one supervision; exposure to individual and group psychotherapy techniques; inter-disciplinary treatment team planning, and personality, cognitive, and neuropsychological assessment.