About Sea Change Counseling
Many people say that if we are lucky, we will live long lives. While we do believe that “aging is a privilege denied to many,” the therapists at Sea Change Counseling also believe aging is a complex, dynamic, ever changing process that many people are not prepared for.
Often times, people simply don’t like the words “old,” “elderly,” or “senior” because the words don’t resonate for them. Regardless of if a person feels “old” or not, certain changes and challenges may arrive that simply never were issues earlier in life and professional counseling can help client’s navigate the new roads.
When big challenges arise later in life, it can be totally shocking and devastating. When people have lived relatively independent lives, and are faced with one or more major life changes, they may really need and benefit from professional emotional support. Medical diagnoses, loss of loved ones (spouses, children, pets etc), surgeries, financial insecurity, loss of vision/hearing/mobility can all have very serious and life-changing consequence
In Individual therapy, the first objective is to complete a psychosocial assessment with the primary client. This is usually completed through a one-on-one, but from time to time, family members or other important individuals/caretakers may participate. Much information is obtained during the initial encounter, including the presenting/primary problems, the history and duration of the problems, medical diagnoses and medications, a brief mental status assessment and a personal history. By the end of the assessment the therapist and the primary client discuss together the initial goals of therapy in what we refer to as a ‘Treatment Plan.’
The Treatment plan is a co-created, tentative roadmap for the goals of therapy. We strive to make the treatment plan as realistic as possible and Medicare urges us to state the goals in the most specific terms possible so that we can actually gauge progress. A couple of examples of goal language might be that the individual reduces their score on the Geriatric Depression scale from 27 to 24 within 3 months OR that the client attempts to attend 1 activity per day, outside of their room/home, over the next 3 months.
Through the individual therapy sessions, Sea Change therapists, attempt to help seniors find new ways to accomplish their goals, track progress and identify what barriers are in their way. As people age, they aren’t always able to accomplish tasks in the same way they always have. Sometimes it takes ‘fresh eyes’ to help clients look at challenges in a new light and explore new ways to reach goals. Sometimes seniors are able to make very rapid progress through counseling and other times, it takes longer. Blue Moon Senior Counseling provides the professional support seniors deserve and benefit from to keep striving forward and to not lose hope. We are proud to be allies for seniors facing their own unique challenges.