Workshop summary: According to the US Census Bureau (2016), by the year 2030, twenty percent of the US population will be 65 years or older, outnumbering children under age 18. Throughout the world, the proportion of elders is estimated to be twelve percent. As such, there is a growing urgency to develop and/or expand services to meet this population’s needs, both materially and otherwise. Although significant attention has been given to medical and other overt aspects of aging, at times overlooked is the interaction of unresolved, historical trauma and biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors that increase vulnerabilities for older adults. In this presentation, we will first discuss the multivariate factors, including cultural impacts, influencing diagnosis and treatment of older adults. We will then explore considerations for treatment and interventions at the individual, group, and community levels of care.

Learning Objectives:  

1. Learners will be able to identify three non-medical factors impacting resilience in older adults. 

2. Learners will be able to name three medical factors that influence older adults’ functioning. 

3. Learners will be able to describe the impact upon older adults of traumatic experience at different stages of life. 

4. Learners will be able to recognize at least three potentially confounding factors for trauma accessing and resolution with older adults.

Presenters Bios:

D. Michael Coy, MA, LCSW (IL), LICSW (WA), trained as a clinical social worker at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago, graduating with honors in 2006. He is a Certified/Approved Consultant and Trainer in EMDR therapy through the EMDR International Association. He served on EMDRIA's Standards & Training committee (2014-2017). Michael has collaborated with Texas-based colleague Jennifer Madere and Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation developer Paul F. Dell, PhD since 2016, co-authored the MID Interpretive Manual, and manages the MID Analysis and MID website (www.mid-assessment.com). Michael have presented on the MID both in the US and internationally. Michael serves on ISSTD's Board of Directors and as the Society’s Treasurer. From 2017 to 2020, he co-chaired the task group that developed ISSTD’s EMDR therapy 'basic' training, which he also co-teaches.

Michael has previously presented original material on advanced applications of EMDR therapy, hypnosis, and Ego State Therapy, as well as framework for recognizing, contextualizing, and resolving clients’ dissociated memory material communicated non-verbally through dissociative attunement. Michael has contributed articles to EMDRIA’s ‘go with that’ magazine on EMDR therapy and dissociation, and two co-authored works, both an article and a book chapter, on screening and diagnosing the dissociative disorders, are in press as of early-2022. Michael provides consultation on the use of the MID and treatment of persons with complex trauma and dissociative disorders, and maintains a private practice in Bremerton, Washington.

Denise Malm, LSWAIC, GMHS serves as a social worker at the Wallingford Community Center. Denise earned her MSW from the University of Washington. As a geriatric mental health specialist, Denise is trained to holistically assess and incorporate the complex physical and behavioral health conditions faced by each individual in her care. She also works with the University of Washington Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences AIMS Center as a clinical researcher supporting a study evaluating older adult participants engaged in a short-term behavioral activities’ intervention. Denise provides a multitude of services in a non-profit community setting (Wallingford Community Senior Center) including assessing dementia and delirium, evidence-based interventions for depression, facilitating discussions of end of life wishes, and working with adult children to plan and create a safety net for their aging parents.