Many contemporary psychotherapists and psychoanalysts do not believe in the usefulness of psychotherapy with the elderly. Freud thought that personality is set by the age of 30. Many challenge this view, Karl Abraham, Karl Jung and Erik Erikson to name a few. They talked of a more optimistic perspective on psychotherapy and old age.
Dr Janine Stevenson having extensively worked with elderly in psychotherapy believes that a lot can be done and that age is not an impediment to therapy. One has to understand the person in their social context and set specific goals. She talks about how to overcome the stigma of referral and the clinical barriers. She warns about the different transferences and counter-transferences that risk emerging in therapeutic situations with the elderly.
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