APN WEBINAR

Dr Jessamine Chen, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist at the

Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University

About this webinar: 

Anxiety disorders are prevalent in older adults and are associated with increased disability, cognitive decline, health service use, loneliness and mortality.  However, anxiety disorders in older populations are underidentified and undertreated.  Given the large number of older adults that will soon make up the population in Australia, clinicians need to be better prepared and upskilled to work with older adults.  Although there are some differences in symptom presentation, assessment and treatment of anxiety in older populations, many of the skills learned for working with younger adults with anxiety can be applied to older adults with appropriate sensitivity to the wealth of life experience that an older person brings to the therapeutic context.  This webinar will provide an overview of the epidemiology of anxiety in later life, precipitating factors unique to this population, and issues of comorbidity and maintaining factors of late-life anxiety disorders, followed by an overview of assessment of anxiety disorders in older adults.  I will also describe and demonstrate how to apply cognitive behavioural treatment for older adults with anxiety disorders, including adaptations of treatment in the context of unique challenges presented during the global pandemic.

Key learning objectives:

• Increased understanding of the phenomenology, prevalence, and epidemiology of late-life anxiety disorders

• Enhanced understanding of the use of assessment tools in assessing anxiety disorders in older adults

• Enhanced ability to effectively implement evidence-based psychological intervention for older adults with anxiety disorders

• Enhanced understanding of the basic modifications to conducting cognitive behavioural therapy with older adults

About the presenter: Dr Jessamine Chen, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist at the Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University. She is a clinical researcher and practitioner with expertise in psychological interventions for anxiety and depression across the lifespan. Her current research is focused on clinical trial of psychological interventions for anxiety and depression in older adults. Her research is also focused on social connectedness in late life and methods of delivering mental health services for older adults. Clinically, Jessamine has specialised in the assessment and treatment of anxiety and related disorders across the lifespan for over 15 years. She also works in private practice. She has been involved in the training and supervision of Provisional Psychologists and Clinical Psychology Registrars since 2008. Prior to joining Macquarie University, she was the Head of the Westmead Hospital Anxiety Treatment and Research Unit from 2014-2018.

PLEASE NOTE: THE WEBINAR CAN BE WATCHED LIVE OR WATCHED UP TO TWO WEEKS AFTER THE EVENT