DCP Faculty of the Psychology of Older People

• The mental health of older people - fact and fiction

First line psychosocial alternatives to psychotropic medication for behaviours that challenge in dementia care: A toolkit for health and social care practitioners

• Good Practice Guidelines for UK Clinical Psychology Training Providers for the Training and Consolidation of Clinical Practice in Relation to Older People
• National minimum standards of expected capabilities that trainee clinical psychologists should gain to fit them for work with older people, with guidance on minimum supervised practice and academic teaching

Recent publications

• Blatchford, L. & Cook, J. (2020). Patient Perspectives about Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review, Clinical Gerontologist, DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2020.1805536
• Reichelt, K., Birkett-Swan, L.,& Clatworthy, L. (2021) A conceptual history of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and its assessment – Part 1: Historical background. FPOP Bulletin, 154, pg. 6 – 10. Access through the BPS shop
• Clatworthy, L., Birkett-Swan, L., and Reichelt, K. (2021). A conceptual history of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and its assessment – Part 2: Should Mild Cognitive Impairment be considered as a discrete diagnosis? A summary of different perspectives. FPOP Bulletin, 154 pg. 11 – 13 .
• Birkett-Swan, L., Reichelt, K. and Clatworthy, L. (2021). A conceptual history of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and its assessment – Part 3: Proposing a single criteria for MCI. FPOP Bulletin, 154 pg. 14 – 17

Planned activities:

• Special edition FPOP Bulletin (aimed for Jan 2023)
• Special interest webinar (aimed for 2023)
• Practice briefing paper (aimed 2024)

• Alternatives to antipsychotic medication: Psychological approaches in managing psychological and behavioural distress in people with dementia

Workstream Lead - Jane Simpson

Any queries are welcome on [email protected](link sends e-mail)

Recent publications

Mistry, K., & Simpson, J. (2013). Exploring the transitional process from receiving a diagnosis to living with motor neurone disease. Psychology and Health, 28(8), 939–953.

• Access publication

Simpson, J., McMillan, H., & Reeve, D. (2013). Reformulating psychological difficulties in people with Parkinson's disease: The potential of a social relational approach to disablism. Parkinson's Disease, 2013.

• Access publication

Maxted, C., Simpson, J., & Weatherhead, S. (2014). An exploration of the experience of Huntington's disease in family dyads: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 23(3), 339–349.

• Access publication

Simpson, J., Lekwuwa, G., & Crawford, T. (2014). Predictors of quality of life in people with Parkinson's disease: Evidence for both domain specific and general relationships. Disability and Rehabilitation, 36(23), 1964–1970.

• Access publication

Arran, N., Craufurd, D., & Simpson, J. (2014). Illness perceptions, coping styles and psychological distress in adults with Huntington' s disease. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 19(2), 169–179. 

Simpson, J., & Thomas, C. (2015). Clinical psychology and disability studies: Bridging the disciplinary divide on mental health and disability. Disability and Rehabilitation, 37(14), 1299–1304.

• Access publication

Simpson, J., McMillan, H., Leroi, I., & Murray, C. D. (2015). Experiences of apathy in people with Parkinson's disease: A qualitative exploration. Disability and Rehabilitation, 37(7), 611–619.

• Access publication

Barcroft, R., Simpson, J., & Butchard, S. (2016). Support for practitioners working with people with neurodegenerative disorders. Psychology of Older People: The FPOP Bulletin, 136, 21–28.

Garlovsky, J. K., Simpson, J., Grünewald, R. A., & Overton, P. G. (2016). Impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease: Predominant role of psychological determinants. Psychology & Health, 31(12), 1391–1414.

• Access publication

Barcroft, R., & Simpson, J. (2016). Psychological interventions for depression in people with multiple sclerosis. Psychology of Older People: The FPOP Bulletin, 136, 40–47.

Theed, R., Eccles, F. J. R., & Travers, V. (2016). Anxiety and depression in individuals with Parkinson's disease: perspectives of the nurse specialist. British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 12(3), 132–139. 

Warren, E., Eccles, F., Travers, V., & Simpson, J. (2016). The experience of being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 12(6), 288–296.

• Access publication

Garlovsky, J. K., Overton, P. G., & Simpson Paul G. (2016). Psychological predictors of anxiety and depression in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 72(10), 979–998. 

Maltby, J., Dale, M., Underwood, M., & Simpson, J. (2017). Irritability in Huntington's Disease: Factor Analysis of Snaith's Irritability Scale. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice, 4(3), 342–348.

• Access publication

Regan, L., Preston, N. J., Eccles, F. J. R., & Simpson, J. (2017). The views of adults with neurodegenerative diseases on end-of-life care: a metasynthesis. Aging & Mental Health, 1–9.

• Access publications

Theed, R., Eccles, F., & Simpson, J. (2017). Experiences of caring for a family member with Parkinson's disease: a meta-synthesis. Aging & Mental Health, 21(10), 1007–1016.

• Access publication

Regan, L., Preston, N. J., Eccles, F. J. R., & Simpson, J. (2018). The views of adults with Huntington's disease on assisted dying: A qualitative exploration. Palliative Medicine, 32(4), 708–715.

• Access publication

Zarotti, N., Simpson, J., Fletcher, I., Squitieri, F., & Migliore, S. (2018). Exploring emotion regulation and emotion recognition in people with presymptomatic Huntington's disease: The role of emotional awareness. Neuropsychologia, 112, 1–9.

• Access publication

Theed, R., Eccles, F. J. R., & Simpson, J. (2018). Understandings of psychological difficulties in people with the Huntington's disease gene and their expectations of psychological therapy. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 91, 216-232.

• Access publication

Simpson, J., Chatzidamianos, G., Perpetuo, L., Fletcher, I., & Eccles, F.J.R. (2018). A new scale measuring adaptive perceived control for people with Parkinson's: initial construction and further validation. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 391, 77-83

• Access publication

Zarotti, N., Simpson, J., & Fletcher, I. (2019). "I have a feeling I can't speak to anybody': A thematic analysis of communication perspectives in people with Huntington's disease. Chronic Illness, 15, 61-73. 

• Access publicaiton

Zarotti, N., Fletcher, I., & Simpson, J. (2019). New perspectives on emotional processing in people with symptomatic Huntington's disease: impaired emotion regulation and recognition of emotional body language. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 34, 610-624.

Simpson, J., Theed, R., Dale, M., Gunn, S., Zarotti, N., & Eccles, F.J.R. (2019). A critical scoping review of the concept of irritability in Huntington's disease. Cortex, 120, 353-374.

Moore, J., Eccles, F.J.R., & Simpson, J. (in press – available online). Post-diagnostic lived experiences of individuals with essential tremor. Disability and Rehabilitation.

The Psychological Therapies Workstream was established to ensure a focus on the mental health needs of older people to balance the focus on dementia care.

The work is led by Polly Kaiser, Natasha Lord and Kathryn Dykes with the support and expertise of many colleagues across professions nationally.

Please contact [email protected] or [email protected] for further information.

The aim is to shine a light on the psychological and mental health needs of older people and lead on the advancement of evidence based psychological therapies in this area.

The focus in England on the NHS Long Term Plan and Community Mental Health Transformation has shaped the focus of this workstream in recent years. 

There are lots of great resources on the Future NHS platform, free registration is required. 

• Resources that the Psychological Therapies Workstream have contributed to or developed are detailed as well as other useful resources.
• Complex Emotional Needs webinar slides July 2022
• Complex Emotional Needs webinar recording July 2022
• Older Adults CEN.  Standards for services
• Older people and the diagnosis of 'personality disorder', webinar slides
• Older People's mental health competency framework
• Psychological Interventions for People with Eating Disorders: A competence framework | UCL Psychology and Language Sciences - UCL – University College London

Early stage Career

• An assistant, trainee clinical psychologist, or qualified clinical psychologist up to 3 years post qualification 

Working with older people

• Holding a post within an older adult service (inpatient, community, memory clinic or physical health), or during their training is undertaking clinical placements or research
• Working clinically with clients aged over 65 using a range of assessment and intervention methodologies to address clinical issues, presentations or complexity that are common in older people

An active member of an FPOP geographical group

• Regular attendee, contributor or committee member in a local group

Demonstrating commitment and enthusiasm in their role

• An enthusiastic proponent of working with older people, demonstrating passion and professionalism

Commitment to older people's needs

• Shows an outstanding commitment to or creative verve for working with older people and has successfully implemented innovative work as a result of this
• This work can be at an individual, group, service, consultative or community level. It will be assessed with reference to whether the person is an assistant, trainee or qualified practitioner

An advocate of older people's psychology

• Sharing and encouraging others to share their enthusiasm for older adult work, for example by:
• Demonstrating leadership and innovation in their service with plans to develop this beyond their team
• Providing clinical supervision re therapeutic interventions and encouragement in their use to psychologists and wider members of the multidisciplinary team
• Developing the culture of age-blind clinical services to be more older adult appropriate
• Actively seeking the input of older people and their families into wider service issues
• Encouraging the local community to be more older adult friendly
• Engaging sectors of the public in discussion about older people

Una Holden qualified as a Clinical Psychologist in Liverpool and worked in Lancashire before spending some years in the United States of America at the Missouri Institute of Psychology. She returned to work at St James University Hospital, Leeds, leading on developments in services for older people and neuropsychology.

She published extensively and was shortlisted for the 1996 Seebohm Trophy (which promotes the well-being and understanding of older people) for the book Ageing, neuropsychology and the new dementias. Joint publications with both Bob Woods and Graham Stokes are texts that still underpin current best practice.

Una was one of the founding members of PSIGE (now the Faculty of the Psychology of Older People) and was the first Chair. She was always a lively presence, running Reality Orientation (RO) and neuropsychology workshops, both at PSIGE conferences and for mental health practitioners over many years.

Among her many roles was being clinical tutor on the Plymouth Clinical Psychology Course in the early 1980s, and Principal Clinical Psychologist for Plymouth Health District. She then moved to Cumbria to head the Older People's Clinical Psychology Service. From there she retired to Spain, and for a number of years, until her health failed, returned to PSIGE conferences and contributed to newsletters. She died in 2013. 

Una was a huge inspiration to many psychologists from the 1980s-generation of 'single-handed' older adult psychologists trying to make a case for the specialty. She was a powerful advocate for the application and development of clinical psychology for older people and in dementia care and continues to be remembered by many FPOP/PSIGE members for the difference she made.

Mid Career stage

• More than 10 years after qualification

Working with older people

• Holding a post within an older adult service (inpatient, community, memory clinic or physical health)

An active member of an FPOP geographical group

• Regular attendee, contributor or committee member in a local group

Demonstrating commitment and enthusiasm in their role

• Evidence of mentoring and supervising others
• Developing new ideas within services
• Instigating and following up projects.

Commitment to older people's needs

• Going above and beyond the work through links with older adult agencies, voluntary roles or personal links

A known advocate of older people's psychology

• Offering talks to team members, teaching on the DClinPsy Course, engaged in FPOP work

A team worker

• Demonstrating good working relationships within services and FPOP

Belinda Downes, known as Bill, was a clinical psychologist, based in Birmingham. As a fairly new graduate, Bill came to work in the service as a researcher on The Birmingham Stroke Counselling Project.

Following her training on the Plymouth course, she returned as a qualified clinical psychologist to work in the older adult services, moving into a specialist post for older people with physical health problems. It was during her work in this post that Bill developed the breast cancer that eventually stole her life in her mid-40s. 

Bill generously left £2000 in her will to Jan Oyebode (who had been head of older adult psychology in the Trust during much of Bill's career) to be used for the benefit of clinical psychology with older people.

Jan has agreed with FPOP to use £200 of this money year-on-year to recognise the contribution of a mid-career clinical psychologist to work with older people.

In 2015 the first Bill Downes Award was received by Reinhard Guss, Consultant Clinical Psychologist in east Kent, FPOP Dementia Workstream Lead, and past Chair of FPOP. 

Membership of the faculty provides access to several benefits including:

• an annual conference
• briefing papers and guidance documents
• a regular newsletter

The Faculty for the Psychology of Older People uses its membership announcement email list to inform its members of activities and initiatives that are relevant to their interests and to make requests for engagement on topical issues. 

By becoming a member of the Faculty you are automatically added to the announcement list.

To receive these emails you will need to:

1. become a member of the Faculty for the Psychology of Older People
2. opt into receiving email communication and provide a working email address

These preferences can be updated by logging into your member portal.

If you have any queries, please contact Member Network Services.

To assist us in responding to your query please make sure to include your membership number and quote 'Faculty for the Psychology of Older People announcement email' in the subject line.

The Faculty for the Psychology of Older People relies on a wide range of people getting involved, and the work of the Faculty is largely achieved through the dedication of unpaid volunteers.

Our volunteers come from a wide range of different backgrounds, whether they be practitioners or academics, or full members or in-training members, and together form an open and inclusive community.