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Five reasons to seek therapy in later life

Elderly couple taking a walk in a park on a summer's day, chatting and smiling

Seeking therapy in your older years can provide invaluable support with reflecting and adjusting to life changes and equip you with practical tools in everyday life.  

Since the pandemic, research suggests that older adults who have reported symptoms of low mood have doubled and a third of older adults felt more anxious than before.

You may believe that therapy is not suited to you if you're older, and that younger people benefit more.

It may surprise you to learn that those who aged 65+ have higher recovery rates from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) at NHS Talking Therapies, than those who were younger.  

Here are five reasons why NHS Talking Therapies is suited to older adults:  

  1. You have a wealth of life experiences so you have probably overcome many challenges in the past, which can help support your journey through therapy. Having all this life experience allows you to reflect how you’ve overcame challenges and gain new skills to manage problems in the here and now.  
  2. As part of our NHS Talking Therapies service in East Berkshire, we also have a Wellbeing service which can provide practical support for you if you are dealing with challenges such as money worries, social isolation, loneliness, or more general issues such as sleep.  
  3. Mental health problems later in life are often dismissed as a normal part of ageing, but this is not true, and we have plenty of techniques and resources that can support an overall better wellbeing for you. Feeling low, anxious or depressed is not a symptom of ageing, and NHS Talking Therapies can help improve your enjoyment of life. 
  4. Retirement is a time of life when you get the opportunity to tap into other parts of your personality that you may have lost whilst working and raising a family. When you're retired, you will have more time to explore hobbies and interests, and working with a therapist can help this transition and encourage a more positive outlook. 
  5. Physical health can become a problem later in life, but managing your mental health can have a positive impact on how you manage your physical conditions too. Although the physical symptoms are not the focus of the treatment, physical and mental health are both linked and can often help each other.  

Therapy can be a powerful tool for enhancing your wellbeing, no matter your age.

At NHS Berkshire Talking Therapies we offer a range of therapies designed to support each individual and provide compassionate care. If you think you could benefit from our services here are the ways to get in touch: