Enhancing Wellbeing for Older Adults With Serious Mental Illnesses: Co-Producing a Positive Psychology Course With Certified Older Adult Peer Specialists

Abstract

Compared to peers in the general population, persons aging with serious mental illnesses (SMIs) face physical health disparities, increased isolation, and decreased subjective experiences of quality of life and wellbeing. To date, limited intervention research focuses on addressing specific needs of persons aging with SMIs and no interventions targeted for that population are informed by the theory and science of positive psychology. With the aim of co-producing a positive-psychology-based program to enhance wellbeing for older adults with SMIs, the author held a series of focus groups and individual interviews with six certified older adult peer specialists. Analysis of the data developed in-depth insights into helpful processes, values, and priorities of individuals aging with SMIs, as well as the creation of a wellbeing-enhancing course curriculum.

Practitioner Experiences Responding to Suicide Risk for Survivors of Human Trafficking in the Philippines

“…Such a model requires enhancing the availability of specialist care in a low-resource context such as Cebu, as well as effective organizational coordination with outside partners. Further, this model adds to the growing body of literature that addresses the specific needs of a high-risk group through a qualitative-research informed targeted intervention (Ogden, 2021).…”