“…By calling for a focus on prevention, rather than a continued emphasis on counseling and psychotherapy, we are not implying that older adults are poor candidates for psychotherapy, and we certainly do not want to reinforce the continued neglect of this population by mental health specialists. Indeed, innovative therapeutic work with older adults and their families is being done (Herr & Weakland, 1979;Knight, 1986;Santos, Hubbard, McIntosh, & Eisner, 1984;Smyer, 1984;Smyer et al, 1990;Thompson, Gallagher, & Breckenridge, 1987). A theme in much of the newer therapeutic work is to help older adults rediscover and expand on existing competencies and improve their sense of perceived efficacy rather than the more traditional stance of having clients review their feelings about past negative events and relationships (Lewinsohn, Antonuccio, Steinmetz, & Teri, 1984;Rodin, Cashman, & Desiderato, 1987;Shostak, 1988).…”