This book is a refreshingly honest self-help guide to aging well. It encourages readers to dispel gloom or overcome denial around the subject of aging and offers advice in a realistic, non-prescriptive format.
Practical yet personable, chapters move through pertinent topics such as making the decision to retire and successfully navigating that transition; designing daily routines (your practice) and engaging in activities (your projects); connecting with others as relationships shift and evolve; and managing moods and emotional issues. The guide also supports readers coping with illness or injury, experiencing loss and grief, and those searching for meaning as they grow older.
Written in a conversational style, An Essential Guide to Aging Well motivates its readers to be curious about this time of life, and to design the best possible version of it for themselves.
1. The Republic of Let’s Not Go There 2. What Does It Mean? 3. How Did This Happen? 4. The Rear View Mirror 5. The Selfie 6. You and Your Role Models 7. Decisions: Taking Control, and Letting Go 8. Working. Or Not 9. Your Practice, Your Projects 10. Moving. Or Not. 11. Lighten Up 12. Do Less. Be More. 13. Warranty Expiring 14. Stormy Weather 15. You and Your Constant Companion 16. The Significance of Others 17. Loves Lost 18. When It All Falls Apart 19. The View From Here
Biography
Katharine Bethell, MSW, was a Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work. She has 25 years of experience as a psychotherapist treating adults and couples in an outpatient private practice.
"As someone who has the pleasure and privilege of working with older adults, I am grateful that I now have a go-to resource to share with my patients and friends. Katharine Bethell writes with clarity and empathy about the changes we are all likely to encounter as we age, and the practical exercises she offers will gently guide her readers toward a deeper understanding of their individual experiences. An Essential Guide to Aging Well provides a refreshing and authentic perspective on aging that I have not found elsewhere, and that I will be encouraging others to read and re-read." —Jennifer Crumlish, Ph.D., Washington Psychological Center"This book is a capital 'G' Guide to retirement, explaining how retirement can be a valued beginning, not just an ending. By designing the book to mobilize the reader’s strengths in facing retirement, Katharine Bethell demonstrates the wisdom and sensitivity that characterized her success as a therapist. This informative, sensible, very readable book is must reading for anyone contemplating retirement—and life after retirement." —Allan M. Leventhal, Ph.D.
"Katharine Bethell, an accomplished psychotherapist, has written a book that is equal parts wisdom, wit, and gentle counsel. Wherever you are on the aging trajectory, this book belongs on your bedside table." — Gretchen McKnew, MSW, licensed independent clinical social worker
