Psychotherapeutic Approaches to Supporting Adult Child and Spousal Family Caregivers (April 28, 2026)

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Psychotherapeutic Approaches to Supporting Adult Child and Spousal Family Caregivers

Tuesday, April 28th from 11am-1pm

(2 EDI CE Credits)

Presented by: Barry J. Jacobs, Psy.D., & Julia L. Mayer, Psy.D.

Program Description

From 2015 to 2025, the number of family caregivers in the U.S. increased by 45 percent to 63 million, largely due to the aging of the American population. These caregivers--mostly adult children caring for older parents or spouses caring for disabled spouses--have significantly higher rates of depression and anxiety than do non-caregivers. Yet few psychologists or other mental health professionals have training in psychotherapeutic approaches for supporting family caregivers. In this highly interactive, two-hour workshop from clinical psychologists Barry J. Jacobs, Psy.D. and Julia L. Mayer, Psy.D., we'll discuss applications of psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, mindfulness, and family systems techniques for decreasing caregiver stress, depression and anxiety, as well as reducing family conflict and strengthening family cohesion. We will also focus specifically on special topics such as dementia caregiving and sibling relationships during caregiving. Case illustrations will be used throughout.

Learning Objectives

1) Describe the burgeoning phenomenon of family caregiving in America

2) Review research on the effects of caregiving on family caregivers, including differences among cultural/racial groups and family configurations

3) Identify 4 evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches for supporting family caregivers

About the Presenters

Barry J. Jacobs, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist, family therapist, and healthcare consultant. A former magazine journalist, he is the author of The Emotional Survival Guide for Caregivers: Looking After Yourself and Your Family While Helping an Aging Parent (Guilford, 2006) and coauthor with his wife, Julia L. Mayer, PsyD, of AARP Meditations for Caregivers: Practical, Emotional, and Spiritual Support for You and Your Family (Hachette, 2016), AARP Love and Meaning After 50: The 10 Challenges to Great Relationships—and How to Overcome Them (Hachette, 2020), and The AARP Caregiver Answer Book (Guilford, 2025). He has also written a self-help column for caregivers for AARP.org since 2013. A board member of the Caregiver Action Network, a national family caregiver advocacy and support organization, and a former director of behavioral sciences for the Crozer Health Family Medicine Residency, he maintains a psychotherapy practice in Media, Pennsylvania, specializing in supporting individuals with chronic and serious illness and their caregivers. For seven years, he was the primary caregiver for his stepfather with Alzheimer’s disease and mother with vascular dementia.

Julia L. Mayer, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Media, Pennsylvania, who has specialized for three decades in helping women in caregiver roles, as well as those with troubled marriages and histories of sexual trauma. She is the author of the novel A Fleeting State of Mind(2014) and coauthor of AARP Meditations for Caregivers and AARP Love and Meaning After 50. She is a former president of the board of PSCP—The Psychology Network. She was a caregiver for her father and mother-in-law with vascular dementia and her stepfather-in-law with Alzheimer’s disease.

Navigating Political Stress (May 15, 2026)

Fri, 15 May 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Navigating Political Stress

Friday, May 15th from 10am to 5:30pm

6 CEs

Presented by Drs. Brett Ford and Kevin Smith

Workshop Description:

Politics has become an inescapable feature of modern life—and for many people, a chronic source of psychological stress. This continuing education workshop integrates research from psychology, political science, and clinical practice to help psychologists understand how political stress affects well-being and what can be done about it. We review evidence showing that political stress is a distinct and enduring stressor with meaningful mental health consequences, as well as substantial individual differences in vulnerability. The course then examines how people commonly regulate their political emotions, highlighting both the short-term relief and longer-term trade-offs of disengagement strategies such as avoidance and distraction. Moving beyond these trade-offs, we discuss emerging, more promising approaches that foster engagement rather than withdrawal—including emotional acceptance, mindfulness, agency, positive emotion, and social connection—and review early empirical evidence for their benefits. Finally, the workshop creates space for collective reflection on how politics shows up in clinical work, how therapists can care for their own well-being, and how to navigate ideological differences while remaining grounded, ethical, and client-centered in an increasingly polarized world.

Objectives:

1. Describe the unique features of political stress and differentiate it from other forms of stress, including its chronic, identity-relevant, and relational dimensions.

2. Summarize the empirical evidence linking political processes to psychological well-being, including why political stress represents a chronic and measurable public health concern.

3. Assess individual differences in vulnerability to political stress, including traits, emotion beliefs, and perceptions of agency.

4. Identify different emotion regulation strategies used in response to political stress and describe the theoretical framework guiding these distinctions.

5. Evaluate the trade-offs of common emotion regulation strategies used in response to political stress, considering both their immediate benefits and potential long-term impacts on civic engagement and psychological well-being.

6. Identify effective approaches to fostering emotional resilience in politically charged times.

7. Compile and compare ethical and culturally responsive strategies for navigating political topics in therapy through peer discussion, including considerations of therapist identity, boundaries, and supporting clients across ideological differences.

About the Presenters:

The workshop is co-led by Dr. Brett Ford and Dr. Kevin Smith. Dr. Brett Ford is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and director of the Affective Science & Health Lab. Her research explores how people navigate emotional life—what they believe about emotions, how they manage them, and the trade-offs of striving to feel good—particularly in the face of personal and societal stressors. She earned her Ph.D. in social-personality psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Smith is a professor of political science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, whose work explores the biology and psychology of individual-level differences in political attitudes and behavior. His research investigates where political beliefs come from, why they are resistant to change, and how they drive action—alongside a longstanding interest in public policy and state politics. Dr. Smith received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

Delaware Psychological Association upcoming events

Psychotherapeutic Approaches to Supporting Adult Child and Spousal Family Caregivers (April 28, 2026)

Navigating Political Stress (May 15, 2026)